The challenge
The solution
Empower women to generate their own revenue. The women we work with are among the poorest in the world, and the income they create from their handicrafts is essential to sustain their families. Through our programs, we teach women entrepreneurs the skills that they need to create sustainable micro-enterprises.Organizations like the World Bank, Unicef, and UN Women have agreed that supporting women has exponential positive effects on their families and their communities. By empowering women to lift themselves from poverty, they have a chance to buy their own homes, send their children to school, and ensure a better, more secure future. These improvements feed back into a system of positive change, leading to widespread improvements in the status of women and health throughout the world.
In this way, our entrepreneurship training truly changes the world, one woman at a time.
Supporting women: the multiplier effect
About the project
Ñymikan is an initiative developed by a group of indigenous Mapuche weavers from two rural communities in Chile, in partnership with Artistri Sud. Their goal: to increase their financial autonomy and create opportunities to earn income locally and sustainably by building on their skills as artisanal weavers.As among other vulnerable populations, Mapuche artisans often lack the resources, training, confidence, and access to information needed to benefit from the business opportunities that their talent could provide them. They tend to approach production in an informal and disorganized way.
Yet Chilean and international markets provide many opportunities for indigenous artisans to generate sustainable and meaningful income for their families and at the same time, maintain and develop important cultural practices that value their talents.
The impact
We're excited because we've already demonstrated the program works, seeing remarkable impact last year in Bolivia. Working in collaboration with local communities, we helped participants develop valuable business and marketing skills, allowing them to exert a powerful positive influence on their families and communities. The participants not only averaged 57% increase in sales (with some doubling their income!) but also reported better relationships with their families and peers, and more confidence to pursue their goals.
A few of the success stories from Bolivia
Your role
By choosing to donate, you are taking an active role in bringing a strong, renewable income to these women and their communities (& in addition to receiving a reward if you choose -- all donations are accompanied with a tax receipt)
