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GMAS: 11 years and going strong!
In the wake of Hurricane Mitch, which hit Central America in 1998, and devastated communities in Nicaragua, GMAS ("Group of Women Saving in Solidarity") was founded in efforts towards recovery. Now, nearly 11 years later, the program is comprised of over 70 groups of women who invest into solidarity savings that provide loans for fellow members. Recently, Larry's Beans visited CECOCAFEN and learned about their campaign to screen women for breast cancer. This project has been a tremendous success thus far and continues to diversify its functions and strengthen the community.
Resumen del proyecto en español
In 1998, after Hurricane Mitch devastated areas of Nicaragua, CECOCAFEN looked to international organizations for help in the reconstruction of its communities. Coffee Kids, and NGO based in the US (and founded by Bill Fishbein who co-founded CC member roastery Coffee Exchange with his brother Charlie) stepped up to the plate and was one of the first groups to respond in solidarity with CECOCAFEN. That was the seed that planted what would soon become GMAS: the “Group of Women Saving in Solidarity” (Grupo de Mujeres en Ahorro Solidario), a project that organizes women into saving groups with the goal of providing micro-loans to help confront the challenges left by the destruction of the hurricane. Over time, the project grew into something much more comprehensive than relief efforts and is now focused on providing loans to women who would otherwise have very little opportunity to improve their livelihoods and that of their families. By creating an environment in which women have ownership and responsibility in their financial development, this program has impacted the community in raising the self-esteem of the women and empowering them in short-term decisions.
There are currently 24 groups representing 420 women (wives and daughters of CECOCAFEN members) and 71 young men. The project is managed and run by a Board of Directors on which three women from each group sits. Men are allowed to participate in the groups as members but cannot hold administrative or leadership positions.
Watch a video that CECOCAFEN created about the project
What goals has GMAS achieved?
- An organizational structure that gives women the opportunity to actively participate in leadership and decision-making positions within the coop.
- Raising the self-esteem of the participating women who have discovered their capacity to do business and support their families financially, from their work in the coop and the community. Women involved in GMAS support their families with more than 30% of the necessary resources and in some cases, 100% when the women run the household.
- As a result of this program, leadership within families between the man and woman has been equalized. Approximately 350 families have put this practice into reality and the female figure of the family is just as important as the male.
- Decision-making and integration within the nuclear family for different economical and social processes.
- Sharing the experience of GMAS with other organizations in Nicaragua, with whom CECOCAFEN has alliances and a similar structure/purpose.
- The project has proven that equality between genders is possible when the woman is empowered through a gradual process of understanding between men, women, sons, and daughters.
- Domestic violence has been reduced as the woman understands her many responsibilities and rights.
- Development of a culture of solidarity that helps both women and young people.
Challenges
- As the program becomes more popular within the communities and expands its list of services, there's a delay in the provision of services when a woman first becomes a member.
- The steady increase of applicants has put a strain on financial resources within the administration and made it difficult to provide adequate financial training for each new member and administrative training for those involved in the administration of the group.
Future Goals
- Increase the financial capacity of the program to be able to establish more groups
- Develop programs that offer marketing services for the products produced within the communities by the women
- Undertake a diagnostic review of each group in order to better help in the planning and functionality of each.
- Develop and expand a training program that goes beyond training for GMAS and focuses on administrative skills that would serve in other initiatives and programs as well.
