FALF | IMPACT

Impact Report

FUTURE AFRICA LEADERS FOUNDATION IN STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP WITH PARALLEX BANK TO EMPOWER THE MARKET WOMEN IN GOLDIE MARKET, CALABAR, NIGERIA.

In the bustling heart of Goldie Market, Calabar, the air was alive with the calls of traders, the vibrant colors of produce, and the sound of naira notes exchanging hands. Yet, behind the busy scenes, an unseen gap loomed. Most of the women here operated entirely outside the formal banking system. They lived in a cash-only world, vulnerable to theft, loss, and the limits of keeping their businesses small.

Ambassador Ruth, a dynamic leader nurtured through the Future Africa Leaders Foundation (FALF), saw more than a marketplace. She saw untapped potential women with grit, skill, and dreams, but without the tools to truly grow. With the leadership acumen she had honed under FALF’s training, she envisioned a bold solution: the Project Bank Her Initiative.

In strategic partnership with Parallex Bank, she brought this vision to life, not as a mere outreach, but as a deployment of financial empowerment into the very heart of the market.

The Results Were Immediate and Tangible:
93 women-many, for the first time in their lives— brought into the formal banking system, given accounts that opens doors to security and opportunity.
10 women received targeted business grants, injecting immediate capital to expand and stabilize their enterprises.

All participants were trained in digital banking and mobile finance tools, equipping them to thrive in an increasingly cashless economy.

The transformation was more than financial, it was deeply personal. Women who had once guarded their savings in hidden boxes now held bank cards and could transact confidently, safely, and efficiently. The fear of losing everything in a single theft was replaced with the assurance of financial stability.

Gratitude poured out in heartfelt words and smiles. “We are not just traders now,” one woman said. “We are businesswomen.”

Through this partnership with Parallex Bank, the Future Africa Leaders Foundation once again proved that strategic collaborations are not just programs, they are catalysts for lasting change. In the hum of Goldie Market, a quiet revolution had begun, and it was led by women who now had the power, the tools, and the vision to shape their own future.