Promoting Women’s Economic Autonomy in Latin America Through a New Center for Entrepreneurship

Launching November 2021, Emprende Pro Mujer is an on-demand digital platform for women in Latin America who seek economic autonomy through their business to access online educational resources that fit their learning style at any time, from any device, anywhere in the region and provides them with the opportunity to find mentorship, capital and new markets for their products and services.

November 2, 2021. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Claudia, a chef from Bolivia who used Pro Mujer’s financial services to support her business, didn’t know what to do. With no parties or events to cater, her business was not able to operate during the pandemic, and she was worried about how she was going to generate income for herself and her family. Recalling a Pro Mujer training she attended where she learned how to save money, she realized that she could use her savings to start a business selling clothing instead. With the new business growing thanks to an individual loan from Pro Mujer, Claudia is grateful for both the financial support and training that Pro Mujer provided to help her reinvent her business during the pandemic.

“Unlike other banks, Pro Mujer didn’t deny me help even though I changed businesses,” said Claudia. “They also have provided training on how to generate savings and have money saved in case something happens, which is a skill that allowed me to start a new business during the pandemic.”

Since 1990, Pro Mujer has been supporting women entrepreneurs across Latin America like Claudia who have been working hard to keep their businesses running and support their families, including during crises like COVID-19. For example, Pro Mujer provided a loan to Maria Helen, an owner of a tourism company in Bolivia, so she could buy a car and become a taxi driver during the pandemic to keep a steady income. Pro Mujer also provided loans to Gloria, an entrepreneur in Argentina who runs both a sewing business and a bakery. However, in addition to providing financial support, Pro Mujer knows how valuable it is to provide workshops and trainings to women to help them learn the skills they need to build their businesses, as well as deal with unpredictable situations like the pandemic.

“At Pro Mujer, we have over 30 years of experience working with women entrepreneurs, which has shown us how important it is for women to have a community of support to help them build new skills and connect with other women entrepreneurs who have similar experiences,” said Anna Cristina Romanelli, Senior Manager of Special Projects at Pro Mujer. “After doing a lot of research and listening to the needs of our communities across all of our programs, we have decided to scale our impact and launch an integrated, digital entrepreneurship center to serve as a hub for women entrepreneurs in Latin America to access the training and mentorship they need to grow.”

Called Emprende Pro Mujer, this digital entrepreneurship center is an on-demand platform for women entrepreneurs in Latin America who seek economic autonomy through their businesses to:

• Access online educational resources that fit their learning style at any time, from any device, anywhere in the region.
  Learn entrepreneurial skills, including in leadership, management, personal development, negotiation, and finance and sales.
• Connect with other women entrepreneurs in the region.
• Find a mentor and gain insights from their experiences.
• Receive personalized support at any stage of their entrepreneurial venture.
• Network with Pro Mujer’s partners and other organizations.
• Discover new ways to access capital.
• Create new market opportunities for their products and services.

With 600 women entrepreneurs already using the platform, Pro Mujer is providing scholarships to women who are interested and need entrepreneurial training, did not finish their university degree and want to learn new skills, left their careers and want to re-enter the workforce by starting a business and seek to develop, formalize and strengthen their business strategies.

In offering a formal network of support for women entrepreneurs in the region, Pro Mujer hopes to be able to support more women entrepreneurs like Claudia, Maria and Gloria by giving them the tools they need to grow their businesses and care for their families.

Learn more and apply for a scholarship to attend Emprende Pro Mujer, which launched this week during the GLI Forum LATAM 2021.