Project Description:

To build the capacity of indigenous Mayan women to lead their families and communities to increased well-being, including better health and higher incomes, through microcredit access and business management training.

This five year project will improve the quality of life and standard of living of families in marginalized communities in Guatemala through the promotion of women’s education, leadership, health and economic development.

This project provides weekly business classes to women in marginalized communities; it utilizes weekly classes to train women in financial management (including budgeting and savings) and family health matters; and, it also promotes business growth through access to microloans.

Update from the field: December 2011

Business classes were presented to 316 participants in Guatemala throughout the reporting period. The business curriculum is made up of 20 classes on budgeting, savings and financial management. Themes include supply and demand, customer service, family budgeting, solidarity groups, and many others. The women consequently strengthen their business management skills and can apply their new knowledge to make their small businesses grow. Also, they can play a greater role in their family’s financial management. Prior to receiving a loan, women, with the help of the promoters, provide a detailed investment plan to ensure that their business will be profitable. If after reviewing the plans staff members are not convinced that they can be profitable, possible solutions are discussed before the loan is approved.

The business and microcredit components of the program are growing very well. In the reporting period, 123 women in Todos Santos and 25 women in Comitancillo received their first loan of Q500 (CAD$62), and many other women renewed their loans. At the end of reporting period, there were 765 women in Guatemala borrowing a total amount of Q853,000 (CAD$111,769). Persistent effort on the part of the staff to promote the program in new communities is one of the reasons behind the sustained growth of the program.

With the small loans and the business training received through the program, participants are generally able to make productive and profitable investments for their small business. This helps them to generate more income for their families.


Update from the field: April 2011

A total of 567 women benefited from micro-loans and/or business training during this reporting period in Guatemala.  Twelve new business groups were formed.  One hundred and fifty-nine women were trained in business development and received their first small loan of Q500 (approximately Can$63).  In total, approximately $43,300 was distributed in new loans and loan renewals in the municipalities of Todos Santos and Comitancillo.

Micro-enterprise participants report increased capacity to generate and control income, and enhanced ability to manage their resources. Women report spending their new income on schooling, health, and nutrition for their children in addition to further business investments.  During interviews many Guatemalan business participants have mentioned that it is the first time they have been able to receive a loan because most micro-credit programs are designed for the men. For many of the women it is the first time they have been responsible for managing money and it gives them a sense of pride.

Update from the field: September 2010

Current loan clients include 289 women in Comitancillo organized into solidarity groups, and 229 women in solidarity groups in Todos Santos. The loan portfolio in Comitancillo is $35,000, and in Todos Santos stands at $26,000. Training sessions are held regularly for participants to build their business management capacity and provide life skill training.

Update from the field: May 2010

Business development groups (for business training) include 63 women in six groups in Todos Santos, and 59 women in four groups in Comitancillo. Current loan clients include 218 women in Comitancillo organized into 43 solidarity groups, and 186 women in 33 solidarity groups in Todos Santos.  As at March 31, the loan portfolio in Comitancillo is $28,000, and in Todos Santos stands at $20,700.

Aura Leticia Miranda Perez is a confident 26 year old woman from the small community of Chicajalaj in the western highlands of Guatemala. Aura spoke candidly about her family’s situation before CAUSE Canada’s programs came to her community. “No teníamos nada” – we had nothing, she said. Her husband is a fieldworker and according to Aura they were living in extreme poverty. Seeing as she had 2 young children at the time, Aura knew she needed to make some changes. So, in 2008 when she heard that CAUSE Canada was starting up a program in her community that provides business training and small loans to groups of women, she jumped at the opportunity to participate.

Aura attended CAUSE Canada’s business training classes and received her first small loan of Q500 (approximately $67 CDN) which she invested into livestock. Aura said that she found the training to be very helpful and one of the main lessons she took from the classes was how to spend her money wisely. She also really enjoyed working with the six other women in her solidarity group and said that each woman is very committed to making their loan payments on time each month. Once the women in Aura’s solidarity group paid back their first loan, they were able to renew their loan for a larger amount – first Q750 and now Q1000. Although investing in livestock increased her family’s income, Aura decided to invest her next loans into a business that would have the ability to grow more with time. Therefore, she started a small business that involves buying and selling goods such as clothing, fabrics and sugar in her town. She reports that business is going well and she is eager to renew her loan for the third time.

Aura, who is now 7 months pregnant with her third child, said that CAUSE Canada’s Business Development Training and Microcredit Program has helped lift her family out of extreme poverty. Although they still struggle at times, she truly believes that their lives will continue to improve as her business grows. Aura wants to thank CAUSE Canada and the people who are responsible for bringing this program to her community because it has benefited them tremendously.

Update from the field: November 2009

In the rural community of El Mirador, Todos Santos, part of the highlands region of Guatemala, Dominga Bautista is hard at work weaving many colors together to create beautiful tapestries of cloth.

This past year, Dominga joined one of CAUSE Canada’s Business Development Classes, where she learns about topics like entrepreneurship, budgeting and record-keeping. A native Mam speaker who hasn’t had the opportunity to finish her schooling, Dominga looks forward to her classes every week and is delighted that her classes give her the opportunity to practice her Spanish and writing skills. Following her time in class, she joins with other women in her community in a small group that is able to access micro-loans from CAUSE. Dominga’s first loan was $50CDN, which she invested in colourful yarn and thread for weaving cloth.

Dominga has now successfully repaid her first loan and she is excited to receive her increased second loan and continue to add diversity to her clothes-weaving business. With changes in the local market, Dominga is also excited to buy some roosters and hens to diversify and ensure success in her ventures.

She will tell you that it is not easy—that sometimes it is very difficult to make it to the sessions, but she will emphasize that it is always worth the effort. In joining CAUSECanada’s classes, Dominga has become not just a student, but also a teacher: one of her favorite things about her new classes is the opportunity to share what she has learned with her four children. Dominga is the ideal student: she has begun, and will continue to leave, a legacy of learning for generations after her.

Since the beginning of her business development classes, Aurelia Tomas Ramirez has been an enthusiastic participant. “I haven’t missed a class yet,” she says, “because I enjoy the themes, especially the ones about nutrition and health as they help me take better care of my family.” Aurelia is 39, and with eight children she has found it not only fun but very important to attend the classes she enrolled in this year.

“I am happy for this opportunity and to see that change is coming to our community (Agua Tibia),” she explains. “ Before we did not have the kind of programs CAUSE is offering, but now we are seeing that change.”
Aurelia is enrolled in the business development track of CAUSE’s five year ‘Women’s Integral Empowerment Program’.

Asides from sharing and learning in the classes with her friends, Aurelia has taken advantage of the microloans that are provided to business development students. Midway through Aurelia’s first loan cycle she has already bought and sold one pig and has recently invested in a second which she hopes to sell when it is ‘big and fat’. CAUSE is working hard to promote such initiatives as well as other small income generating activities among women. One by one these activities are helping to empower women and confront poverty.

Update from the field: March 2009

In Comitancillo, Guatemala, a young mother is smiling. With her two small girls by her side, Magdalene Organiz Tomas calls over her new investment, a plump pink pig, to pose for a picture. This year, Magda lene has begun to participate in CAUSECanada’s Business Development Program, where she attends weekly classes on topics like budgeting, entrepreneurship and record-keeping. After attending eight weeks of classes, participants are eligible to receive small loans starting at $50 CDN to invest in their business ventures. As the loan process continues, loan amounts increase.

Magdalene has chosen to invest in the buying and selling of animals and their products. “I am on my second loan,” Magdalene boasts, “and when I pay back my second loan I am going to buy chickens.” While these loan amounts may be small, their impact is large. “Now we have more power in the community because we have animals!” Magdalene exclaims. She plans to use her increased profits to buy a new roof for her house to keep her girls dry and warm, which is especially important during the six-month rainy season. Magdalene is excited about her future—she beams with pleasure when talking about her plans for her daughters and all of the opportunities that now exist for her and her small ones.