CAF Organized Women’s Entrepreneurship Workshop in Cobija

CAF—development bank of Latin America—, in collaboration with the Directorate of Regional Initiatives and the Social Inclusion and Gender Department, presented the workshop “Gender and Entrepreneurship: Training of Women Entrepreneurs,” which took place on March 18–19 in the capital of Pando.

The event was organized by the Federation of Private Entrepreneurs of Pando (F.E.P.P.), and focused mainly on building business capacities of 25 women of the Pando Association of Women Entrepreneurs (AMEP) and the Women’s Citizen Forum of Pando (FOCIDEM),, with a view to promoting productive and social development of the Amazonian department.

The vice-president of the F.E.P.P.P., Ana María del Pilar Zúñiga, gave the welcoming remarks, before giving the floor to Gladis Genua, CAF representative in Bolivia. The first day continued with an online presentation by the Social Inclusion and Gender Department, which discussed the different concepts of autonomy. It also exposed gender gaps and inequalities in Bolivia, compared to other countries in Latin America. The practical sessions of the workshop were moderated by Daniel Ardaya (from the SERCOEMP consultancy firm) and addressed the close relationship between gender and entrepreneurship.

The second day of activities included a presentation by CAF’s Regional Initiatives Directorate on the importance of Latin American SMEs, especially those led by women. In addition, the institution’s Comprehensive Border Management Program (PROGIF) was unveiled, which promotes the development of the Bolivia-Peru border area in the Amazon. Lastly, the working session discussed women entrepreneurs and their context.

Participants

Kaira Farah works in the gastronomy field. She owns a pastry shop that offers sweet and savory treats. It is a family business that she inherited from her mother and that she has been enhancing. The shop now has a tax ID and issues invoices.

“I belong to the Pando Association of Women Entrepreneurs. These workshops are very important for us because they help us innovate, learn something and wake up if we are too inactive. None of us is going to say, ‘I did well in 2020,’ so many of us have been a little down.

I must say the workshop has pushed us to keep that venture afloat,” Ms. Farah said enthusiastically.

A few years ago, Ruth Arauz began traveling to Cochabamba, Sao Paulo and Porto Belo to be trained in the field of beauty, including hairdressing, colorimetry, hairstyles, makeup, etc. Her venture was conceived as a way to work from her home in Cobija and spend time with her daughters, while earning profits. “Rubor Paris” has been at the service of the Pando population for almost 6 years.

“This is a perfect fit for me and all the ladies participating in the program. I am currently president of the Women’s Citizen Forum of Pando, where we bring together 200 women in the city and another 100 from rural areas. In the forum, we are in constant training, both in human rights and environment and law: the Labor Act, the Law of the Amazon, etc. We want to help these women better exercise their civic role, and being aware of their rights and obligations.”

Alicia Suárez Justiniano works with pharmaceuticals: “I am the representative of Magisfarma in Cobija, which is a master line. The workshop helps us a lot to enrich our training. It was quite creative and I know that many entrepreneurs are lacking this sort of knowledge to become better.”

“It has given us the opportunity to identify ourselves, recognize our potentials and learn strategies to be able to consolidate our businesses and be able to provide better services. We have to learn the tools and knowledge to become competitive,” concluded Arauz.