In June 2008, CARE launched its ACCESS AFRICA Village Savings and Loans Program- an ambitious ten year investment that will show dramatic returns in the fight against poverty. The program is expanding to 39 countries, providing 30 million people - 70 percent of them women - with access to a suite of basic financial services that can enable them to break the vicious cycle of poverty, transforming it into a virtuous cycle of rising income, improved health, better education and greater participation in their communities and nations.