|
Description
FAFIDESS is a private non-lucrative organization that
has no affiliation to religious, governmental, or political
groups. Following the established Governmental Agreement 185-87
of the Republic of Guatemala Congress.
History
Members of the Rotary Club of Guatemala City founded FAFIDESS
in 1986. Its board of directors is formed by professionals
and businessmen that push for the development of their country.
FAFIDESS originally worked with technical and financial assistance
for social infrastructure projects. In 1989 FAFIDESS initiated
a credit assistance program for organized groups of rural
women, called Community Bank Program. This program has benefited
thousands of women, families, and their communities. In addition,
it has obtained a high level of financial self-sustainability.
Back
Objectives
•To
implement and strengthen the Community Banking Program in
order to improve living conditions and promote self-employment
of Guatemalan women.
•To offer training and commercialization services to
the Community Bank members as a complement of the financial
services.
•To identify and obtain financial resources for economic
and social development projects.
Back
Services
•Community
Banking Program
•Training Program
•Commercialization Program
•Technical Assistance
Back
Community
Banking Program
The Community Banking Program gives micro-credit loans
to groups of rural women with scarce resources who have no
conventional collateral thereby depending on mutual responsibility
within the group. These groups have an average of 30 members
with each group having its own Community Bank name. These
women, who for the most part are indigenous, work in areas
such as:
•Artisans
•Agriculture
•Animal
Farming
•Services
•General
Stores
•Other
The program promotes the generation of employment, income,
and savings of the members by offering them financing, training,
and technical assistance. This is done in order to achieve
economic sustainability and a higher level of self-esteem
and leadership
Back
Training Program
The Training Program responds to the needs of rural women
who have not had access to formal education. The objective
of the program is to train the women members in the Community
Banking Program of FAFIDESS in subjects such as administration,
accounting, management, social strengthening, community organization,
and the methodology of the Community Banking Program.
Back
|
