What We Do
How We Help New Mexico’s Women Have A More Abundant Life
Our Women’s Cottage Industries Program helps to generate economic opportunities for women and girls through an innovative complement of means and approaches. These approaches strive to transform systemic barriers to economic self determination and include:
- Helping to establish cooperatives of three or more women coming together to develop cottage industries within their local communities.
- Granting micro funding to those cooperatives.
- Providing education and mentoring through our Women Entrepreneurs Learn (WE Learn™) project.
- Producing distinctive product distribution outlets such as Rag Rug Festival & Design Collectives, and Holiday Gift Fiestas.
Our Efforts Also Help Vulnerable Children
New Mexico is the sixth largest state geographically, with less than two million population, and 7.2% of children under the age of five years. Over half of our state’s families live in rural areas without access to jobs in established businesses. Our focus is on helping women learn a cottage industry skill in order that they may stay in their communities and be able to contribute significantly to the financial well being of their families. This allows them to be close to their children, often work from home or at a nearby cooperative, and practice the art of small business. In households in which the women are significantly contributing to the financial stability of the family, life is more harmonious, food is more abundant, health concerns can be more quickly addressed, and children dramatically improve their readiness to learn and succeed in school.
