For years, a group of young people has built a reputation for being behind violent attacks in Brazzaville, the Republic of Congo’s capital. “These young people sow terror in the city,” says Ghislaine Matondo, who lives in the city with her husband, mother, and sister. Yet little has been done to address the danger, she explains: “Juvenile delinquency in our neighborhoods is a sensitive matter [to which] even politicians do not dare give concrete answers.”

Flora de la Cruz Giron was having trouble finding a job that would allow her to support her family while caring for her children. She was selling products in the street when a friend invited her to join meetings for a solidarity group focused especially on women. Through that relationship, she took out her first loan from Esperanza International, HOPE’s partner in the Dominican Republic.