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Microsoft Shows its Support for Latin American Women By Donating US$2.3 Millon in Software Licenses to Pro Mujer on International Women’s Day

8 marzo, 2013

Blog, Breaking News, Partners, Voices from the Field

To mark International Women’s Day and as part of its responsibilities as a signatory of the United Nations’ Global Compact, Microsoft reaffirmed its commitment to communities, young people and, especially, Latin American women by donating software licenses to Pro Mujer worth an estimated value of US $2.3 million.

As a result of this donation, we will be able to increase the number of women we reach from 270,000 to 328,000 in impoverished communities in Argentina, Bolivia, Mexico, Nicaragua and Peru, including 56,000 young microentrepreneurs between the ages of 18 and 24. In addition, approximately 1.3 million of our client’s children and family members will also be reached by December 2013.

Clients and their children participate in a computer training course using Microsoft products at a Pro Mujer center in Mexico.

Clients and their children participate in a computer training course using Microsoft products at a Pro Mujer center in Mexico.

In making the announcement, Rosario Pérez, President and Chief Executive Officer of Pro Mujer International, said, “Having accurate and timely information is something which is of vital importance for Pro Mujer, as it allows us to adapt to the needs and desires of our clients. The software donated by Microsoft will help us strengthen the efficiency of our 1,900 employees. This means improved implementation for our programs which help the courageous and hard-working women whom we serve. With solid partners like Microsoft, we will continue advancing our mission to provide the necessary tools that women entrepreneurs need to transform their lives and that of their families.”

Since 2006, Pro Mujer and Microsoft have been working together to offer women entrepreneurs from impoverished communities the opportunity to access and make use of technology through Office training courses and free Internet access. Furthermore, the children of these small business owners receive IT classes, which help them improve their mathematical, reading and scientific reasoning skills, thus enabling the entire family to grow.

A Microsoft/Pro Mujer ad from a joint 2008 initiative.

A joint Microsoft/Pro Mujer ad from a 2008 initiative in Mexico.

Araceli García Valdez, a graduate from one of Pro Mujer’s 13 technology centers in Mexico, had the following to say: “I came to Pro Mujer to look for support, and I not only found it in terms of the economic support they offered me, but also in terms of vocational training and IT courses that opened up the doors to a variety of new paths to me. In addition, it helped me bridge the technological divide for my children”.

Hernán Rincón, President of Microsoft for Latin America added, “When women realize their potential to be agents of changes, it does not take long for the benefits to be seen: families become healthier, and their income and savings also increase. What is true for a family is true for communities and, in the long-term, for entire countries. We work with Pro Mujer because it has always been our priority to support initiatives which promote the inclusion and development of Latin American women”.

For more information about Social Responsibility at Microsoft Latin America, please click here. Thank you Microsoft!