Regional Competition of Women Fighting Poverty launched

(Lima, September 7, 2007).- The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the Andean Development Corporation and the German Technical Cooperation Agency (GTZ) will hold the Regional Competition of Women Fighting Poverty on November 27 in La Paz with the idea of creating incentives for innovative experiments by organizations or groupings of rural women entrepreneurs in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela.

The regional competition is open to women who have won the national competitions, which will be held in each of the five countries mentioned, after submitting a project or business in two categories: crafts and agricultural production lines.

To classify for the second stage, the innovative nature of the project or business will be taken into account along with market access, use of communication technologies, and mobilization of relevant actors to support the women.

After this stage, the ten women selected will represent their countries in the final of the Regional Competition of Women Fighting Poverty to be held on November 27 in La Paz, Bolivia.

The local regional competition was launched at a press conference in Lima given by CAF representative in Peru Eleonora Silva, accompanied by IFAD operations manager Roberto Haudry, and the coordinator of GTZ Sustainable Development Program Gycs Gordon.

On the national stages of the competition, Silva said that rural women’s groups or organizations from each country could take part. They have until September 22 to present the experience of their undertaking or business. The conditions of the competition can be found on the website: www.sierrasur.gob.pe/mujeresexitosas

In the case of Peru, the award will be made during the Women's Expo-Fair to be held on Saturday October 6 in Parque Reducto N°2 of Miraflores, where the winners of the competition in the categories of crafts and agricultural production line will receive prizes of US$700 each.

The winners will also receive an all-expenses-paid trip to represent Peru in the "Regional Competition of Women Fighting Poverty" organized by FIDA and CAF on November 27 in La Paz, which will bring together winning women entrepreneurs from the five Andean countries: Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela.

Winners who came second in the two categories will receive a US$300 monetary prize to finance their microenterprises.

"As part of its integrated agenda, one of CAF’s main actions is to support rural women as an important pillar for achieving sustainable development in its shareholder countries. Due to the predominant place of equitable development for CAF, strengthening microenterprises has special importance, in this case rural women’s organizations," Silva said. The regional competition will give the winners from the five Andean countries an opportunity to exchange experiences and knowledge of their winning proposals, she added.