Coca-Cola Foundation Mexico and Pro Mujer Join Forces to Support Women Entrepreneurs Affected by COVID-19

Mexico City, August 17, 2020.  Coca-Cola Foundation Mexico and Pro Mujer announce a new alliance to provide direct financial support and an educational program to thousands of women entrepreneurs in Mexico who have been adversely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.  The new program, funded by The Coca-Cola Foundation, will offer this support to women served by Pro Mujer who have been economically affected by the crisis.

The pandemic has no doubt created innumerable challenges for millions of Mexicans. Entrepreneurs in the Pro Mujer network are largely women with micro-businesses working in the informal sector who have been disproportionately affected, and who are seeing a major impact on the financial and health wellbeing of their families and communities. Due to new social distancing measures, many of their businesses have seen a sharp decrease in sales or have had to shut down, causing the loss of critical income to support their families.

“This project comes at a crucial time when micro-entrepreneurs need an integrated approach to support. On the one hand, this allows us to provide direct financial assistance so that they can meet their most pressing needs. On the other, it gives us the resources to develop a digital educational program, providing necessary tools, knowledge and resources that will serve to strengthen their personal and business resilience,” highlighted Natalia Wills, Representative of Pro Mujer in Mexico.

The program provides direct financial assistance, ranging from $1,200 to $ 4,000 Mexican pesos for Pro Mujer clients, whose microenterprises and economic activity have been affected by the pandemic. The goal of the subsidy is to provide financial relief to allow operations to continue or to provide capital to help them pivot or reinvent their businesses. Through a virtual platform accessible to thousands of women, the educational program will accompany them on an interactive journey through a WhatsApp chatbot that will teach both soft and hard skills on digital literacy, personal development, sales techniques and financial management.

Joan Prats, Vice President of Corporate Affairs at Coca-Cola Mexico, points out, “This alliance seeks to enable women to recognize themselves as agents of change and, at the same time, transform their communities. We are proud to collaborate with those who support thousands of households, and those who through their daily work manage to boost the local economy and strengthen the social fabric.”

Through this alliance, Fundación Coca-Cola Mexico and Pro Mujer will be providing economic support to 4,000 women and training 12,000 across Central Mexico (in Hidalgo, State of Mexico, Mexico City, Puebla and Veracruz). This initiative is only the beginning of a greater effort to empower women in Mexico, and to recognize their essential role in the growth and progress of their communities.