Pro Mujer
Encyclopedia
Pro Mujer is a 20-year-old women’s development and microfinance organization that provides poor women in Latin America with an integrated package of financial services, healthcare, and training to lift themselves and their families out of poverty. Pro Mujer delivers these services through communal banks, or peer groups, of 20-30 women who support each other and guarantee each others' loans. With small loans, healthcare, and training, along with group support, women are empowered to become agents of change in their families and communities.
Pro Mujer has presence in five Latin American countries, all sharing the same philosophy and mission, employing a similar methodology, and working together to share best practices and innovations. Pro Mujer is present in Argentina https://promujer.org/index.tpl?NG_View=69&NG_Id_Country=1, Bolivia https://promujer.org/index.tpl?NG_View=69&NG_Id_Country=2, Mexico https://promujer.org/index.tpl?NG_View=69&NG_Id_Country=3, Nicaragua https://promujer.org/index.tpl?NG_View=69&NG_Id_Country=4 and Peru https://promujer.org/index.tpl?NG_View=69&NG_Id_Country=5.Expansion into other Latin American countries is contemplated for the future.
Pro Mujer's headquarters in New York City
support the development of its five microfinance institutions, and the ongoing operations and expansion to new countries, respectively. Pro Mujer is dedicated to its social mission, but seeks to manage itself like an efficient business, with all proceeds of its various activities reinvested in its growth, improvement and expansion to reach more beneficiary clients, who are principally women.
Pro Mujer in New York monitors the performance of the five country MFIs and works closely with the country boards https://promujer.org/index.tpl?NG_View=15 and staff to reduce risk, improve practices and to ensure compliance with internal controls. Pro Mujer in New York prepares consolidated financial reports for the Pro Mujer board of directors each quarter and uses an international audit firm to produce a consolidated audit for the network. It works directly with donors and lenders to secure funding for network activities and growth, monitors these investments and reports to the providers. It also focuses on macro issues of strategy, communications, recruitment, systems and funding.
Pro Mujer in New York disseminates the achievements of the network through the various media, at conferences, on panels and in workshops, and through its periodic publications and website (promujer.org), with each country having its own web pages.
Pro Mujer fights poverty by establishing sustainable microfinance organizations that provide an integrated package of financial and human development services that women require to build and improve their small businesses.
Pro Mujer supports the health of its clients and their families and helps women build their self-esteem https://promujer.org/index.tpl?NG_View=40. The organization also links women and their families with existing resources and services in their communities.
Pro Mujer developed its sustainable integrated credit and training methodology in Bolivia https://promujer.org/index.tpl?NG_View=69&NG_Id_Country=2 in 1990; and successfully replicated the model in Nicaragua https://promujer.org/index.tpl?NG_View=69&NG_Id_Country=4 in 1996, Peru https://promujer.org/index.tpl?NG_View=69&NG_Id_Country=5 in 1999, Mexico https://promujer.org/index.tpl?NG_View=69&NG_Id_Country=3 in 2001 and Argentina https://promujer.org/index.tpl?NG_View=69&NG_Id_Country=1 in 2005. The services provided by each Pro Mujer have been modified to fit each country’s economic and cultural conditions.
In the past twenty years, Pro Mujer has disbursed over US$742 million in small loans, and have provided healthcare to hundreds of thousands of women and their families. Surpassing Lynne and Carmen’s expectations, Pro Mujer is helping poor women in Latin America to increase their income, develop their full potential, and claim their basic human rights.
Currently, Pro Mujer serves 202,000 active clients and, in addition, over 1 million children and extended family members. The current average loan balance is $297.
Pro Mujer has presence in five Latin American countries, all sharing the same philosophy and mission, employing a similar methodology, and working together to share best practices and innovations. Pro Mujer is present in Argentina https://promujer.org/index.tpl?NG_View=69&NG_Id_Country=1, Bolivia https://promujer.org/index.tpl?NG_View=69&NG_Id_Country=2, Mexico https://promujer.org/index.tpl?NG_View=69&NG_Id_Country=3, Nicaragua https://promujer.org/index.tpl?NG_View=69&NG_Id_Country=4 and Peru https://promujer.org/index.tpl?NG_View=69&NG_Id_Country=5.Expansion into other Latin American countries is contemplated for the future.
Pro Mujer's headquarters in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
support the development of its five microfinance institutions, and the ongoing operations and expansion to new countries, respectively. Pro Mujer is dedicated to its social mission, but seeks to manage itself like an efficient business, with all proceeds of its various activities reinvested in its growth, improvement and expansion to reach more beneficiary clients, who are principally women.
Pro Mujer in New York monitors the performance of the five country MFIs and works closely with the country boards https://promujer.org/index.tpl?NG_View=15 and staff to reduce risk, improve practices and to ensure compliance with internal controls. Pro Mujer in New York prepares consolidated financial reports for the Pro Mujer board of directors each quarter and uses an international audit firm to produce a consolidated audit for the network. It works directly with donors and lenders to secure funding for network activities and growth, monitors these investments and reports to the providers. It also focuses on macro issues of strategy, communications, recruitment, systems and funding.
Pro Mujer in New York disseminates the achievements of the network through the various media, at conferences, on panels and in workshops, and through its periodic publications and website (promujer.org), with each country having its own web pages.
Mission
Pro Mujer https://www.promujer.org is an international women’s development and microfinance organization whose mission is to provide poor women in Latin America with the means to build livelihoods for themselves and futures for their families through microfinance https://promujer.org/index.tpl?NG_View=37, business training https://promujer.org/index.tpl?NG_View=38, and healthcare support https://promujer.org/index.tpl?NG_View=39.Pro Mujer fights poverty by establishing sustainable microfinance organizations that provide an integrated package of financial and human development services that women require to build and improve their small businesses.
Pro Mujer supports the health of its clients and their families and helps women build their self-esteem https://promujer.org/index.tpl?NG_View=40. The organization also links women and their families with existing resources and services in their communities.
History
In 1990, Lynne Patterson and Carmen Velasco founded Pro Mujer https://www.promujer.org, a microfinance organization that offers credit, access to savings account, healthcare and training to poor women entrepreneurs in Latin America.Pro Mujer developed its sustainable integrated credit and training methodology in Bolivia https://promujer.org/index.tpl?NG_View=69&NG_Id_Country=2 in 1990; and successfully replicated the model in Nicaragua https://promujer.org/index.tpl?NG_View=69&NG_Id_Country=4 in 1996, Peru https://promujer.org/index.tpl?NG_View=69&NG_Id_Country=5 in 1999, Mexico https://promujer.org/index.tpl?NG_View=69&NG_Id_Country=3 in 2001 and Argentina https://promujer.org/index.tpl?NG_View=69&NG_Id_Country=1 in 2005. The services provided by each Pro Mujer have been modified to fit each country’s economic and cultural conditions.
In the past twenty years, Pro Mujer has disbursed over US$742 million in small loans, and have provided healthcare to hundreds of thousands of women and their families. Surpassing Lynne and Carmen’s expectations, Pro Mujer is helping poor women in Latin America to increase their income, develop their full potential, and claim their basic human rights.
Accomplishments
As of December 2009, Pro Mujer has distributed $742 million in small loans. Pro Mujer clients are encouraged to save, and these women have saved $15.3 million in individual accounts providing a buffer for their families in times of crises.Currently, Pro Mujer serves 202,000 active clients and, in addition, over 1 million children and extended family members. The current average loan balance is $297.
External links
- Pro Mujer [Official Website] Giving Women Credit
- Donate to Pro Mujer
- Pro Mujer Videos
- Pro Mujer on Myspace
- Pro Mujer on facebook.com
- Pro Mujer on Twitter