Elizabeth Benitez of El Salvador was looking for a flexible way to earn money while she completed her studies. Struggling to find a viable part-time job, she started a candle business. When the business itself took off, Benitez saw an opportunity to grow but didn’t know where to start.To celebrate her business’ first anniversary, she signed up for Emprende Pro Mujer–a digital platform focused on entrepreneurship, financial skills, mental health tips, and other knowledge-sharing for women business owners across Central America.

Through an initial $1 million grant from Visa Foundation, Pro Mujer was able to launch what has become a women-focused digital platform, offering business resources, mentoring, and financial training. During the pilot, the platform served 25,000 women entrepreneurs, a vast majority of whom would recommend it to others (84%) and were confident it helped them improve their business (80%). Through Emprende, Pro Mujer is on track to support 50,000 women over the next three years.Following the success of the pilot, Visa Foundation committed $3 million to Pro Mujer over three years, supporting the organization’s commitment to increasing women’s access to capital across LAC, namely Mexico, Argentina, Bolivia, Guatemala, Nicaragua and Peru.Visa Foundation is proud to partner with organizations like Pro Mujer, who are committed to the growth of gender diverse and inclusive small businesses globally.

Elizabeth Benitez of El Salvador was looking for a flexible way to earn money while she completed her studies. Struggling to find a viable part-time job, she started a candle business. When the business itself took off, Benitez saw an opportunity to grow but didn’t know where to start.To celebrate her business’ first anniversary, she signed up for Emprende Pro Mujer–a digital platform focused on entrepreneurship, financial skills, mental health tips, and other knowledge-sharing for women business owners across Central America.

Through an initial $1 million grant from Visa Foundation, Pro Mujer was able to launch what has become a women-focused digital platform, offering business resources, mentoring, and financial training. During the pilot, the platform served 25,000 women entrepreneurs, a vast majority of whom would recommend it to others (84%) and were confident it helped them improve their business (80%). Through Emprende, Pro Mujer is on track to support 50,000 women over the next three years.Following the success of the pilot, Visa Foundation committed $3 million to Pro Mujer over three years, supporting the organization’s commitment to increasing women’s access to capital across LAC, namely Mexico, Argentina, Bolivia, Guatemala, Nicaragua and Peru.Visa Foundation is proud to partner with organizations like Pro Mujer, who are committed to the growth of gender diverse and inclusive small businesses globally.