Adding Partners in the Dominican Republic
We’re excited to announce that our global network is expanding-into the Dominican Republic! So far, we have formed two partnerships in the DR: ASPIRE and…
Latin America + Caribbean
July 06, 2026
“Poverty affects everybody,” said Salome Agbaji, “but for a woman in Nigeria, if you don’t have financial independence, you don’t have any rights, you don’t have a voice, and you don’t have a say.”
Born and raised in Jos, Nigeria, Salome knows firsthand how difficult it is for women in her community to access credit. Nigerian women are overwhelmingly excluded from formal lending systems—often because capital that could be used as collateral is titled to the men in their lives.
Along with financial exclusion, women are often excluded from decision-making processes. “We’re in a society where women’s voices are not heard in gatherings, in meetings, in official state or national events,” said Jeremiah Akoyere, Nigeria Partnership Manager.
The path to inclusion will take local leaders willing to champion women in their communities. Leaders with skin in the game; leaders who feel the impact—positive or negative—of their decisions.
Leaders like Salome.
Virtuous Women
An entrepreneur, Salome ran both a fish farm and a laundry service. But going at it alone was hard, and she sought a network of support.
She came together with a group of women—entrepreneurs like her—to pool their money and access funds with ease. From this, Salome founded Virtuous Women Credit and Loan Cooperative Society, a women owned, women led cooperative society where women could grow spiritually, economically, and socially—together.
Not long after they began, members of Virtuous Women attended a business training organized by PW, a training that helped them start on strong footing. Later, these women were trained as trainers, enabling them to equip future members with business knowledge.
“Partners Worldwide made us who we are,” Salome reflected. “Our partnership with Partners Worldwide helped us to sharpen what we were already doing, and it’s also enhanced the results we are getting.”
To date, they have over 190 members; entrepreneurs who run grocery stores, schools, and more. Whatever their business, these women save money together, affording members quick and easy access to loans.
“The power of unity,” Salome said; “that’s how you break the chain of poverty.”
A Community of Sisters
Nothing about Virtuous Women is unintentional. From their vision to their approach to the way they grow, everything is meticulously designed to be as sustainable as possible. Prospective members must attend trainings on microenterprise management and redemptive mindsets before they can join. Once inducted, members enter a community of fellow entrepreneurs with whom they save and pray.
“Sisterhood in Virtuous Women is something I cherish a lot,” said Gladys, Virtuous Women’s treasurer. “You know, life happens. Sometimes ugly things happen. In those unpleasant circumstances, you see Virtuous Women standing behind sisters who are going through tough times. People have shoulders to lean on, people to cry to, to talk to through those trying periods.”
The Power of Local Leaders
VW’s nonprofit arm, Virtuous Women of Hope, assists vulnerable people in their community by donating money, conducting microenterprise training, and educating people on how to make what they already have better.
“If you are in that community, you know where it pinches,” Salome said. “Even if it does not pinch you directly, you have knowledge of it. Nobody told me to bring out water and give it to the community. But because I live here, I see people in the morning with buckets, with wheelbarrows, looking for water. So I felt that I could do something to help."
That’s the power of local leaders like Salome.
“Local leaders have the cultural understanding of the people that they’re working with,” said Teryila Ubwa, West Africa Regional Director for Partners Worldwide. “They’re able to create solutions using the local context, and they’re able to actually drive change at the root level.
“When local leaders drive change, it makes all the difference.”
