Business and financial literacy training.

Income derived from coffee is often not sustainable, and farmers are looking to find ways to diversify their income. Smallholder farmers, including women producers, typically do not have access to affordable credit and lack the business skills to manage a loan and grow their operations.

IWCA together with Earth’s Choice, have established a microfinance program that provides microloans to women.

The program is based on a learning approach whereby women entrepreneurs who do not have sufficient loan access, guarantees, or experience in successfully managing loans learn the necessary skills and experience to successfully plan their new business venture and manage their loan.

Central to this learning is the Microfinance Management Training Manual.

23 Degrees has translated the original 60-page training materials from Spanish into English and French, making these skills accessible to women and their participation in the fund possible.