Soymas App

Fundación Soymás

Soymas App

Soymas App empowers teenage mothers with financial tools and knowledge, fostering digital inclusion through a mobile platform.

La Pintana, Región Metropolitana, Chile

CHL

Nonprofit

The problem we are addressing is the high education dropout rate among vulnerable teenage mothers in Chile, primarily caused by the urgent need to generate immediate income to support their families. Teenage pregnancy is a structural challenge directly linked to the intergenerational cycle of poverty in the country. The scale of this issue is significant. According to data from the National Institute of Statistics (INE, 2022), there are 309,742 young people in Chile aged 15 to 24 classified as NEETs (Not in Education, Employment, or Training). 43,8% of them are mothers, mostly teenage mothers from vulnerable sectors—the group Soymás directly serves. Although teenage pregnancy rates have decreased (from 39,257 cases in 2000 to 6,428 in 2023), young mothers still face economic hardships and a lack of social support that severely impact their ability to continue their education. At Soymás, we work with teenage mothers who are striving to complete their education and gain job skills. However, we face a 35% dropout rate, mainly due to short-term financial pressures. Our solution, the "Soymas App," combines financial education with economic incentives for attendance, reducing dropout rates and promoting sustainable economic autonomy among our students.

Our solution is a mobile app developed by Fundación Soymás to support vulnerable teenage mothers in Chile, helping them stay in school and build financial independence. The app currently includes two core features: 1. Virtual Wallet – Divided into a Savings Account and a Work Account, students earn conditional payments for school attendance and task completion. Both accounts generate 5% monthly interest to encourage saving. The savings account is locked until year-end; the work account allows flexible withdrawals. 2. Content Feed – A messaging platform where the non-profit shares important news, reminders, and motivational content, keeping students connected and engaged. If we are awarded the funding, we aim to develop and expand the app with two additional features: 3. AI Support Chat – An artificial intelligence assistant that provides 24/7 support, answering students questions about the program, personal development, or logistics. 4. Job Marketplace – A space where students can access job opportunities that match their skills, availability, and location, empowering them to earn an income while continuing their education. These four components together will provide a comprehensive, tech-enabled support system for young mothers, promoting school retention and financial autonomy.

Our solution serves vulnerable teenage mothers in Chile—young women facing systemic barriers including school dropout, economic precarity, domestic violence, early caregiving responsibilities, and limited financial autonomy. Most come from marginalized communities where the need to generate immediate income often forces them to abandon their education, reinforcing the cycle of intergenerational poverty. The Soymas App transforms this dynamic by combining financial literacy with behavioral incentives. Participants receive conditional cash rewards for school attendance and performance, split between two accounts: one for savings and another for task-based earnings—both generating interest. This allows them to meet urgent needs like food and diapers without sacrificing their education. The impact is direct and measurable: improved attendance, reduced dropout, stronger financial habits, and a clear path to long-term economic resilience. To date, Soymás has supported over 1,000 teenage mothers and their children. In 2025, we aim to reach 300 more, helping break cycles of poverty through a model that can scale to similar populations across Latin America.