Category: Uncategorized

When we think about helping people in developing countries, it’s easy to picture boxes of medical supplies, textbooks, or donated equipment. These things certainly help. But years of research—and the lived experience of Adelante Mujer students—show that giving cash directly to women studying medical students can be the most effective, dignified, and transformative way to help.

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What the Research Shows

Reducing poverty and food insecurity.
Across 56 different programs in low- and middle-income countries, a review of 165 studies found that cash transfers consistently reduce poverty and hunger. Families use this support to buy food, pay tuition, or cover transportation (GiveDirectly, n.d.-a). For our students, stipends often mean the difference between staying in school or dropping out to support their families.

Improving health and education.
Cash transfers have measurable effects on health outcomes. In some studies, unconditional transfers reduced illness by nearly 27% (Unconditional cash transfer, 2025). In Rwanda, a randomized trial showed that larger cash grants improved diets and even led to modest child growth gains, sometimes outperforming targeted nutrition programs (McIntosh & Zeitlin, 2020). Similarly, the World Bank reports that conditional cash transfers directly increase school attendance and completion across dozens of countries (Fiszbein & Schady, 2009). For Adelante Mujer, this translates into women completing their medical programs and bringing healthcare back to their communities.

Boosting wellbeing and dignity.
Beyond material outcomes, cash helps with mental health and dignity. A meta-analysis of 37 studies covering more than 112,000 people showed clear improvements in well-being (McGuire et al., 2020). For our students, knowing they have reliable support reduces stress and allows them to focus on studies, rather than worrying about choosing between tuition, food, or caring for their families.

Efficient and cost-effective.
Cash is often faster and cheaper than in-kind aid. Delivering textbooks or supplies internationally involves shipping and storage costs. By sending cash stipends directly, Adelante Mujer eliminates those overhead costs and gets resources into students’ hands exactly when and how they need them (Aid effectiveness, 2025).

Strengthening communities.
Finally, stipends ripple outward. When our students spend their stipends locally—on food, transport, or study materials—they support small businesses and their local economies (GiveDirectly, n.d.-b). And when they graduate, they give back as nurses, providing care that touches entire communities.

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Tackling Common Concerns

Some people wonder if cash will be misused. But research consistently shows that recipients do not waste money on things like alcohol. Instead, they invest in education, food, health, and small businesses (GiveDirectly, n.d.-a). In fact, Adelante Mujer has clear safeguards: students must maintain an 80% GPA, submit grades every semester, and show proof of continued enrollment. This accountability ensures that every dollar goes where it matters most.

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Why Cash Stipends Create the Deepest Change

• Dignity: Women choose what they need most—whether tuition, transportation, or food.
• Flexibility: One student may require uniforms, while another may need assistance with housing. Cash covers both.
• Scalability: Stipends can grow with need—expanding to more students as donor support increases.
• Ripple effects: A stipend helps one woman become a nurse, and her career supports entire families and communities.

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In-kind gifts like supplies and textbooks will always have value, but evidence overwhelmingly shows that cash is the most meaningful help we can give. For Adelante Mujer students, stipends don’t just cover expenses—they keep dreams alive, reduce stress, and help women graduate as doctors and nurses who transform healthcare in Nicaragua and Guatemala.

When you give to Adelante Mujer, you are not just funding school—you are giving women the trust, opportunity, and dignity they need to build healthier futures for their communities.

Let’s change the world, one future doctor at a time.

DONATE NOW!

Adelante, mujer. Forward, woman.

P.S. Don’t forget…..your donation will be DOUBLED between now and the end of the year, thanks to our generous Rita Thomas and her $50,000 matching challenge! Give today and make your gift count!

References

Aid effectiveness. (2025, January 15). Wikipedia. Retrieved September 11, 2025, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aid_effectiveness

Fiszbein, A., & Schady, N. (2009). Conditional cash transfers: Reducing present and future poverty. World Bank. https://thedocs.worldbank.org/en/doc/111531529868058319-0160022017/original/Day39am10749.pdf

GiveDirectly. (n.d.-a). Research on cash transfers: What does the evidence say? Retrieved September 11, 2025, from https://www.givedirectly.org/research-on-cash-transfers

GiveDirectly. (n.d.-b). How cash transfers work. Retrieved September 11, 2025, from https://www.givedirectly.org

McGuire, J., Kaiser, C., & Bach-Mortensen, A. (2020). The impact of cash transfers on subjective wellbeing and mental health: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Happier Lives Institute. https://www.happierlivesinstitute.org/report/cash-transfers-systematic-review-and-meta-analysis

McIntosh, C., & Zeitlin, A. (2020). Cash versus food: Evidence from a randomized controlled trial in Rwanda. arXiv Preprint. https://arxiv.org/abs/2106.00213

Unconditional cash transfer. (2025, January 12). Wikipedia. Retrieved September 11, 2025, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unconditional_cash_transfer

 

We are thrilled to announce something truly extraordinary for Adelante Mujer: The Rita Thomas $50,000 Matching Gift Challenge.

Thanks to the remarkable generosity of our friend and longtime supporter, Rita Thomas, every donation made to Adelante Mujer between now and December 31, 2025 will be matched dollar for dollar—up to $50,000.

That means your gift goes twice as far.

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What This Means for Our Students

In Nicaragua, young women face enormous challenges in pursuing higher education—especially in medicine. For many, the cost of tuition, supplies, food, and transportation makes the dream of becoming a doctor feel out of reach.

With your help, Adelante Mujer provides scholarships so these women can step into classrooms, clinics, and communities as future healers. When you give today, your support will be doubled, creating a ripple effect of opportunity and hope.

Instead of funding one young woman’s education support, you fund two.
Instead of changing one life, you transform two.

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A Gift That Changes the World

Rita Thomas has been a faithful champion of our mission for many years. Her $50,000 Matching Gift Challenge is more than financial support—it’s a statement of faith in the power of women, education, and community.

Rita’s gift tells every student: Your dream matters. Your community needs you. We believe in you.

And now, you can join her in this extraordinary commitment.

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How You Can Help

From now through December 2025, every dollar you give will have twice the impact.
•    $50 becomes $100
•    $250 becomes $500
•    $1,000 becomes $2,000

Together, we can raise $100,000 to empower twice as many women to pursue their medical degrees and bring healing to communities that desperately need them.

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Join Us Today

This is our moment to stand beside the women of Nicaragua who are dedicating their lives to becoming doctors. With Rita’s generosity and your partnership, we can ensure that twice as many of these determined students cross the finish line.

👉 www.womanadvance.com/donate 

Let’s change the world, one future doctor at a time.

Adelante, mujer. Forward, woman.

Watch a video of Dr. Slilma on horseback visiting a local village HERE

“Buenos días. Me presento nuevamente, soy Slilma…”

With these words, Slilma introduced herself to us once again—not just as a student, but now as a graduate of the Intercultural Medicine Program at URACCAN University. Her path has been long, difficult, and full of faith.

Slilma completed her rotating internship at Hospital Nuevo Amanecer in Puerto Cabezas, the community where she was born and raised. From 2023 to 2025, she was transferred to the municipality of Rosita, in the Mining Triangle of Nicaragua, where she carried out her social service.

The patients she served live in remote rural areas, often only accessible by walking or traveling on horseback for 4–6 hours. With patience, perseverance, and deep compassion, she brought medical care to people who otherwise would have gone without.

She shares, “There were obstacles, but with patience, faith, and wisdom I was able to overcome them.”

In her photos you can see both her service and her joy: standing beside an ambulance that carried her into rural villages, holding newborn babies in her arms, and wearing her scrubs after long nights of caring for patients. These images tell the story of a woman who refused to give up—who became a doctor against all odds.

And now, she is preparing to officially receive her medical degree, a moment made possible by your generosity.

Why Her Story Matters

Slilma represents the heart of Adelante Mujer. She is living proof of what happens when a woman is given the opportunity to study medicine:

• Remote families gain access to healthcare.
• Babies are delivered safely.
• Lives are saved in communities forgotten by the system.

But for every Slilma, there are dozens of young women still waiting for a chance. Our waiting list is long, and the need is urgent.
How You Can Help

Your gift today can fund the next generation of doctors like Slilma—women who will walk for hours, ride on horseback, and do whatever it takes to care for their people.

👉 Will you help us open the door for them?

Together, we can ensure that no woman with the dream of becoming a doctor has to stop because of financial barriers.

Adelante, mujer. Forward, woman.

2024 Impact Report (made in 2025)-6

 

2024 Impact Report: When Women Rise, Communities Thrive

As we look back on 2024, it’s impossible not to feel overwhelmed with gratitude and awe. This past year was one of incredible growth, deepening impact, and powerful stories of transformation—both personal and collective. We’re proud to share it all with you in our newly released 2024 Impact Report.

Thanks to the generosity of our donors and partners, 60 women in Nicaragua received monthly financial support through Adelante Mujer this year. These funds covered more than tuition—they provided books, transportation, uniforms, housing, and more. In short, they removed the financial barriers that so often stand between a woman and her education.

Even more exciting: we officially expanded our program into Guatemala! In our first year, we welcomed six courageous young women who are now on the path to becoming nurses in rural highland communities where healthcare access is severely limited. Each of them is already making a difference—and each of them is proof that when women rise, they lift their communities with them.

One student, Aurelia, shared her story with us:

“Every morning, I wake up before the sun and take a two-hour bus ride to get to class. I do this five days a week because I believe in the power of education—and I know that becoming a nurse will help me change lives in my community. There were moments when I didn’t think this dream was possible… But Adelante Mujer believed in me.”

Her story is not unique. It is echoed in the lives of countless women supported by Adelante Mujer—women who rise before dawn, who care for families while studying, who walk miles to reach a clinic or classroom, and who persist through every challenge because they believe in something bigger than themselves.

In 2024 alone:

• 14 women graduated from medical school in Nicaragua, bringing our total to 89 graduates since our founding.
• We strengthened partnerships with local universities, improved our funding model, and increased communication and mentorship support for our students.
• Several of our graduates received their MINSA licenses, allowing them to begin working as certified doctors across Nicaragua.

Behind every one of these milestones is the heart of this organization: you.

Your support makes this work possible. You are the reason Aurelia has a bus ride to school. You are the reason Heydi’s mother could breathe a little easier. You are the reason communities in Nicaragua and Guatemala are being transformed—one woman, one doctor, one nurse at a time.
📖 Read the full report HERE
Want to be part of this life-changing work?

Whether you give once or pledge monthly, your donation directly supports women studying to become healthcare professionals in underserved areas. It’s one of the most tangible, powerful ways to make a difference.
💙 Donate now at: www.womanadvance.com/donate

Together, we are not just educating women.

We are building healthier communities.

We are changing futures.

We are proving, again and again, that when women rise, the world rises with them.

With deep gratitude!

Adelante, mujer. Forward, woman.

Dear friends,

We’re excited to share a powerful new chapter in the story of Adelante Mujer.

For more than a decade, you’ve helped make it possible for women in Nicaragua to become doctors and serve their communities. Today, we invite you to witness the beginning of something equally transformative — our new program in Santa Apolonia, Guatemala.

Our latest video takes you into the heart of this rural community, where young women are answering the call to become nurses. With your support, they’re gaining access to the education and opportunity they need to bring healing where it’s needed most.

🎥 Watch the video now and see the impact you’re making in Guatemala:

Your generosity is changing lives — not just in one country, but across borders. Thank you for walking with us as we walk with them.

With deep gratitude,

           

When Dr. Marlene graduated from medical school in 2022 through the support of Adelante Mujer, she stepped into a calling that reaches far beyond exam rooms and hospital walls. She stepped into the heart of rural Nicaragua, where access to healthcare is scarce, resources are limited, and patients wait, often for weeks or months, for a doctor to arrive.

Marlene recently completed her internships serving some of the most vulnerable populations in the municipalities of Bonanca and Rosita, located along Nicaragua’s North Caribbean Coast. Her assignments took her deep into the Coco River region, where extreme poverty and hunger are daily realities for women and children. Many of the families she visited live in remote villages, accessible only by boat, horseback, or long hikes along rugged terrain.

During these months, Marlene worked with a humanitarian project funded by the U.S. Bureau of Humanitarian Assistance, focusing on nutrition, maternal and child health, and preventive care. She spent her days traveling from home to home — weighing children, consulting with mothers, assessing malnutrition, and providing basic care and education where few healthcare providers ever go. In simple wooden homes and outdoor community gatherings, she offered not only medical expertise but compassion, dignity, and reassurance.

And now, with her MINSA license officially granted, Marlene is preparing to take her next step — seeking placement in a hospital where she can continue to grow professionally and serve even more patients. But her service has already begun. She is already making a difference. She is already fulfilling the mission of Adelante Mujer.

This is the impact of your generosity. Adelante Mujer is not simply about scholarships or degrees — it’s about equipping women like Marlene to serve where they are needed most. It’s about delivering healthcare to families who would otherwise go without. It’s about creating ripples of hope that reach far beyond a single graduate, touching entire communities.

Thank you for believing in this work. Thank you for walking alongside women like Dr. Marlene. Together, we are bringing healing, one patient, one village, and one doctor at a time.

Adelante, mujer. Forward, woman.

Because when a woman learns, a whole community rises.

At Adelante Mujer, we’ve seen it again and again: when a woman is given the opportunity to pursue higher education, she doesn’t rise alone — she lifts her family, her community, and often, an entire generation.

But despite their talent and drive, countless women in Nicaragua and Guatemala are locked out of education simply because they cannot afford it. Globally, women are less likely to complete higher education than men, especially in low- and middle-income countries. In Latin America, only 1 in 10 rural girls completes secondary school — and far fewer reach a university classroom.

We are working to change that.

For more than a decade, Adelante Mujer has provided scholarships to women studying medicine in Nicaragua. In 2024, we expanded to Guatemala — because the need is urgent, and the impact is profound.

When you fund a woman’s higher education:

• Her income increases by up to 20% for every year of post-secondary schooling
• She is twice as likely to educate her daughters, breaking cycles of poverty
• She becomes a trusted health leader in her community, where doctors are scarce
• She gains the tools to advocate for justice, dignity, and human rights

“Because of Adelante Mujer, I’m not only studying to become a doctor — I’m showing my little sisters that they can too.”

Our students often walk miles to class. They study at night by cell phone light. They care for patients in clinics with too few resources and too many needs. And they do it all while carrying the hopes of their families and communities.

This is not charity — this is an investment. In women. In equity. In the future of healthcare in Central America.

Your support opens the door. Together, we walk with these women as they build a future we all believe in.

Adelante, mujer. Forward, woman.

There are places in the world that hold stories in their soil — places where hope is quietly growing, watered by the strength of women who rise every day to care, to serve, and to dream. Santa Apolonia, Guatemala, is one of those places.

Last week we had the profound honor of visiting our partner site in Santa Apolonia, where Adelante Mujer is now walking alongside a new generation of women pursuing nursing degrees. From the moment I arrived, I felt surrounded by warmth — in the laughter shared over meals, in the gentle strength of our students, and in the welcome extended by the incredible team at The Center.

These women are not just studying to become nurses. They are future healers for their communities. Many are the first in their families to attend school past the sixth grade. All of them are balancing the demands of rigorous study with the realities of rural life — fetching water, helping raise younger siblings, and traveling long distances to class. And still, they persist.

What struck me most is not just the resilience of these women, but the solidarity that surrounds them. Mothers, sisters, neighbors — they all show up. And now, so do we.

Adelante Mujer exists because we believe that when a woman learns, she lifts. She lifts her family. She lifts her community. And in doing so, she transforms the future. It’s been true in Nicaragua for over a decade, and now, we’re seeing the same powerful ripple beginning in Guatemala.

I left Santa Apolonia humbled and hopeful — not because the work is easy, but because it is shared. This is what it means to walk together. This is what it means to believe in women.

To those who support Adelante Mujer: your generosity is not abstract. It is woven into every heartbeat, every textbook, and every future patient these women will one day serve. Thank you to all who make this journey possible — donors, friends, and especially the women at the heart of it all.

More stories coming soon.

Adelante, always.

         

At Adelante Mujer, we believe that when a woman receives the tools she needs to learn and lead, her entire community benefits. This week, thanks to the generosity of our incredible donors, we took a major step forward on that journey—we delivered the first 11 laptops to our students in Nicaragua!

These young women are not just students—they are future doctors working hard to serve their communities, many of which face significant healthcare shortages. Until now, many of them have shared limited access to computers, relied on borrowed devices, or completed their coursework on cell phones. Today, that changed.

For the first time, 11 of our students received brand new laptops—their very own. With these tools, they can now:
•    Participate more fully in classes and studies
•    Write research papers and access medical journals
•    Communicate with mentors and professors
•    Complete clinical assignments with greater ease
•    Study anywhere, anytime—with dignity and independence

As one student told us with a huge smile: “This isn’t just a computer—it’s a path to my future.”

The excitement was contagious. There was laughter, hugs, and even a few happy tears as each laptop was carefully unboxed. It was a powerful reminder that access to education isn’t just about tuition—it’s about resources, connection, and confidence.

We are so proud of these women and grateful to everyone who made this day possible.

But we still have work to do.

We currently have more students waiting for this same opportunity. More women studying to become medical professionals who still need laptops to support their education.

If you’ve ever wondered whether your donation makes a difference—this is it. These are the faces of your impact.

📦 A $450 donation can cover the cost of a student laptop.
📚 Every dollar helps us put technology into the hands of future healthcare providers.

Will you help us equip the next group of women?
➡️ https://www.womanadvance.com/donate/

Together, we’re walking with them—one step, one laptop, and one life-changing opportunity at a time.

Adelante Mujer—Forward, Woman. Always forward.

In Nicaragua, the start of the new school year means more than fresh notebooks and sharpened pencils. For the women supported by Adelante Mujer, it marks a bold step forward in a journey of transformation—not just for themselves, but for their families, their communities, and their country.

Education is a powerful force anywhere in the world, but in the developing world, its impact is nothing short of revolutionary. In Nicaragua, access to higher education—especially for women—is often limited by poverty, geography, or gender expectations. Yet, despite the barriers, our students persist. They dream big. They show up. And thanks to your support, they’re making those dreams a reality.

This year, we are thrilled to welcome a new cohort of future doctors, alongside many returning students who are continuing their medical education with unwavering dedication. These women are studying in a system that is academically rigorous and emotionally demanding, often while balancing jobs, family responsibilities, and the constant pressure of financial strain.

Adelante Mujer exists to stand in that gap—to provide the financial support, tools, and encouragement that empower women to continue their studies and complete their medical degrees. We believe that by investing in women’s education, especially in healthcare, we are not only changing individual lives—we’re strengthening entire communities.

This week, we’re highlighting one of our incredible third-year students, Adriana, working in a busy clinic that serves women and children. Her hands are steady, her voice is calm, and her heart is full of purpose. She’s a beautiful example of what it looks like when women are given the opportunity to care for other women.

In many parts of the world, women still lack access to basic feminine healthcare. Routine exams, prenatal care, safe childbirth, screenings for cancer and infections—these are often unavailable or unaffordable. And when cultural norms or lack of education prevent women from advocating for their own health, the risks multiply.

That’s why it is so powerful when a woman becomes a doctor in her own community. She understands the realities her patients face. She listens without judgment. She educates with empathy. And she provides care that is not only medically competent, but deeply compassionate.

When women care for other women, something extraordinary happens: dignity is restored, trust is built, and healing becomes a shared experience. Our students are not just learning medicine—they’re learning how to be agents of change in the most personal and profound way.

As this new school year begins, we invite you to celebrate these courageous women with us. Their journey is long and challenging, but with your support, they never walk it alone.

Adelante Mujer—Forward, Woman. Always forward.