Beyond Access is a family-centered program that addresses extreme poverty by placing women and girls at the center of development to create lasting impact. It accelerates transformation through intentionally sequenced behavior change; water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH); and economic empowerment initiatives.
Implemented from October 2022 to September 2025 in Guatemala, Honduras, Kenya, and Zimbabwe, Phase 1 demonstrated measurable improvements in women’s water access, savings group participation, personal earnings, and decision-making authority.
Results confirmed that this multisector approach builds skills and confidence, removes systemic barriers, and challenges limiting norms — giving women and girls greater freedom, agency, and hope to shape their own futures and strengthen their families and communities.
Insights from Phase 1 informed the design of Phase 2 (2025–2030). Building on this demonstrated success, the program is expanding to reach an additional 360,000 people across 12 countries on three continents by 2030.
Read the executive research summary and technical report.
Explore more:
- World Vision Chief Impact Officer, Margaret Schuler, reflects on findings and how sustainable change takes root.
- Our 2026-2030 WASH Business Plan shares how women-centered design initiatives deepen World Vision’s WASH impact by addressing the empowerment and flourishing of women and girls through sectoral integration.
- Join our Research & Learning presentation: From Access to Agency: Data-Driven Lessons from Women-Centered WASH Programming | April 9 | 10:00–11:15 AM Eastern Time (UTC-4).
- Read our latest press release announcing new findings from Phase 1 of Beyond Access.
