Empower Entrepreneurs Throughout Colombia

In Colombia, today’s generation of children is the first generation in more than 50 years with the chance to grow up in a country at peace. Following the landmark peace accord struck between the Colombian government and rebel groups in 2016, communities previously burdened with civil strife and violence are working to build more stable futures for their children. All they need is an opportunity. By providing access to financial services and training, Opportunity is empowering local entrepreneurs to grow businesses and schools, create jobs, and strengthen their communities for the next generation.

• More entrepreneurs are growing sustainable businesses. More than 7,000 clients are using loans to expand their microbusinesses, and nearly 50,000 families are saving.
• More than 100 clients are trained every month in financial literacy. The transformation team recently updated our seven-module training series based on clients’ expressed needs from data collected through client surveys.
• More than 200 schools are investing Opportunity School Improvement loans to enhance education quality for about 55,000 children through better infrastructure, like new classrooms and gender-separated bathrooms.

One of the incredible entrepreneurs setting the path for a future free from poverty is Vitalia (pictured above). She learned to prepare empanadas from her mother when she was a young girl. As an adult, she turned this skill into a business, selling fried treats to help support her family. She longed to grow the business and expand her restaurant, but she didn’t have the resources. After learning about Opportunity, Vitalia was able to secure a loan and purchase ingredients and supplies in bulk, increasing the number of empanadas she was able to prepare and sell each day. Now her shop is one of the most popular spots on the street! When she speaks about why she works so hard, she says, “I’m working for my son. So that he can have a great future.”

With access to loans, savings, and training, entrepreneurs like Vitalia will gain the resources they need to start and grow small businesses and expand economic opportunities in communities where few job opportunities exist. Your support helps invest in the potential of mothers, fathers, and other hardworking entrepreneurs to drive the changes they want to see in their lives, and throughout their communities. Thank you for partnering with Colombian families!

Links:

• Visit our Website
• Where We Work: Colombia

OPPORTUNITY COLOMBIA: GOALS FOR 2019 

In Colombia, Opportunity’s local entity, AGAPE, helps families access loans and savings from our local financial institution partner and has developed transformative training materials and programs to help families wisely and sustainably grow their businesses, gain financial security, improve their living conditions, and lift their families out of poverty. Key priorities over the next year include:

Empower 1,400 entrepreneurs to start or grow small businesses
Opportunity Colombia works with Savings and Loans Groups to build the capacity of entrepreneurs to launch or grow small businesses successfully. Savings and Loans Groups offer a support network for entrepreneurs, who pool their savings together to form an informal loan fund for group members.  Often, Savings and Loans Groups are made up of entrepreneurs at the very bottom of the economic ladder who may not have an existing business and would benefit from a smaller, informal loan to get their businesses started. Opportunity Colombia works within these groups to help entrepreneurs access the capital they need while providing hands-on training in important topics including financial literacy, business management and improving family dynamics.

Update and develop new financial training modules to better support underserved groups
To ensure clients receive effective, transformative training, AGAPE develops training materials and programs to address our clients’ specific needs. AGAPE’s workshops, such as Savings Awareness Training for Clients and Leadership Training for Group Leaders, and other educational materials have been rated by clients very positively and useful in improving skills. Opportunity plans to enhance and develop new financial training tools to continue providing the best possible education to our clients.

Equip mothers in violence-affected communities to lift their families out of poverty
Opportunity expanded our outreach to two new areas in Colombia—Caucasia and Carmen de Bolívar—both of which are rural areas that have been affected by violence. Opportunity aims to deepen trainings and establish Savings and Loans groups for entrepreneurs in these areas. At this critical point in Colombia’s history, investment in rural areas like Caucasia and Carmen de Bolívar will significantly help shift rural economies into the formal sector, opening up possibilities for women and youth to use their skills productively, and launch and operate businesses that expand job opportunities for others in their communities.

Increase access to quality schools for 6,000 students
In Colombia, education entrepreneurs are building low-cost, local private schools to help serve the need for better education in their communities. These schools offer parents an alternative choice to low-quality public schools and, because they are operated by socially-focused entrepreneurs, the schools can quickly grow and respond to the needs of parents in their communities. Opportunity works with school leaders to help them invest School Improvement Loans in areas such as building new classrooms, purchasing buses, adding water and sanitation facilities, or hiring more staff and teachers. School leaders can also participate in Opportunity’s Education Quality program by joining a School Cluster, which is a group of schools that regularly meet to receive training and share best practices. Through clusters, school leaders gain important insights to develop better curriculum, train high-quality teachers, and effectively implement improvements in the quality of their school over time.  Through this approach, school leaders can build, grow, and improve their own high-quality schools, create jobs in the community for staff and teachers, and help students to learn the skills they need to build more productive futures for themselves and their families.

JOIN US! 

This year is critical for investing in the potential of entrepreneurs in Colombia. With access to loans, savings, and training, entrepreneurs will gain the resources they need to start and grow small businesses and expand economic opportunities in communities where few job opportunities exist. Your support will help invest in the potential of mothers, fathers and other hardworking entrepreneurs to drive the changes they want to see in their lives, and throughout their communities.

Links:

• Visit our Website