Empowering women to escape the cycle of violence and poverty is one of the most complex social issues in our world today with a shifting set of interconnected solutions. But for many women, a key element to breaking that cycle is economic independence.

As Carmella Marrone, Executive Director of Women and Work says, "All roads lead back to the abuser when you don't have the means to house and feed yourself and your children."

Founded in 1999, Women and Work has been playing a life-changing role for a growing number of women struggling with financial insecurity, abuse or crisis by offering free job- and life-skills training. Supported by a NYWF grant underwritten by the Tri-S Foundation, Women and Work offers 80 women per year an intensive 15-week program designed to equip participants with the tools they need to secure sustainable employment and financial independence.

From computer training and basic reading, writing and math instruction to job placement assistance and post-program workshops, the program offers women more than just valuable work skills; it gives them the opportunity to take control of their lives, to break out of poverty and, in many cases, to escape life-threatening and abusive living situations.

Marrone admits that the logistics of attending the full-time program for 15 weeks can be an enormous challenge for participants. "The training is the hardest part," she says. "When a woman starts the program I tell her, 'You're going to struggle for the next 15 weeks so that you don't have to for the rest of their life.' When you look at it that way, it's an easier choice to make."

Although the women in the program come from a variety of backgrounds, they all have the same chance for success, says Marrone. "Women who are in crisis look at other women who are successful and think it's because they're smarter or better somehow. But that's not true. The only difference is they've had the advantage of a supportive environment."

And for those in doubt, Marrone points to herself. Fifteen years ago, she was diagnosed with cancer and lost everything: her comfortable corporate career, her home and savings. By the time she recovered, she faced the daunting task of reentering a changed job market without a college degree. But Marrone, too, had changed. Committed to leading a more meaningful life, she pursued her undergraduate and graduate degrees with support from her family and, in 1999 established a program as part of a research project that eventually became the Women and Work organization.

With ongoing support, mentoring and training from NYWF, Women and Work is continuing to fine-tune its program and empower women with lasting economic independence.

"The New York Women's Foundation breathes life into their grantee organizations. They give it a heartbeat and keep their finger on the pulse."

-Carmella Marrone, Executive Director, Women and Work