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Zeeda Daniele, Community Lending and Strategic Partnerships National Manager, New American Funding, moderated a powerful and engaging session on “Women’s Poverty and the Housing Ecosystem” with special guests Deborah Canady, Enterprise Partnership Manager, EarnUp; Silvia Rathell, CEO, Rathell Enterprises; and Sandra Speed, Regional Diverse Segments Manager, Wells Fargo.
Zeeda Daniele began the discussion on the greatest resource we have that can help women and their families out of poverty. Sandra Speed mentions that the biggest motivator for her was education. With education, women can earn degrees that can help them gain high-paying jobs and greater opportunities. To reiterate, “Education,” Sandra Speed states, “is the greatest gift you can help someone with.”
Silva Rathell agrees that women’s education is an incredible stepping stone out of poverty, and educated women can have a positive effect on their families and community. Explaining this rippling effect, she says “You give a woman something and she magnifies it times a thousand.”
Deborah Canady notes that women often make great sacrifices in order to break free from “generational curses” to create a better life for themselves and their children. However, women need to make sure the sacrifices they make do not prevent them from following their goals. For these women who feel their goals are not achievable, Daniele states the importance of having someone who encourages them to do the “impossible.” If women can put their mind to something, they can achieve it.
Daniele also asked the panelists how we can be a voice to women who are dealing with rising food costs and expensive child care. All of the women shared how they instilled their family, loved ones and community with the knowledge to take control of their financial situation and grow their wealth.
Education of financial literacy can have a profound effect on women’s lives. Rathell shares how she taught her younger sister to save money to buy a house. Today, her sister is on her way to buying her third home. In her payment process company, EarnUp, Canady helps people become disciplined in growing their savings, thereby increasing their financial independence.
The greatest way we can help women in poverty is to instill hope that they can change their current circumstances. In answering the question of a quality that binds women who leave the poverty level, the panelists emphasize the willingness to get ahead and fearlessness. Rathell explains that women who act to improve their future, and overcome excuses that are driven by fear, have the power to change their life. As Daniele says, your motivation will always be greater than your fear.
The panelists agreed that we can support women in overcoming their fears by sharing our knowledge and telling them our stories. By doing so, we are giving women role models to look up to and emulate. Overall, this session provided great insight on how we can improve the lives of women and children of America. The greatest take-away, stated by Daniele, is to “use your strengths and faiths to benefit others.”