WOMEN’S SAVINGS & MICROCREDIT PROGRAM

ACMUV (Women’s Association - Asociación Chajulense de Mujeres Unidos por la Vida)
&
COMUVI (Women’s cooperative)

In 2006, the coffee association in San Gaspar Chajul purchased new coffee sorting equipment, which resulted in 300 women who worked as coffee sorters losing their jobs. In an effort to offer something to these women, the coffee association provided space in the association’s administration building for them to meet and recover what the 300 women had lost.

ACMUV, the women’s microcredit association - organized in 2006 by 20 women who supported women weavers - began a microcredit project that offered small loans to groups of women to start or improve small family businesses.

The Coffee Trust began working with ACMUV in 2009 to support its fledgling microcredit project. The Coffee Trust infused a significant amount of capital into the microcredit effort, provided training in microcredit management, and helped the women add a savings component to their loan program.

Initially, the program grew slowly, but ultimately became wildly successful, and has since expanded to include another microcredit organization, COMUVI, a microcredit cooperative. Unlike an association, a cooperative in Guatemala can operate exactly as a bank. This means that COMUVI is allowed to offer interest-bearing savings accounts to residents, which provides far more capital for loans to the local community. Unlike ACMUV, which is restricted to offering small loans to groups of approximately 25 women, COMUVI can offer larger loans to qualified women and small groups of one to three women.

Both microcredit organizations combined have grown to nearly 2,000 women, far more than the 300 women who initially had lost their jobs and even more than the total number of men in the coffee association. The women have purchased and are reconstructing a five-story building in San Gaspar Chajul that will be home to both organizations. There will be space for meetings, training, and administration, and even a possibility of space left over to rent for added income. The association, ACMUV, continues to offer smaller loans to groups of 25 women, providing economic opportunities for the poorest of the poor. The association also acts as a training ground for women to develop their businesses and learn the skills of managing their loans, so that one day, they can move to the cooperative for even greater economic opportunities.

The Coffee Trust no longer needs to provide capital for the micro loans. The revolving loan fund now grows organically. In fact, with training from The Coffee Trust, the women have become well-skilled in accessing capital at low-to-zero interest rates, should the demand for more capital exceed the capital fund.

As of 2024, The Coffee Trust is now working with ACMUV to strengthen the original women’s association and recover from the stress and strain of rapid growth. Re-establishing protocols and disciplines is high on the agenda, as is developing a sophisticated database to assist the local coordinators in real-time management. The Coffee Trust provides training in financial and administrative management and is helping the group establish systems for their accounting and data registration.

The Coffee Trust also collaborates with the women to share their knowledge and experience with other indigenous women in Guatemala looking to develop their own microcredit program.