A force for dignity, opportunity, and peace.

We are social entrepreneurs and peacebuilders driven by the belief that every human being is valuable, significant, and deserving of a life filled with dignity, opportunity, and peace.

We envision a world where lasting, meaningful change is a reality, especially for women facing poverty, exploitation, and violence. Too often, these women are denied the education, health, and economic resources they need to break cycles of poverty and violence, even as they carry the vision and determination to transform their communities.

Through our work, thousands of women have strengthened their education, health, and entrepreneurship, launched businesses, gained financial independence, and become leaders of change in their communities. When women lead, entire communities grow into thriving, resilient places of hope.

Our Team

Our team is a reflection of the world we serve. We are a multicultural allies working across the United States, Latin America, and Africa, united by a shared commitment to partner and walk alongside women as they lead change. We bring together experience in entrepreneurship, philanthropy, community development, peacebuilding, communications, healing and the arts, and we carry our work forward with creativity, heart, and deep respect for the communities we partner with. More than colleagues, we are a community ourselves, and we believe the way we work together models the world we hope to build.

We envision a world guided by social justice & respectful of fundamental human rights

See What Five Years of Partnership Can Do

Real change takes time, and it shows. Our 2021-2025 Impact Report shares the stories and results of five years walking alongside women as they turned vision and determination into thriving businesses and stronger communities. Take a look at what we have accomplished together.

U4C Up Close

Our Partners

M. Carla Murillo, MBA

Organizational Support Volunteer

Maria Carla Murillo is an accomplished economist and social entrepreneur with over 15 years of experience in designing, executing, and evaluating impactful social and financial projects. She specializes in building strategic alliances with nonprofit organizations, government entities, the private sector, and international institutions. Carla holds a Master’s degree in Finance and Marketing from Universidad Del Valle and an undergraduate degree in Economics from Universidad Mayor de San Andrés in La Paz, Bolivia. She has also earned a diploma in the design and evaluation of social projects and a Doctorate in Advanced Education from the Centro Psicopedagógico de Investigación en Educación Superior.

Since U4C’s founding, Carla has played a pivotal role in advancing the organization’s mission through innovative project development and global grant initiatives. She has spearheaded programs in economic development, health access, education, literacy, water resources, and peacebuilding, often in collaboration with Rotary International. Her work focuses on empowering multigenerational, post-conflict, and poverty-stricken communities in Bolivia, with particular emphasis on gender equality, domestic violence prevention, literacy, and economic empowerment for women. She excels at fostering strategic partnerships among beneficiaries, local stakeholders, cooperating organizations, and funders.

Carla’s extensive professional background includes over a decade in Bolivia’s banking sector, where she worked in planning and management at major financial institutions such as Banco Boliviano Americano and Banco Santa Cruz. She also held leadership roles in public institutions like the Department of Customs and Trading, contributing significantly to national economic development. Beyond the financial sector, Carla has worked with the United Nations Population Agency in Bolivia and has volunteered for years with the National Red Cross. As the founder of the Centro Integral de Desarrollo y Capacitación Profesional (CIDCAP), she has developed training programs, seminars, and workshops that have benefited thousands of professionals in business management and healthcare.

Her academic contributions include teaching business, marketing, and finance at Bolivia’s public and private universities. She has also consulted and facilitated workshops on leadership, group dynamics, and entrepreneurship. Carla is highly skilled in Microsoft applications, database systems, virtual platforms, and social networks, with proven expertise in leadership development, capacity building, and communication.

Carla has been recognized for her work in preparing and evaluating cost-effective social and economic feasibility studies, including the Master Plan for the Hospital of Yacuiba, the School of Dentistry at Universidad Mayor de San Andrés, and the Cultural Center of the Central Bank of Bolivia.

She was selected by the Institute for Economic and Peace (IEP) to represent Bolivia as a Positive Peace Activator and is an active member of the Bolivian Society of Public Health. Carla brings a wealth of expertise, passion, and a commitment to fostering sustainable change through strategic development and empowerment programs.