Compounding Crises and Aid Reductions Straining Women’s Incomes Globally, CARE Report Finds

ATLANTA — Compounding crises including climate shocks, rising prices, and conflict are severely impacting women's savings, incomes, and access to food across multiple countries, according to a report released by the humanitarian organization CARE on September 30, 2026.

The findings in CARE’s latest *Women Respond* report are based on surveys and interviews conducted throughout 2025 with members of Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs) in Burundi, Colombia, Ethiopia, Mali, Niger, Syria, and Vietnam. The organization stated that three in four surveyed women reported crises were hindering their ability to earn sufficient income, two in three identified food shortages as their primary crisis, and more than half experienced drought.

According to the report, resources designed to cushion these shocks have simultaneously decreased due to global aid cuts. More than 80 percent of respondents aware of aid reductions reported negative impacts on local economies, health services, and community aid support across all seven surveyed countries.

CARE noted that repeated shocks have forced women to redirect financial resources originally intended for long-term investments toward immediate survival. Within the surveyed VSLAs, the share of members taking out loans for basic needs rather than business investments increased from 36 percent early in 2025 to 47 percent later in the year. By the end of 2025, half of the women surveyed reported utilizing savings to manage crises, one in four relied on borrowing, and one in 10 sold assets. In Colombia, asset sales among respondents increased from 7 percent in 2023 to 27 percent by late 2025.

The report highlighted severe dietary and financial contractions:

* In Mali, 96 percent of surveyed women reported difficulties obtaining adequate food.
* In Niger, 55 percent of respondents reported eating less than before, with only 1 percent of that group maintaining three meals per day, down from 63 percent.
* In Burundi, respondents reported their average monthly income dropped from $39 to $18.

CARE stated that despite these strains, 50 percent of surveyed women are attempting new income-generating activities and nearly half are advocating for increased services and resources from local governments. However, the organization emphasized that community-level coping mechanisms cannot fully substitute for broader humanitarian and financial support as risks such as El Niño and supply chain disruptions continue to place pressure on global food systems.

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