Elder Sponsorship: Hope for the future with Poverty Stoplight

This story is part two of a two-part series on elder sponsorship. Explore how elders are benefiting from a sense of belonging and strengthened caregiver support networks in part one, “Elder sponsorship: Discovering purpose through connection."

Every rainy season, Quezon City in the Philippines experiences flooding from multiple tropical storms and monsoons.

Having a safe and secure home that ensures the survival of his family during times of bad weather has been Abraham’s top concern for more than 30 years. His home is part of an informal settlement in Quezon City, in what he calls a flood-prone community. Many families, like his, live in makeshift structures of concrete blocks, recycled materials or plywood.

With lack of a formal income and any real savings, there was never much the now 77-year-old father of two felt he could do about their living situation.

In Meru in Kenya, where many rural families rely on small farms and informal work to make ends meet, 82-year-old widower Grace weaves ropes to sell as livestock tethers but the income she earns isn’t consistent.

She raised 10 children while struggling to afford enough food and, as an elder, had no way to pay for medical care when she fell ill. Her days were riddled with anxiety for the health and well-being of herself and her large family.

Separated by more than 5,000 miles, Abraham in Asia and Grace in Africa face many of the same challenges related to poverty, though the local circumstances differ significantly.

When they took Unbound’s Goal Orientation powered by Poverty Stoplight survey, each in their respective regions of the world, they began to see their lives not as something to be endured, but as futures still bright with possibility.

Today, several years after taking the first survey, they’ve both made crucial steps to improve their situations and feel they are on the right path to one day leave poverty behind.

Poverty Stoplight adapted for sponsored elders

When Abraham looks at his Poverty Stoplight life map, he says he can see the reality of his situation, but also the progress he has made.

“Through this [survey], I was able to identify the areas of our lives that needed the most attention and prioritize the things that could create a long-lasting impact for my family,” Abraham said.

Since its implementation in 2021, Poverty Stoplight has been administered to over 250,000 households in Unbound’s programs around the world to help them set personal goals that eliminate poverty from their lives.

Poverty Stoplight is a mobile technology and social innovation platform developed by Fundación Paraguaya and adapted by Unbound to fit families’ needs. The tool includes a survey that families use the results of (called a “life map”) as a guide for taking actions that help them overcome their challenges related to poverty.

By choosing indicators in red (extreme poverty), yellow (poverty) or green (no poverty) under areas for housing, health or income, among others, they gain a better awareness of their situations, set clear goals and take steps to achieve those goals.

Thus far, families have logged over 2 million achievements toward poverty reduction by using Poverty Stoplight.

Abraham was one of the first elders in Unbound’s Quezon program in 2023 to take the Poverty Stoplight survey once it was adapted for elders. The survey was initially rolled out only to the families of sponsored children and youth.

“As with any global shift in our programming, we wanted to make sure it was effective for families and feasible for staff to do it well at scale,” said Melissa Velasquez, Unbound vice president of learning and evaluation.

According to Velasquez, Unbound deployed pilots and paced the adaptation of Poverty Stoplight for process learning and quality assurance in coordination with Fundación Paraguaya. Since older adults are a new demographic for Fundación Paraguaya, there wasn’t yet a pre-established indicator bank to jump-start a survey for elders. Local Unbound staff took the lead in creating unique versions of the survey for elders in their communities.

To date, more than 20,500 of Unbound’s 38,000-plus sponsored elders globally have taken the Poverty Stoplight survey at least once. The Poverty Stoplight survey for elders is active in over half of all Unbound programs around the world, with others in the adaptation phase.

Unbound Senior Program Evaluator Emily Arnold said that with the adaptation of the Poverty Stoplight survey for elders, the organization has gotten a bigger picture of just how differently elders experience poverty compared to families.

“In many programs, survey indicators had to be readapted to meet the needs and priorities of this population,” Arnold said. “For example, indicators on independence, mobility and eyesight were included in place of indicators on employment or school enrollment.”

For elders like Abraham in Unbound’s programs in the Philippines, indicators were added for pension, ear health, rights and privileges for elders, recreation and support systems. In Unbound’s programs in Meru, indicators for body wellness and comfort at home were added for elders like Grace who were taking the survey.

Other challenges also came up during implementation, such as many elders having lower literacy rates and technology skills, all of which required adaptations to the survey process to make it more accessible to elders.

Overall, in Unbound’s programs globally, the top three indicators elders are prioritizing are savings, safe housing and eye health. According to Arnold, among elders who have done follow-up Poverty Stoplight surveys, achievements have been greatest in savings, food quality, varying income, eye health and safe housing.

Though Abraham and Grace have both had noteworthy achievements that will continue to positively impact them and their families, the most unexpected outcome for them has been in how the process has changed their outlook on life.

Both now believe in their own potential to make decisions and take action to improve their quality of life, no matter their age.

Abraham: Prioritizing safety and saving with Poverty Stoplight

Abraham grew up with 12 siblings in a home where his mother was a shoemaker and his father worked in a government office.

Because of his family’s financial situation, he was only able to complete two years of high school. As an adult, he worked overseas painting cars and then, later, as a butcher in a convenience store.

He has two grown daughters of his own today, both of whom also work overseas, and his wife, Zenaida, sometimes works as a housekeeper.

Abraham’s first Poverty Stoplight survey three years ago showed a mixture of red, yellow and green indicators, highlighting which areas of his life needed immediate attention. Abraham’s survey results indicated he was experiencing extreme poverty (red) in income and safe housing.

In the Philippines, the first round of Poverty Stoplight surveys administered to elders revealed that saving was a top priority overall. In response, staff with Unbound’s Quezon program began an awareness campaign to teach elders how best to utilize their sponsorship funds. According to Unbound Social Worker Realyn Carmelotes, staff assisted elders in opening bank accounts.

There are many reasons why an individual in poverty might not already have a bank account. For many elders in Quezon’s program, reasons included illness, fear of the unknown, not having required documentation and the cost of transportation, among others. For many elders, it was their first time opening an account or even stepping foot inside a bank.

“Since then, Abraham has consistently saved money in his bank account,” said Carmelotes, who has personally witnessed the progress Abraham has begun to make.

Using his savings, Abraham has replaced the damaged roof of his home with iron sheets that now prevent the roof from leaking during heavy rain. He purchased two large electric fans to help improve airflow in his home (another indicator that was in red), and he’s also updated some of the walls of his home from hollow blocks to cement.

He and his wife opened a small convenience store attached to their home, which has begun to provide them with additional income.

“For me, Poverty Stoplight helps families understand that progress is a shared effort,” said Carmelotes. “Unbound provides support and guidance, while families take action and make decisions that can lead them to greater self-reliance and a better future.

“It is especially meaningful for me to see this progress among the sponsored elderly because we understand that, as they grow older, their opportunities to find employment and earn a regular income become more limited.”

Within a year, Abraham had moved his red Poverty Stoplight indicators to yellow or green.

“I was happy to see a significant improvement,” Abraham said. “For me, this is a clear sign of the positive changes taking place in our lives. But it also helps me recognize the areas where we still need to improve and encourages me to continue working toward a better future for my family.”

Abraham has now set his sights on a larger goal — using his savings from sponsorship and his store to add a second floor to his house, further ensuring the safety of his family and their belongings during floods.