Pro Mujer and Visa Foundation Announce Expanded Strategic Partnership

New $3 million grant will support women-led businesses across Latin America

Antigua, Guatemala – Pro Mujer, a social enterprise with more than 32 years of experience working to advance gender equality in Latin America, was awarded USD 3 million in grant funding by Visa Foundation. Funding from Visa Foundation will support Pro Mujer’s mission of advancing the growth of women-led businesses across Latin America. Over the next three years, Pro Mujer aims to impact the lives of more than 300,000 women in the region through its programs, which range from health services to financial inclusion and up-skilling opportunities for women-led businesses.

The announcement was made in the context of the GLI Forum Latam 2022, an event organized by Pro Mujer with the aim of positioning gender lens investing as an effective mechanism to advance equality and boost economic development in Latin America.

“We are more than grateful to receive this grant and put it towards projects that allow us to support women in the region through products and services with a gender focus. We thank Visa Foundation for believing in our 32-year track record, in which we have provided women with the tools they need to achieve their full potential, improve their living conditions, and thus positively impact their communities. Through our multidimensional and holistic approach, we have helped millions of women, and we look forward to contributing our expertise to reach many more with personalized tools for each context, needs, and regional particularities”, said Carmen Correa, CEO of Pro Mujer. “Closing the gender gap is urgent, and we are thrilled to do this with the support of a leading and powerful partner like Visa Foundation.”

“Pro Mujer shares our deep commitment to supporting the growth of women-led businesses and reducing the gender financing gap in Latin America and the Caribbean,” said Graham Macmillan, President, Visa Foundation. “Rooted in the belief of uplifting everyone, everywhere through economic inclusion, Visa Foundation is proud to continue our partnership with Pro Mujer.”

Visa Foundation’s partnership with Pro Mujer began in 2020, with a $1M grant to support the development of Emprende Pro Mujer, a multi-channel service platform that to-date, has reached over 4,000 women in 14 countries across Latin America. The tool aims to support Latin American women entrepreneurs seeking economic autonomy through their business, by allowing them to 1) access engaging and entertaining training content customized to the stage of their business; 2) access a support network and increase their relationship-building opportunities; and 3) gain leadership, business management, personal development, and sales skills.

Results to-date show that of the more than 4,000 women trained on the digital platform, 40% are incorporating savings into their business, 87% have significantly improved their financial skills, and 85% reported an increase in sales over a three-month period.

For more information on Pro Mujer, visit: https://promujer.org/

For more information on Visa Foundation, visit: https://usa.visa.com/about-visa/visa-foundation.html

About Pro Mujer:

Pro Mujer is a social enterprise that, for over 30 years, has provided women in Latin America with services and tools to help them reach their full potential, improve their living conditions, and become agents of change in their communities

The organization operates through a holistic and comprehensive model that seeks to expand the access of women in the region to health services, increase their financial inclusion, and provide them with training opportunities.

Through a deep understanding of the most pressing needs of women in Latin America, Pro Mujer designs innovative programs that seek to respond to problems such as gender violence and the digital gender gap. In the region, Pro Mujer is a pioneer in promoting and raising awareness about gender-lens investment as an effective mechanism to close gaps and boost the productivity of companies.

Pro Mujer’s work is closely aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and offers tangible results in eight SDGs:

1, 3, 4, 5, 8, 10, 11, and 16.

More information at www.promujer.org