Crafting Flowers in Intibuca

Last November, we reported on the Product Innovation Workshops that were taking place in Intibucá to benefit Adelante clients from the Lenca Corridor.  We are proud to announce that our first of eight workshops planned for 2012 was held last week, February 22-24.  We would like to take this opportunity to thank Women’s Empowerment International for generously funding our 2012 workshops.

Adelante client, Mercedes, showing off a flower she made

The workshop focused on creating decorative products that have a high profit margin and substantial demand. The first day was spent teaching the women how to make crepe paper flowers.  They learned how to craft different varieties of flowers, and once the women have these basic skills they can decide the details, for example the size, complexity and colors. It was amazing to witness how much care the women took to create their first flower since the process was very new to most of them.  As the day progressed, their flower crafting abilities improved considerably and our clients were pumping out beautiful flowers faster and faster.

Wreathes are popular for Day of the Dead celebrations

The second and third days were spent using the flowers to make bouquets, wreathes, and stalks, as well as bridal bouquets and veils using natural flowers.  With the skills acquired, the women can create their own custom products tailored for different occasions, such as a girl’s 15^th Birthday Party or Quinciñera, weddings, graduations, funerals, baptisms, and other events. One of the main benefits of crepe paper flower decorations is that the product is reusable, which makes them a preferred alternative to natural flowers.

In addition to using the crepe paper flowers to make popular products, the women also were taught how to take cheap retail items, such as hair accessories, and increase their value for resale.  Just by adding simple, inexpensive craft items, such as glue-on butterflies, colorful ribbon, or hand made pompoms, the accessories increase in value with not a lot of effort or cost.

Karla focused on finishing a festive flower stalk

Feedback from clients indicates that they are excited to be learning new skills and intend to put them into practice.  An elderly client, Mercedes, affirms, ¨Here I am learning something new, now I can sell this product, and I know this sells a lot!¨ Another client, Karla, is one of few who had past experience, but she explains how the workshop has been practical anyways, ¨In school I did these flowers before, but now I remember how to make them and I also think that the techniques being taught are better than the ones I learned before.¨ Karla supports herself through her micro enterprise selling home-made bread, but she plans to use the knowledge acquired to begin selling crepe paper flowers too.  She is currently studying at night to attain a secondary school diploma, so having an additional source of income will assist her with school related expenses.

As 2012 progresses, check back here on our blog to read about future Adelante workshops and how they are helping the women of Intibucá and La Paz to earn more income and further improve their overall quality of life!

Global Microcredit Summit 2011

Meeting Dr. Yunus, Founder Grameen Bank

The Adelante Foundation was recently represented by six top managers and seven board members at the Global Microcredit Summit in Valladolid, Spain.  Microfinance institutions from around the world were able to partake in workshops, courses, presentations and other events on using microcredit to eradicate global poverty.  Speakers at the Summit included some of the most influential practitioners in the industry, such as the founder of Grameen Bank in Bangledesh, Dr. Muhammad Yunus, co-founders Lynne Patterson and Carmen Valasco of Pro Mujer and Finca International’s founder John Hatch. Since the Adelante Foundation’s methodology is based on the Grameen Bank model, a special moment for our team was meeting Dr. Yunus.

After the conference, the delegates from our team in Honduras reflected on what they had learned and ideas for the upcoming 2012 year. One theme that resonated with many of our team members is the use of educational loans to improve opportunities for our clients and their families.  Unfortunately, insecurity attributed to delinquency is escalating in Honduras, and improving economic opportunities for young people is an important solution to this social problem.  Income earned by our clients is spent on education for their children, but paying for secondary school, university, or skills- training still remain a challenge. Offering educational loans to foster better opportunities for the children of our clients is an area of interest, and as General Manager, Sophia Anderson, puts it, ¨This way we might be able to reduce the number of young Hondurans that wind up becoming delinquents because they weren’t offered a better opportunity¨.

The relationship between microfinance and agricultural production also surfaced as a crucial component to reducing rural poverty.  The provision of loans or training sessions for agricultural production would enhance income generation from agriculture.  Many farmers already work with credit, but some are still excluded for a variety of reasons.  A step towards developing this type of loan product would be determining where microcredit would be most needed.  In the upcoming year, the Education Department is already planning to offer interactive workshops on agricultural production in order to boost profits and improve household food security.

Climate change is a global issue that will affect every nation in the future.  Using microfinance to reduce greenhouse gas emissions was another topic that emerged during the Summit.  Loans to purchase products that reduce emissions, such as solar panels or high efficiency stoves, also have the added benefit of moderating household expenses.  Claudia Nunez, Director of Accounting and IT, remarks, ¨A high efficiency stove is a product option that is being implemented by many institutions to help the problem of climate change and also clients’ economies¨.  Climate change can not be neglected since the underprivileged will suffer the most from the impacts of a warmer climate.

Lastly, the summit reiterated the importance of offering clients the opportunity to save with microfinance institutions.  National regulations often prohibit the development of savings accounts with unregulated banking institutions, which is a challenge faced by many microfinance institutions globally, including the Adelante Foundation.  This is the case in Honduras, so one potential solution being investigated is becoming a regulated institution. However, this change would never be undertaken if it would compromise our mission to serve Honduras’ rural poor.  The Summit reaffirmed our commitment to solving this problem so that our clients can save more.

Honduran team and Board of Directors, Valladolid, Spain

Each of the team members that attended the Summit reflected on how the Adelante Foundation is achieving its mission to improve the quality of life of the rural poor in Honduras.  The ideas and themes presented here are just a few of the highlights that transpired. Jose Luis Saldivar, Zone Supervisor and Agency Supervisor for the El Progreso branch, affirms, ¨I enjoyed the Summit because that’s where ideas are born and this is a big help to microfinance institutions from around the world¨.  In considering how the Adelante Foundation compares to other similar institutions, our team felt that while there are improvements to be made, we should be proud that we are so strongly committed to our mission.

Success in a Food Deficit Country

posted in honor of Blog Action Day, October 16, 2011

Honduras, the third poorest country in Latin America and the Caribbean, is home to approximately 7.5 million people.  One third of the population lives on less than one dollar per day.  As a low-income food deficit country, an estimated 1.5 million face hunger on a daily basis.

UNDP

The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the Honduran government, in December of 2010, presented the Millennium Development Goals report which highlighted the fact that in May 2009, approximately 60% of the population of Honduras lived in poverty.  Of this 60%, 36.4% were considered to be living in extreme poverty meaning their household income did not cover the most basic of necessities, such as food.

Success with Microfinance

For Marina Rodriguez, the challenges of providing basic necessities for herself and her family have been lessened by her involvement with the Adelante Foundation.  With a small micro loan, Marina has been able to find success selling beauty products, such as lotion, shampoo and conditioner to her local community.  “The Adelante Foundation has helped my family to invest in a small business which has been able to grow and make a bigger profit.”  This sustainable source of income has provided Marina with the ability to put more nutritious meals on the table for herself and her family.

As is the case with many of the Adelante Foundation’s clients, regular access to nutritious food is one of the benefits of providing rural Honduran women with microcredit, especially in a country where in some parts, nearly half of the children do not receive the nutrition they need.

To get involved with the Adelante Foundation or for more information, please visit our website at www.adelantefoundation.org