Global Communities Marks 10-year Anniversary of the Women Empowered Initiative in Guatemala

Guatemala City – On August 30, 2024, more than 80 distinguished guests gathered in Guatemala City to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of Global Communities’ Women Empowered (WE) initiative in Guatemala. The event brought together community members, non-governmental organizations, United Nations agencies, and representatives from the governments of Guatemala and the United States to highlight our joint achievements in advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment over the past decade.

Women Empowered is a global initiative promoting social, economic and political empowerment of women through community-based savings groups. “In Guatemala, our WE journey began with a small pilot project in Huehuetenango. Now, WE is an integral part of our development and humanitarian programs across the country,” said Mabel Bejarano Cobo, Global Communities’ Technical Advisor. According to Bejarano Cobo, layering WE with other interventions, for example disaster relief and school meals programs, has proven transformational in Guatemala. “This is what we are celebrating today,” she said.

“Just imagine: our programs have impacted more than 25,000 Guatemalan mothers, sisters, friends, neighbors and daughters,” said Carrie Hessler Radelet, President & CEO of Global Communities in her opening remarks. “Through 10 years of Women Empowered, we have seen women rise, become leaders, recognize their rights and achieve their goals.” 

The event featured a wide range of speakers who discussed barriers to women’s empowerment in Guatemala and highlighted the power of collaborative, holistic solutions—such as WE—in addressing these challenges. “We are proud to be a part of this story, to have touched the hearts of thousands of women, to have accompanied hands that have woven baskets … and planted gardens, among so many other activities,” said Jennifer Graetz, Deputy Mission Director at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in Guatemala.

WE groups—sometimes referred to as informal community banks—are small groups of people who save together and lend to each other from their pooled funds. In the spirit of continuous innovation, Global Communities incorporates novel approaches to our WE methodology to challenge harmful gender norms, increase economic participation and encourage collective action. These approaches transform savings groups into vibrant community platforms where women not only save and learn, but also embrace their dreams, hopes and agency.

“Women Empowered has allowed me to fulfill a dream I had 15 years ago,” said Elsa Carillo at the event. Carillo joined a WE group in her community of Pacate in Santa Bárbara, Huehuetenango to save money and become an entrepreneur. Today, her small business not only supports her family but also supplies fresh eggs to five local schools as part of Global Communities’ integrated school meals program, funded by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Because of Guatemala’s vulnerability to natural disasters and climate shocks, Global Communities has integrated the WE methodology into our crisis resilience, disaster risk reduction and emergency response projects. For example, we have formed WE groups to foster social cohesion and ensure that women have access to basic financial services when they face disaster-related shocks and stresses. We have also implemented WE in shelters while responding to acute disasters, such as the violent eruption of Volcán de Fuego in 2018.

To date, Global Communities Guatemala has implemented 23 WE interventions across 42 municipalities in the departments of Escuintla, Guatemala, Huehuetenango, Sacatepéquez, Totonicapán and Quiché. The program has formed 1,600 WE groups whose members—nearly 96% women—have collectively saved 13,712,295 quetzales ($1,776,204). In addition, the groups have issued loans totaling 5,620,803 quetzales ($728,083) to support their members’ economic activities, personal expenses and emergency needs. 

“In August, we took a small pause to reflect on our successes and lessons learned, and to explore the opportunities for advancing women’s empowerment in the future,” said Dennis Mello, Director of Women Empowered and Senior Director for Gender Equality, Youth and Social Inclusion at Global Communities. “Today, we are back at work supporting Guatemalan women as they start and grow their business, overcome crises and become leaders in their communities. We look forward to a continued collaboration with our communities, local partners and donors for many years to come.”

For more information about the WE program, explore our visual story, Women Saving for Resilience: Transforming Lives Through Innovative Savings Group Solutions.  

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About Global Communities

Global Communities works at the intersection of humanitarian assistance, sustainable development and financial inclusion to save lives, advance equity and secure strong futures. We support communities at the forefront of their own development in nearly 30 countries, partnering with local leaders, governments, civil society and the private sector to achieve a shared vision of a more just, prosperous and equitable global community. Learn more at globalcommunities.org.