Agriculture is a main economic driver for the Guatemalan economy, providing thousands of jobs. One of Guatemala’s main exports is coffee, which it provides a lot of to the US. The country has a large indigenous population (about 40%). Indigenous populations face a high poverty rate, and only 1 in 10 indigenous women participate in the formal economy. Women in general in Guatemala face many challenges, facing a lack of economic independence and violence. Only 28% of women have access to financial markets. Another problem that plagues the people of Guatemala is the high rate of malnutrition. All of these factors combined are reasons why WCCN is working with our partners to help improve the livelihoods of women and indigenous populations in Guatemala.
OUR PARTNERS IN GUATEMALA
ADICLA
Partner Since 2015
ADICLA began its activities in 1989 to provide a better standard of living to the Guatemalan population through financial and productive services and ethical practices and values. ADICLA operates in Sololá and Santo Tomás La Unión and has developed from a predominantly agricultural portfolio to eco-tourism ventures around the area's natural lakes. The bulk of its lending is to individuals (86%), but it maintains a substantial portfolio of group lending.
ADISA
Partner Since 2017
ADISA is an NGO lending institution in Guatemala focused on rural microfinance. Founded in 1991, the organization has a strong history in the region and a loyal client base. ADISA provides mostly individual loans with a small portion of the portfolio allocated to group lending. Over 80% of the organizations loans are in rural areas, 61% of loanees are women, and the staff live in the community of San Antonia Ilotenango in which they lend.
CREDIGUATE
Partner Since 2015
A credit union created by the Association of Integral Rural Development (ASDIR), a long time WCCN partner, Crediguate serves rural poor clients from its main offices in Totonicapán, Guatemala. It also reaches other municipalities of the west and central regions of Guatemala, particularly Sololá, Suchitepéquez, Huehuetenango and Quiché.
Approximately 70% of their total clients are rural and around 75% of their clients are indigenous people, particularly Maya-Kíche. Loans to solidarity groups/community banks represent 77% of total number of clients served with an average loan size to these borrowers of $196.
SERVIGUA
Partner Since 2019
The Guatemalan Services Foundation (SERVIGUA) was created in September of 2006 as a foundation that would respond to the microfinance sector through the implementation of development projects in Santa Cruz del Quiché. The SERVIGUA Foundation, since its inception, was an instrument aimed at solving poverty and underdevelopment. Its goal is to promote adapted financial products, to achieve a greater economic and social impact. This was due to the demand that existed in the population, given that the poorest people could not access the formal banking programs because of the strict requirements requested by those banks. The foundation currently lends to over 650 people, all of whom are in rural areas.