Helvetas projekt för en inkluderande ekonomisk och social utveckling Första fas

In 2021 (i) 8,107 rural producers (67% indigenous women) organized in 79 enterprise networks who promote productive activities such as agricultural, livestock and handicrafts value chains (10 in total), with the support to the project, the target groups have improved their business, increased access to markets and increase their income compared to previous years when they just joined the project, in products they sold around Q.52 million in 2021 and generated 1,085 jobs. The products have been sold in national and regional markets as well as enterprise networks through the "School Food Law" have become providers of the Guatemalan state, providing healthy and local products for the preparation of food in national schools. (ii) In order to have greater access to markets and to ensure product quality and safety, technical capacities have been developed. Enterprise networks were linked to 19 companies (anchor companies). The companies provided the networks with technical assistance. Other 8 organizations supported the networks with technological innovation and good agricultural and environmental practices. (iii) The target groups, especially women, had access to the financial system and were able to developed savings capacity, and have also the opportunity to scaled up their businesses and improve their negotiating skills and enter to markets with quality products. (iv) The project promoted women's economic empowerment, with the project support 8 partner organizations develop gender equality, Women's Economic Empowerment and gender based-violence prevention policies; thus, it also contributed to the development of local economic development policies in 8 municipalities. (v) The project has played a catalytic role and managed to mobilize resources from other sources of financing, for example 22 municipalities co-invested more than Q.1,694,350.00 in enterprise networks, for the development of value chains, as well as the same business networks invested in their own businesses among other actors from the private sector.

"Vulnerable rural population particularly indigenous women increase their income and productive employment by capitalizing on the potential of local production and cultural values in five departments of the western highlands of Guatemala".