Longterm Accompaniment: Indigenous Entrepreneurs

HSP’s partnership with AMA in the Online Merchants program is gaining speed! Since the program's initiation in September, we have provided nine different workshops in four locations. The importance of positioning women in the formal market continues to be a primary necessity for local entrepreneurs. As the general market transitions to digital advertising and payment processing, local business owners face the risk of being left out of the shift. HSP and AMA have implemented the Online Merchants program to avoid the loss of women in the marketplace but to also streamline a new reality of empowerment in finances for indigenous business women. 

We continue to provide entrepreneurs with tech support and administrative, networking, and marketing support. Brayan, one of our lead graphic designers and videographers has initiated the process of working with the women to help develop their business logos. Our goal is to partner with 125 women in this process. So far we have assisted 20. 

One of the current women developing her logo is 25 year old Albertina Maribel (not full real name) of Momstenango Totonicapán. Albertina owns Happy Farm where eggs are one of her most important commodities. In working with Brayan, Albertina submitted a mock-up of the design she was looking for which included a chicken and a chick grazing in the grass with eggs. In Brayan’s original logo design for Albertina, he depicted only a yellow chicken with the name of her business. Very quickly Albertina rejected the idea because she believes it is detrimental to the reputation of her business to not depict a more natural brown chicken on green grass with a chick and her eggs. This visualization more accurately describes a healthy and happy farm as the colors are more natural – brown chickens, not yellow, green grass, and brown instead of white eggs. 

This story exemplifies the passion and dedication the businesswomen have to wellness, their businesses, and their communities. HSP and AMA want to nurture this passion and dedication and continue to empower these entrepreneurs through accompaniment. Most important is the autonomy women in the program have over their business marketing decisions. To express this belief we have put together daily planners for each women to closely track their business goals and tasks. The planners include quotes and affirmations from the women that serve as a small representatives of the horizontal support they have for each other in the community and the marketplace. 

We are overjoyed by the number of women who have participated and continue to participate in our online merchant's program. We hope to accompany 125 women in their digital business development and eventually be able to provide them with small investments to jumpstart their presence in the digital market. We again thank you all for your continued support and passion for funding the common good.