CARE, a global humanitarian organization whose name originally stood for “Cooperative for American Remittances to Europe” and now represents “Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere,” has spent nearly 80 years at the forefront of poverty alleviation, economic empowerment, and social justice, with a particular emphasis on empowering women and girls around the world.

A Visionary Woman Leading CARE

The organization is helmed by powerful female leadership. While CARE International’s Secretary General is Sofia Sprechmann Sineiro, an experienced leader in humanitarian response and gender justice, CARE USA is led by Michelle Nunn. Nunn is a respected nonprofit executive and public servant who joined CARE in 2015. With a background in social entrepreneurship and a lifelong dedication to public service, she has spearheaded strategy shifts that prioritize women’s leadership, inclusive economies, and rapid response to global crises. Nunn studied at the University of Virginia and earned a master’s in Public Administration from Harvard’s Harvard Kennedy School. Prior to her work at CARE, she co-founded Hands On Atlanta and led Points of Light, gathering extensive experience mobilizing volunteers and responding to community needs.

30 Years Since Beijing: CARE’s Evolution

The year 2025 marks three decades since the landmark Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, a moment that set ambitious goals for global gender equality. Over the past 30 years, CARE has expanded its scope from post-war relief to driving systemic change in women’s economic, social, and political empowerment. CARE’s Women’s Entrepreneurship platform now aims to improve security and economic empowerment for 3 million entrepreneurs and employees, reach 30 million people, and mobilize over $500 million in private capital by 2030.

In the wake of Beijing, CARE ramped up advocacy, launched large-scale initiatives for women’s health, girls’ education, and financial inclusion, and refined its focus on enabling women as change agents within their communities.

A Partnership with Mastercard and Microfinancing

A transformative corporate partnership with Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth began in 2019, driving new models for financial inclusion and microfinancing, especially for women. Through the four-year Strive Women program, CARE and Mastercard are investing $9 million to support more than 300,000 women-led small businesses in Pakistan, Peru, and Vietnam, with outreach poised to impact 6 million entrepreneurs by 2027. The partnership builds on the successful Ignite program (2020-2023), which unlocked $154.9 million in microloans from just $5.26 million in seed funding — and documented 79% of female entrepreneurs increasing their sales and 89% reporting higher confidence in running their businesses. Together, CARE and Mastercard co-design financial products tailored to women, deliver training and digital skills, strengthen mentoring networks, and address barriers like childcare while promoting sustainability.

Strive Women not only propels direct financial inclusion; it also collaborates with local banks, as in Pakistan with the Bank of Punjab’s BOP NAAZ suite, to create bespoke solutions for women who face outsized hurdles in securing business loans and growth capital. CARE’s country directors and partners underscore that women’s economic success leads to broader social progress and community stability.

Insight into CARE’s Founding

CARE was born in 1945 at the end of World War II, as the U.S. faced the daunting challenge of post-war hunger in Europe. People in the United States donated “CARE Packages”— cartons of food and other essentials shipped overseas to families in need. Over the decades, CARE transformed into a worldwide humanitarian force, extending beyond food aid. It now fights poverty in over 100 countries, focusing on development, health, education, and women’s empowerment.

Making Microlending Matter

A critical evolution in CARE’s strategy is its embrace of microfinance and entrepreneurship. By leveraging tools like group savings, microloans, and financial literacy initiatives, CARE connects women to capital, networks, and training that unlock broader economic opportunities. For women entrepreneurs, microfinancing offers not just access to cash, but a pathway toward dignity, independence, and leadership within their families and communities.

Looking Forward

CARE’s leadership, informed by three decades since Beijing, points toward inclusive solutions that address real-world barriers facing women. Programs like Strive Women mark a new chapter, in which smart partnership, innovative financial products, and resilient networks reshape the landscape for millions. Under visionary female leadership and in strategic alliance with Mastercard, CARE continues to deliver on its history — transforming assistance into empowerment, and relief into opportunity.

(LIKE® Magazine · Women Leaders · Photograph: Michael de la Force · United Nations Headquarters, New York · 22 September 2025)