Latin American women who have migrated to the United States now have access to a free, online platform to help them become entrepreneurs, the social enterprise Pro Mujer announced today at the Clinton Global Initiative 2023 meeting in New York.
The Spanish-language platform, Emprende Pro Mujer, is already available in Latin America and has transformed the lives of some 42,000 women entrepreneurs in more than 23 countries since launching in 2021. With the support of its partners, Pro Mujer hopes the platform’s U.S. arm will reach thousands more women and their families.
“Women are catalysts of development, drivers of local economies and job creators,” Carmen Correa, CEO of Pro Mujer, said Monday in her remarks before the gathering, organized by the Clinton Foundation. “The skills taught via Emprende Pro Mujer empower women, boost economic independence and facilitate personal and professional growth. By teaching essential knowledge such as financial and technological literacy, we are also breaking down the structural barriers that limit women’s ability to reach their full potential, not only in Latin America, but worldwide.” She added, “We are thrilled to announce this Commitment to Action at today’s forum and make this resource available to Latin American women across the United States.”
Latin Americans represent 19% of the U.S. population and wield considerable economic, political and cultural influence. However, Latinos in the United States continue to face significant challenges, including wage disparity, high unemployment and low-paying jobs.
Latin American women experience more substantial opportunity gaps than any other ethnic group in the United States. This is perhaps most evident in the workforce, where Latinas earn just 57 cents for every dollar paid to white, non-Hispanic men.
In spite of these systemic issues, 80% of Latina women have plans to improve their quality of life, and Latina entrepreneurs create businesses at a rate six times faster than other groups in the United States.
Women can access the platform via the landing page on any web browser through the following link – https://bit.ly/EmprendeUSA2023. The program, which has a specific module for migrant women, builds leadership, management, finance, digital and sales skills, in addition to boosting self-esteem.
At Monday’s event, Pro Mujer also committed to expanding sexual and reproductive health services to reach 70,000 women and their families in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico. A Community Health Workers program will provide women in the region – only 54% now have access to modern contraception – with comprehensive resources.
Pro Mujer, established in 1990, advances gender equality in Latin America through offering funding, training and health services to underserved women. The organization has disbursed more than $4.4 billion in microloans, provided 10 million preventative health services and impacted the lives of more than 2.5 million women.
About Pro Mujer
For more than three decades, the social enterprise Pro Mujer has provided services and tools to women in Latin America so that they can reach their full potential, improve their living conditions and become agents of change for their communities. It 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. Pro Mujer’s work is closely aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and delivers tangible results across eight of them: 1, 3, 4, 5, 8, 10, 11 and 16. For more information, go here.
About Pro Mujer CEO Carmen Correa
Correa has served as Pro Mujer’s CEO since 2017. She previously served as its Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, supervising the implementation of Pro Mujer’s social impact programs, which include expanding financial inclusion, providing health and well-being services, and offering skill-building opportunities to women across Latin America. Correa has more than 30 years of experience in operational management, strategic planning and program execution, focusing on sustainable development in Latin America. Before joining Pro Mujer, she led efforts at the National Research and Innovation Agency (ANII) in Uruguay, worked as Director of Programs at Fundación Avina and was Director of Operations and Executive Director of Endeavor Uruguay. She also held different positions at the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) in Washington, D.C., and at the Organization of American States (OAS) in Uruguay.
About the Clinton Global Initiative
Founded by President Bill Clinton in 2005, the Clinton Global Initiative is a community of doers representing a broad cross section of society and dedicated to the idea that we can accomplish more together than we can apart. Through CGI’s unique model, more than 9,000 organizations have launched more than 3,900 Commitments to Action — new, specific and measurable projects and programs. For more information, go here.
