World Job and Food Bank -- Peru

Post-Credit Training and Capacity Building
for Female Entrepreneurs
Puno, Peru

Micro-credit project banking is one of the key components of the World Job and Food Bank (WJFB). The WJFB began financing micro-credit projects in the city of Calgary in 1990. The projects have since expanded and the WJFB currently manages micro-credit programs in many countries around the world.

In early 2002, the WJFB signed an agreement with CIDA and partnered with Gems and Hope (Canadian NGO) to implement the micro-credit project “Post-Credit Training and Capacity Building for Female Entrepreneurs in Puno, Peru”.

The project seeks to increase income and employment and to improve the quality of life for poor women. The project assists women in managing their roles effectively as mothers, income earners, and community members in Puno, Peru.

The purpose of the project is to:

Provide post-credit training to women entrepreneurs, including education of health and human development, and business development;
Facilitate access to local services (health and non-health) to beneficiaries and their families;
Strengthen the institutional and leadership capacity of Pro Mujer, Peru (our overseas partner organization) to provide credit and training services in Puno.

In the Department of Puno, only 65 percent of school-aged girls attend school, and 28 percent of women are the single head of a household. The average number of children per family is 3.8. These women are uneducated and burdened with childcare and domestic responsibilities. The only possibility for employment is to create a job in the informal sector. Even success in the informal sector is limited, because of a lack of access to credit, training, technology, markets, and business development services. These women also face discrimination on a cultural and social basis. Unfortunately, many have accepted the situation because they do not fully realize their rights or their potential to improve.

This project has been designed to help women increase their income and to become better managers of their own lives, families, and children. We believe that these women are the key to successful development in the community. They can earn income, raise children, and care for their family’s health. We believe that the best way to assist these women is to give them the resources they need – credit and training to establish small businesses. Community banks are the ideal vehicle for providing ongoing training, as women are already required to attend weekly repayment meetings. Business development training will provide essential new business skills, in addition to ideas for diversification and expansion into new markets. Training in health and family planning, and a referral system to link women with health services will teach women how to prevent illness, maintain their own health and that of their children.

Training in empowerment and leadership is designed for women to assist them in realizing their own potential and to increase self-esteem and confidence. This training encourages women to reflect on their own experiences, assess their needs, and develop individual and group goals. Increased solidarity through the community association model also helps women free themselves from abuse and discrimination, as well as helping them work more effectively with their partners, family, and community members.

This is a three-year project, which was started in January 2001. The total budget of the project is $760,094 with contributions from CIDA, Gems and Hope, the WJFB, and the host country partner. The project will directly benefit more than 800 community associations and more than 20,000 women.