Women's Business Cooperatives in Latin America
Shadee Berger and Maura A. Smale
LIS 697-2: International Documents
Assignment 3: Research Guide
21 March 2007
Introduction
Women’s cooperatives in developing countries and nations provide women with opportunities for advancement. Women become owners rather than sweatshop workers; they are able to provide income for themselves and their families. Women’s cooperatives, in short, empower women to help themselves.
This research guide specifically pertains to women in Latin American countries. Organizations that are included provide these women with financial assistance, job training, business training, and health care awareness and assistance. Information about financial assistance is available; outlines for successful cooperatives are shown; vendors and wholesalers of goods and items produced by cooperatives for sale as well as direct access to cooperatives are included. General information regarding cooperatives is also presented.
Research resources are divided into three topic areas: General Resources on Women in the Economies of Developing Nations, Nonprofit Organizations that Provide Economic Development Assistance to Women in Latin America, and A Sample of Women's Cooperatives in Latin America. The websites in each topic area are arranged alphabetically.
General Resources on Women in the Economies of Developing Nations
Fair Trade Federation. (1996 - 2002). Retrieved March 14, 2007, from http://www.fairtradefederation.org/
Summary: The Fair Trade Federation (FTF) is an organization that is "fully committed to providing fair wages and good employment opportunities to economically disadvantaged artisans and farmers worldwide." FTF connects member artisans and farmers to consumers through catalogs and individual store information.
Detailed Description: The Fair Trade Federation main page has 12 main links: Retail Stores, Wholesalers, Mail Order Catalogs, Online Catalogs, Producers, About FTF, About Fair Trade, Join Us!, Shopping & Sales, Support Fair Trade, Members-Only, Coffee & Food. The main page has general information about the Federation's mission, current news topics - for example Celebrate International Women's Day Every Day. The main page also has photos of handmade items for sale - belts, bags and pillows.
The site has excellent basic information regarding fair trade practices and facts. Of special note is About Fair Trade which lists criteria, principles and practices, facts, why to choose fair trade, frequently asked questions and more. Using this site to research any perspective of fair trade is very easy to navigate and all in English.
For details on where to buy fair trade products follow Retail Stores from the main page which breaks down retailers by state and country. For details on where to buy from a wholesaler follow the Wholesalers link from the main page and the stores are listed alphabetically. The Coffee & Food link leads to businesses carrying coffee, tea, chocolate, cashews, olive oil and other goods. A number of the retailers and wholesalers carry goods from Latin America.
Grameen Foundation. (2007). Retrieved March 13, 2007, from http://www.grameenfoundation.org/who_we_are/
Summary: The Grameen Foundation formed in 1997 to help alleviate poverty and empower individuals, mostly women, with access to technology and financial assistance. The Foundation supports over 2.5 million families in 22 countries with small loan assistance.
Detailed Description: The Grameen Foundations page Who We Are has seven main links: Our People, Our Supporters, Our Grameen Heritage, Values, Awards and Recognition, Partnerships, and Contact Information. The main page of Who We Are has a brief history of the Foundation and succinctly describes each of the seven links.
The Our People link directs to a listing of staff divided by title and/or job description, board members and directors with names and background information, committees with titles and member names, and also advisory council names and titles. Our Supporters directs to names and amounts of donations ranging from $1 million to $100.
Of special note is Values which links directly to a listing of eight core values the Foundation supports, for example, "producing measurable results that demonstrate financial and social performance..." Specific information about the program is available under What We Do, ranging from supporting the institution to knowledge sharing.
The values listed by the Foundation are excellent guidelines for any corporation or foundation to follow. The information provided by the Foundation is easy to navigate and very informative with regard to microfinance institutions. Individuals involved in the Foundation are easily accessible and the Email Update option on every page is excellent on keeping track of the latest events.
International Gender and Trade Network. (2005). Retrieved March 13, 2007, from http://www.igtn.org/
Summary: The International Gender and Trade Network (IGTN) is a political and social network of self-described feminist gender specialists. IGTN's goals are: to foster involvement (especially women's) in sustainable development and economy, to stand against what they view as undemocratic trade rules set by the WTO, to promote a feminist perspective on development and trade, and to encourage democratic trade practices around the world. IGTN provides an interesting, alternative approach to the subject of women's economic development and empowerment.
Detailed Description: The IGTN website is organized into five main sections: Trade Agreements, Issues, IGTN Regions, Economic Literacy, and Bulletins. A few additional pages are linked from the top of the site. The About Us area discussed IGTN's mission, history, and offices. A Calendar presents IGTN and other events of interest, though it does not appear to be current. A brief overview of social movements with which IGTN is affiliated, and links to international and non-governmental organizations of interest are also accessible from the top navigation.
Information germane to women's entrepreneurship in Latin America can be found in each section of the IGTN website. Topics addressed in the Issues area of the site are Agriculture, Developing Countries, Gender and Trade, Human Rights, Intellectual Property Rights, Investment, Services, and Sustainable Development. Relevant trade agreements include the North American Free Trade Agreement, the Free Trade Area of the Americas, the Central American Free Trade Agreement, and the Andean Free Trade Agreement. IGTN Regions contains contact information for IGTN coordinators in Latin America, as well as documents of interest. Documents specific to IGTN's work on economic literacy in Latin America are also available on the website. Finally, IGTN's email bulletin details the current work of the organization.
Microfinance for Women's Empowerment - Website for Dr. Linda Mayoux (2005). Retrieved March 13, 2007, from http://www.lindaswebs.org.uk/Page2_Livelihoods/Microfinance/MFIntro.htm
Summary: Dr. Linda Mayoux's page of Microfinance for Women's Empowerment discusses the history of some microfinance programs targeting poor women. She also examines the benefits and drawbacks of such programs and the effects on women as individuals and as cooperatives.
Detailed Description: Dr. Linda Mayoux has a background in education and research, and focuses on "enterprise development" and "gender analysis and social development." Dr. Mayoux's Curriculum Vitae is accessible through her main page and Consultancy Services.
The main page of Microfinance for Women's Empowerment discusses the history of microfinance companies offering loan options to impoverished women beginning in the 1990's. Originally the loans were meant to lessen the burden felt by women in countries without economic stability by providing women with the means to start a small business or cooperative. Mayoux moves on to discuss the serious consequences not considered when offering or taking these loans.
Under the main page and Why Should We Worry - Gender Impacts and Empowerment versus Sustainability, Mayoux discusses the problems results from these loans. An example of a problem would be the low incomes from production by women and not being able to meet high interest loan payments.
The last area of the main page Rethinking 'Best Practice': Areas for Innovation offers solutions to the problems listed earlier. Mayoux provides better ways of utilizing funds and lessening future problems.
This page would be particularly useful to individuals or groups considering borrowing money for a small business or cooperative loan. The problems and solutions offered on the page are all in English so only individuals with an advanced understanding of the language would benefit.
Womenwatch: UN Information and Resources on Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women. (2007). Retrieved March 13, 2007, from http://www.un.org/womenwatch/
Summary: Womenwatch is a United Nations website founded in 1997. It is a repository and portal for UN information on women's empowerment and gender equity issues. Womenwatch is an inter-agency website created by the Division for the Advancement of Women (DAW), United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), and United Nations International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (INSTRAW).
Detailed Description: Womenwatch is a huge site with a wide variety of electronic resources on gender equality and the empowerment of women. Content on Womenwatch is accessed via links on the top navigation bar of the website. The site seems to be English-only, although UN publications are available in the 6 official languages of the UN. Information about Womenwatch is presented on the About page, and website comments and feedback may be posted from the Contact page. A Calendar of Events is also linked from the top navigation. It displays women and gender-related event details through 2011 as well as an archive of events dating back to 1998. The Special Features page highlights topic-specific resources available on Womenwatch, for example, a page about International Women's Day.
The two largest sections on the Womenwatch website are Topics and UN Entities. The Topics area provides access to documents and resources by subject. The UN Entities area features information on UN agencies that specialize in women's issues, additional relevant work at other UN entities, and information arranged by geographic region.
Information about women's entrepreneurship and empowerment in Latin America can be found in several locations. From UN Entities, navigate to Regional Information: Latin America, to view links to a variety of relevant websites in English and Spanish. In the Topics area, websites germane to women's issues can be found on the pages titled Women and Poverty, Women and the Economy, Institutional Mechanisms for the Advancement of Women, and Rural Women.
The World Bank. (2007). Gender Equality as Smart Economics: A World Bank Gender Action Plan. Retrieved March 13, 2007, from http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/TOPICS/EXTGENDER/0,,menuPK:336874~pagePK:149018~piPK:149093~theSitePK:336868,00.html
Summary: The World Bank is a global financial development organization made up of 185 member countries. Its mission is to end poverty and raise the standard of living in developing countries worldwide. In 2006 the World Bank announced its new Gender Action Plan. This four-year, multi-million dollar initiative aims to encourage women's businesses in developing nations, arguing that they not only empower women but also benefit the economy. Among the many topics in development presented on the World Bank website, the Gender section contains much information on women's economic development to support the Gender Action Plan.
Detailed Description: The Gender topic area on the World Bank website is organized into seven subsections: Strategy, Regional and Thematic Gender Web Sites, Analytical Tools, Operational Work, Capacity Building, Documents & Reports, External Partnerships & Links. Many of the resources available on the website are provided for entities actively working on gender equality and women's economic empowerment issues.
Resources germane to researching women's entrepreneurship in Latin America can be found in several different locations within the World Bank's Gender topic area. The Regional and Thematic Gender Web Sites subsection contains a number of links to Latin American resources such as Projects & Programs and Publications & Reports. A wealth of statistics is available on the Data & Stats pages, some for individual countries, including health, education, and employment data.
The Documents & Reports subsection presents documents on gender issues of a general nature. In addition, there are links to publications arranged by geographical region, including Latin America and the Caribbean, and thematic area.
World of Good: Development Organization. (n.d.). Retrieved March 14, 2007, from http://www.worldofgood.org/
Summary: World of Good is a nonprofit organization based in Berkeley, CA. A member of the Fair Trade Federation (see above), World of Good's mission is to raise the standard of living for impoverished artisans in developing countries worldwide. The organization's primary activities are: developing fair trade standards for wages and pricing, advocating for the fair trade movement in the U.S., and working with donors and other organizations in artisan community development projects.
Detailed Description: The World of Good website is not large, but it is easy to navigate and communicates information about the organization well. The main areas of the site are About Us, Development Projects, Craft Pricing Tool, Fair Trade Resources, Internships, and Contact. The World of Good blog presents news and updates, though posting appears to be infrequent. Donations are accepted online through the Network for Good charity resource.
The Development Projects page features information on community development projects undertaken by World of Good. Currently the organization is assisting local artisans to raise funds for the construction of a school in Guatemala. Past projects are listed on a separate page, and include several in Guatemala. The Craft Pricing Tool page includes details on the development of World of Good's Fair Trade Wage Guide. The guide has been tested with artisan groups in Guatemala, Kenya, and Southeast Asia. More information on the fair trade movement, its history, mission, and further resources, is provided on the Fair Trade Resources page.
World of Good also sells fair trade, artisan-produced goods from around the world at their online shop at http://www.worldofgood.com/. Organizations supported by World of Good are listed on their website at http://www.worldofgood.com/catalog/orgs.php and include many Latin American Women's cooperatives.
United Nations Division for the Advancement of Women. (2007). Retrieved March 14, 2007, from http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/
Summary: The DAW is a division within the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (ECOSOC). It was established in 1946 and has gone through several name changes since its inception. Similar to INSTRAW (see below), DAW works towards improving the status of women worldwide, in economic, political, and human rights spheres. However, while INSTRAW is a research and training entity, DAW provides support to UN and non-UN agencies through analysis and research.
Detailed Description: The DAW website is an enormous repository of documents. The website is organized into sections containing information of relevance to the individual entities served. These entities include: Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), Fourth World Conference on Women and its Follow-up, General Assembly, and ECOSOC. Multiple entities are represented on the Expert Group Meetings and Technical Cooperation pages. The NGO Participation pages explain the ways in which non-governmental organizations can participate in sessions of CEDAW and CSW.
Additional information from DAW is available on the Publications, Statements, and News Archive pages. The Publication pages features a selection of DAW books and manuals, many available to download in PDF at no cost. A link to the UN Publications Catalog website is provided to search for other publications of interest. The Statements page archives DAW Statements back to 1997, and the News Archives list news and events back to 1996.
Given the large number of documents featured on the DAW website, it is advisable to search the site using the search box on the upper right side of the page. Search for terms such as "cooperative," "microfinance," "Latin America," and individual country names.
United Nations INSTRAW. (2004). Retrieved March 14, 2007, from http://www.un-instraw.org/en/
Summary: INSTRAW is the United Nations International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women. Its mission is to ensure that women are represented in the economies of developing nations. INSTRAW receives funding from UN Members and donors on a voluntary basis. INSTRAW activities include research, knowledge sharing, training programs, and assisting other agencies in fostering women's economic development and equality.
Detailed Description: The INSTRAW website houses a wide variety of documents and links relevant to the entity's programs. General information about INSTRAW, including its mission, history, staff, and Official Documents and Reports, is available in the About INSTRAW section of the website. A listing of other organizations working on the advancement of women can be accessed from the Directory link on the top navigation bar. Donation and volunteer instructions are located in the Get Involved area of the website.
Research and Training are major INSTRAW activities, and those sections on the website are very detailed. The Research section includes five focus areas: Gender, Migration and Remittances; Gender, Governance and Women's Political Participation; Gender, Peace and Security; Gender and Financing for Development; and Gender Research Guide. The Gender and Financing for Development area is most relevant to women's economic development. This area contains background information, a glossary, links to relevant organizations, INSTRAW papers, and a bibliography.
The Training and Mainstreaming sections of the website detail INSTRAW's efforts in these two important areas of advocacy for women's equality. The information available in these sections is not specific to women's cooperatives, however, advocacy for gender equity can be an important first step towards encouraging women's participation in economic development.
Additional information on all INSTRAW programs can be found in the Library, INSTRAW publications, and the INSTRAW Review, an archive of the INSTRAW electronic newsletter.
Nonprofit Organizations that Provide Economic Development Assistance to Women in Latin America
Café Femenino Foundation. (2005). Retrieved March 10, 2007, from http://www.cafefemeninofoundation.org/index.html
Summary: This nonprofit organization was established in December, 2004, to support Peruvian women coffee growers. The coffee is sold under the Fair Trade premium with proceeds benefiting the women farmers. This site is organized into six sections: The Story, Donate, Grants, Partners, Press, and Tsunami.
Detailed Description: The Story is a two page history of the organization with the goal of improving "the lives of women and children in coffee producing communities" in areas of Peru. The second main category, Donate, is a direct link to a Paypal donation option, and also provides the address to send donations to the foundation directly. The third main category is Grants and contains two links for PDF documents. The first document is a press release in English and discusses the grant applications that have been reviewed and granted. The second document is the "2006 Grant Application" in Spanish only.
The Press category is a Press Room link to an article published in the Seattle Post Intelligencer newspaper concerning how coffee can support women and lists specific business to buy the Fair Trade coffee from. The Board category lists Café Femenino Board of Directors with direct contact information for each of the four board members and contact information for the single Café Femenino Staff Member.
This site is almost entirely in English; the only Spanish is contained in the page was in the Grant Application. This website contains basic information about Fair Trade premiums and basic information about Peruvian women's rights, farming and production. The organization is based out of Vancouver, Washington.
Church World Service. (2007). Retrieved March 13, 2007, from http://www.churchworldservice.org/
Summary: Church World Service (CWS) is a U.S.-based Christian ministry founded in 1946. CWS facilitates emergency relief and development worldwide by working with local communities to end poverty and hunger, encourage economic development, and preserve justice and human rights.
Detailed Description: The CWS website contains much information on their programs and ways to get involved with the organization. The About Us section provides information on the mission, history, staff, and financials of CWS. Information on donating and volunteering with CWS is available in the Donate and How to Help areas of the website. CWS also features a shopping area (Best Gift Catalog) from which donations of goods and services can be purchased as gifts.
The activities of CWS can be broadly categorized as emergency and relief services, justice and human rights advocacy, and economic development activities. Information on programs run by CWS can be accessed on the website in two ways: using the top navigation links (Emergencies, Refugees, Hunger & Development, Peace & Justice, CROP Hunger Walks, Tools, Blankets & Kits), or clicking the Programs link at the top right of any page (Education & Advocacy, Emergency Response, Immigration & Refugees, Mission Relationships & Witness, Social & Economic Development). Much of the content on the CWS website is cross-linked from multiple locations on the site. The site's home page displays a large list of links to current CWS projects.
Information about CWS programs on women's economic development in Latin America can be found in a variety of locations on the website. The Hunger & Development section contains a list of relevant projects under Where We Work: Latin America & the Caribbean. Programs promoting women's development are detailed under What We Do: Women & Children. The Gift Catalog also offers gift donations that specifically benefit women in the Opportunities for Women section of the shopping area.
Grassroots Organizations Operating Together in Sisterhood. (n.d.). Retrieved March 12, 2007, from http://www.groots.org/
Detailed Description: The GROOTS website is well-designed and easy to navigate. Content is displayed in a frame in the center of the page that is somewhat small; the text would be more legible in a larger frame. Information on the GROOTS site is organized into four main sections: About Us, Member Groups, Events, and Resource Room. A Contact Us page provides electronic, telephone, and postal contact information.
The About Us page offers a brief history of the origins and development of GROOTS, as well as the organization's mission statement and current activities. Selected portions of the About Us page may be viewed in Spanish by clicking the En Español link in the left navigation.
GROOTS' affiliated grassroots organizations are listed on the Member Groups page. Groups are listed along with their geographic location, and each group name links to its own website. GROOTS members in Latin America are located in Costa Rica, Ecuador, Honduras, Jamaica, and Peru.
The Events page functions like a news area, presenting information on GROOTS initiatives around the world. Events listed go back to 2001; many of the older reports are available to download in PDF. A calendar of future events is also provided in the Events area. The Resource Room is a library of articles, presentations, and links of relevance to GROOTS member groups.
The International Alliance for Women (TIAW). (n.d.) Retrieved March 12, 2007, from http://www.tiaw.org/
Summary: The International Alliance for Women (TIAW) is a non-profit group that was formed in 1980 to economically empower women in all levels of development. TIAW's aim is to connect women resulting in a united voice, to provide quality programs to members, and to create a strong organization to support its members. TIAW's Microenterprise Development Program is a collateral free loan to women in impoverished countries.
Detailed Description: The International Alliance for Women (TIAW) is an extensively detailed and professionally aligned web page. The main page has 14 separate links: About TIAW, Programs, Global Partnership Forum, International Conference, Donations, Partners, News, Events, Associations, Join TIAW, Member Login, Member Spotlight, Contact Us, Items for Sale.
Of special note are the About TIAW link and Programs - Microenterprise Development Program. About TIAW links to a history of the organization and its many areas of current and future projects, statistics, purpose, goals and results to date. Programs links to Microenterprise Development Program which is the financial program set up to for women in developing countries.
TIAW's Microenterprise Development Program was created to give small business loans to "impoverished women who need working capital to start or expand a business". The women in many of these countries are denied basic ownership rights creating difficulty in providing collateral for a loan. The TIAW is a collateral-free program which has a high loan repayment rate of over 98%. Latin American countries benefiting from these lower interests loans are: El Salvador, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Mexico and Chile.
Maryknoll Lay Missioners. (2007). Retrieved March 11, 2007, from http://laymissioners.maryknoll.org/
Summary: Maryknoll Lay Missioners is the lay (non-clergy) branch of Maryknoll, a Catholic missionary group based in New York State. Maryknoll is a nonprofit organization supported entirely by donations that sends over 120 missioners to countries around the world to work to relieve poverty.
Detailed Description: The Maryknoll Lay Missioners website presents a brief overview of the organization. The website is easy to navigate and the text is concise and informative. The About Us and Media and Articles pages explain the goals and accomplishments of the organization and missioners. Instructions on donating to the mission are provided in the Donate area. Donors may also register with their name and personal information to access additional features on the website. Information on becoming a missioner, sponsor, or affiliate is located in the Join MKLM section.
More specific information on the programs run by Maryknoll can be found in the Our Work area of the website. Their programs include Civil & Human Rights, Economic Development, Education, Environment, and Healthcare. The Latin American countries they serve are Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, El Salvador, Mexico, Peru, and Venezuela. Mission details can be viewed in two ways: by program type (under Our Focus Areas), or by geographical region (under Where We Serve). Each program or regional page presents a few paragraphs of introductory text followed by a list of missionary projects in that program or region. Clicking a project name pops open a new window with details on the project as well as the missioner affiliated with it.
The Latin America program detail page is located at http://laymissioners.maryknoll.org/index.php?module=MKGive&func=regions&id=18. A current project that focuses on women's economic development is Aymara Women and Girls in Bolivia.
Plenty International. (n.d.). Retrieved March 12, 2007, from http://www.plenty.org/
Summary: Plenty International is a nonprofit organization that was founded in 1974 out of a cooperative settlement in Tennessee called The Farm. There are four regional offices in addition to the Tennessee main office: West Coast, Austin, Florida, and Belize. While originally Plenty offered food donations to communities in need and disaster relief assistance, today the organization provides poverty relief and sustainable economic and social development assistance worldwide.
Detailed Description: Content on the Plenty website falls under three broad categories: organizational information, project details, and ways to contribute to and contact the organization. The website contains much information and is clearly written, though the navigation is confusing as the links available vary between pages. The site is small, so maneuvering through it is not difficult.
Information about Plenty International is on the About Us and Plenty History pages. The Austin office has its own website, with contact information and descriptions of their programs in Belize, Dominica, Guatemala, Liberia, and Nicaragua. The Belize office has its own page on the Plenty site, also with contact and project information.
Details on current projects run by Plenty International are on the Projects page. One project focusing on women's economic development involves assisting Soynica, a soy-products factory run by a women's association in Nicaragua. A similar program involves a women's cooperative in Guatemala and is administered through Plenty's Austin office. Information on past Plenty projects is in the archive of Plenty Bulletins.
A variety of ways to become involved with and contact Plenty are also provided on the website. The Volunteering pages detail available opportunities, and donation instructions are provided on the Make a Donation page. Plenty runs an electronic mailing list; electronic and postal contact information are available on the Contact Us page.
Pro Mujer - Giving Women Credit. (n.d.). Retrieved March 13, 2007, from http://www.promujer.org/
Summary: Pro Mujer was founded in 1990 and is an organization providing small business loans to women with small businesses or women desiring a small business. Pro Mujer offers business and microfinance training, personal and health education to its small business owners. By providing women with small loans it allows them flexibility in growth they would otherwise be lacking. Pro Mujer has offices in five Latin American countries: Bolivia, Nicaragua, Peru, Mexico and Argentina.
Detailed Description: The main page of Pro Mujer has seven main options: About Pro Mujer, Country Programs, Meet Our Clients, Links, Get Involved, You Can Help and News. The main page also has a direct link for donations to the organization and recent news articles.
Of particular note is the link for About Pro Mujer which offers a detailed mission statement, available training, education and an example of a businesswoman from Nicaragua. From About Pro Mujer Credit and Training Services link describes the mandatory training program for business and health.
Pro Mujer discovered early in its formation that women would neglect their health, which resulted in lack of production leading to business failure. Thus, health training is mandatory and health services are linked through their loans. Personal stories of successful clients are located under Meet Our Clients.
This page has excellent information, offers a multilingual approach (Spanish or English option) and is professionally organized and easy to navigate. This organization has in-depth information regarding loans and programs available.
Women's Edge Coalition. (n.d.). Retrieved March 13, 2007, from http://www.womensedge.org/
Summary: Women's Edge Coalition (Edge) is a nonprofit activist organization based in Washington, D.C., that was founded in 1998. Edge's mission is to encourage international economic development that safeguards human rights and reduces women's poverty. By informing and lobbying the U.S. government on development issues and organizing individuals across the U.S. to promote their agenda, Edge advocates for impoverished women around the world.
Detailed Description: Edge is primarily an activist group, thus the majority of space on their website is devoted to encouraging involvement in the organization. The website is well-designed and pages are linked from multiple locations on the site. Edge's history, mission, staff, and financial information can be found in the About Us section. Also available in the About Us area are Edge's publications, which include annual reports and issues guides.
Three areas of the website provide avenues for participation. The Get Involved and Membership sections include a sign-up form for individual members, who receive email action alerts on pertinent issues, links to letter-writing samples, and an Events calendar. Volunteer and job opportunities can also be accessed from Get Involved. Member Organizations are listed in the Membership section. The Donate area allows online donations, and provides information on different types of donations as well as financial information.
Content on the Edge website is in three sections: Programs, Resources, and Press Room. The main programs underway at Edge are International Assistance and Global Trade, both of which are relevant to women's economic development worldwide. The Resources area contains links to Policy Resources and the Library, which both lead to the Edge's Knowledgebase, a list of documents available on the site. The Press Room offers press releases, news, and media coverage.
Women's Environment & Development Organization. (2005). Retrieved March 13, 2007, from http://www.wedo.org/
Summary: Women's Environment & Development Organization (WEDO) is an international nonprofit organization founded in 1990. The organization's primary goals are to: promote women's involvement in local, national, and global politics; encourage a global economic system that incorporates poverty relief, human rights, and equality of women; and foster global cooperation in achieving these goals.
Detailed Description: WEDO's website is well-designed and information-rich. Information about the organization, its history, employment opportunities, and contact details is available in the About Us section. Donations are accepted online. WEDO also publishes a monthly email newsletter.
Information on WEDO's four main program areas – Gender and Governance, Sustainable Development, Economic and Social Justice, and U.S. Global Policy – is available in the Program Areas section of the website. These areas are linked both from the top navigation bar and a sidebar at the right of each page, very easily accessible. Information relevant to the development of women's cooperatives can be found in the Sustainable Development and Economic and Social Justice program areas.
The Campaigns page details WEDO's efforts and activities in partnership with other women's groups around the world. The WEDO at the UN section of the website presents information on the organization's involvement with relevant committees at the United Nations. News about WEDO and press releases can be viewed from the Press Room page.
WEDO's Library is the central access point content on the website. The Library may be browsed by type of document: Newsletter Archive, Publications, Advocacy Tools, UN Conference Process Documents, Photo Gallery, and Multimedia. Content may also be browsed by subject area from the list provided in the sidebar. Subjects that may be of interest include Economic and Social Justice, Poverty Eradication, Sustainable Development, and Trade.
Women for Women International. (n.d.). Retrieved March 13, 2007, from http://www.womenforwomen.org/
Summary: Women for Women International was founded in 1993 to help women become stable and self-sufficient in war-torn regions. Women for Women International was the first women's organization to receive the 2006 Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize for $1.5 million. Women for Women International is based out of Los Angeles, California, and assists over 30,000 women daily in 10 countries.
Detailed Description: The Women for Women International main page has a Breaking News bulletin with information on International Women's Day and published articles relating to the corporation. The main page has four options for links: Sponsor, Donate, Programs and Get Involved.
Of special note is the Programs link which leads to Our Programs. Our Programs details how the program was designed to link women together across the globe and provide hope to the women who have survived the war but need stability in their life. Women for Women International's goal is to bring these women skills, confidence, income and business knowledge to overcome their situations. The video link on Our Programs page is particularly insightful and moving with discussion from the country leaders and women involved in the program.
In Our Programs under the link Where We Work leads to the countries where the corporation is involved, including Colombia. Selecting Colombia leads to five options: Fact Sheet, Status of Women, Chapter History and Accomplishment, Stories from the Front, and Program Updates. History of Colombian conflict is included with facts of displacement statistics under the Fact Sheet link. Status of Women in Colombia discusses human rights treaties versus actual treatment of women, displacement as a result of war and challenges facing women working against oppression.
This site is very easy to navigate and contains a wealth of information. All of the pages and links lead to English only text and the video shown is in English as well.
Women's World Banking. (n.d.). Retrieved March 13, 2007, from http://www.swwb.org/
Summary: Women's World Banking (WWB) is an international nonprofit organization founded in 1976. Its mission is to enable women's poverty relief by providing economic development assistance. WWB both funds and partners with microfinance institutions around the world that dispense small loans to women to facilitate entrepreneurship. WWB also maintains a network of financial advisors who provide expert financial advice to women small business owners.
Detailed Description: While the WWB website is not large, much useful information is available. An interactive world map on the right side of the home page facilitates searching for WWB affiliates and members. The About WWB section contains information on the mission and history of WWB, as well as links to the organization's financial statements.
The How We Work section of the WWB website describes the process of microfinance, how loans are made to women entrepreneurs. The types of institutions that WWB funds and partners with are described, and affiliates and associates listed by country, on the WWB Network page. WWB is supported by donations; information on donating to WWB is located in the Get Involved section of the website. Employment opportunities and contact information are also available in Get Involved.
Additional information on WWB can be found in the News & Events and Publications areas of the site. Press releases, media coverage and an events calendar are featured in the News & Events section. The WWB email newsletter is archived in Publications, as are a variety of factsheets, briefs, case studies, and other writings documenting WWB's global programs.
A listing of WWB affiliates and members located in Latin America can be found using the interactive map linked from the home page. In addition, several publications of relevance to Latin America are available in the Publications section of the website.
A Sample of Women's Cooperatives in Latin America
Artcamp - Artesanas Campesinas. (n.d.). Retrieved March 11, 2007, from http://www.artcamp.com.mx/
Summary: This cooperative was created to support the women artists and families of the towns of Taxco and Tecalpulco, Mexico. The artists design, manufacture and sell the jewelry. This page has extensive links on the left side of the page to information regarding the cooperative; About Us, Artcamp Projects, Artcamp Awards and Recognition, Taxco, Tecalpulco, Wetback Wives, Webmaestras, Special Links. Of special interest is the About Us link which directs to an index of cooperative specific links.
Detailed Description: The main page is a brief history of the cooperative. The main page also includes ordering information of the jewelry and other cooperatives Artcamp supports.
The most relevant link for the cooperative is the About Us link located on the left side of the main page. This link leads to extensive information about the cooperative including profiles of the artists, the women involved in the cooperative, mission statement, testimonials, media, pictures of us, letters from us, 2004 International Federation of Alternative Trade (IFAT) Autoevaluation and contact information.
The About Us - History is completely bilingual with English and Spanish translations side-by-side. The women in the cooperative are from the country villages near Taxco, in particular Tecalpulco. The legally established title of the cooperative is Artcamp SC de RL and the cooperative has seven committees, for example, the Education Committee.
This group is very informative and open about their lives as women in rural Mexico and the entire site has a very personal approach. This site does not appear to be professionally organized and could benefit from reorganization but overall the quantity and quality of information is impressive, if somewhat difficult to navigate.
Chiapas Women's Cooperative. (1998). Retrieved March 11, 2007, from http://www.dghonline.org/nl16/chiapas.html
Summary: This is a single page which is a part of a larger organization, Doctors for Global Health. The page is divided into two sections; one half of the page discusses the Chiapas Women's Cooperative and their work with Doctors for Global Health. The second half of the page is an extensive history of the Chiapas area and its citizens.
Detailed Description: The right side of the page, in turquoise, is the detailed history of Chiapas. Chiapas is the "southernmost state of Mexico" and is one of the poorest states within the country. The history section begins in 1545 C.E. with Spanish and Guatemalan rule, Chiapas annexation to Mexico and continues through with present-day statistics of current population.
The left side of the page discusses Doctors for Global Health and their work with the cooperative. This information goes over the lack of women's rights in Chiapas, housing and community issues. Doctors for Global Health is mainly interested in helping with "community health work," but provides the women's cooperative with ideas and methods of bettering their family and lives. This page is informative for how brief it is but shows a biased view of the community beliefs and is told from an outsider's perspective.
The partner links at the bottom of the page direct back to the Doctors for Global Health main page with a journal of a health care worker and the time spent in the Chiapas area.
COOPA-ROCA. (n.d.). Retrieved March 10, 2007, from http://www.coopa-roca.org.br/en/index_en.html
Summary: COOPA ROCA, Rocinha Seamstress and Craftwork Co-operative Ltd., was created to benefit women working from home in Rio de Janeiro. The textiles and craftwork produced by the women give the women financial income and improve their quality of life. COOPA ROCA members are able to work at home, still caring for their family and providing additional income.
There are approximately 150 current members and the exceptional work of the COOPA ROCA members has reached the fashion world appearing in fashion shows, exhibitions and retail. The main index page is separated into six categories: Events, Commercial Partners, Challenges, Media, Contact and Acknowledgements. All pages are in English and all information provided is in English.
Detailed Description: The main page of the COOPA ROCA website provides a detailed description of the cooperative's history established in 1981 and morphing from a children's project utilizing recycled goods. Events provides a brief history of past events and the types of events the cooperative has been involved in. The Commercial Partners lists a brief history of how the partnerships were formed and has three links within this category to fashion, design and art and the upper right-hand side of the page.
The fashion link provides photography of textiles shown in fashion shows along with information about particular designers showing; the link for design has two pictures of decorations for sale with the designer's names; the art link has two pictures, one of an art piece on display and the location, the second picture of an art ceiling installation.
The third category Challenges is a brief paragraph which mentions the difficulties in establishing a professional atmosphere with the sales market and lists a step-by-step approach to overcome these difficulties. Within the Challenges page are three links; women, girls, and new headquarters - each link highlighting the difficulties faced by each heading.
The link for Media lists two published magazine articles. The Contact heading directs to Maria Teresa Leal and also lists the awards she has received for social work, COOPA ROCA and educational background. The Acknowledgements lists all "friends, partners, professionals" who have in some way helped COOPA ROCA.
The Fair Trade Zone - A Women's Sewing Cooperative. (n.d.). Retrieved March 12, 2007, from http://www.fairtradezone.jhc-cdca.org/
Summary: The Fair Trade Zone was incorporated as a cooperative in March, 2001, officially named Cooperative Maquiladora Mujeres de Nueva Vida Internacional ("Women's International Sewing Cooperative of Nueva Vida"). The cooperative was formed as a result of Hurricane Mitch in 1998 and to help combat unemployment in an overpopulated and unemployed Managua, Nicaragua.
Detailed Description: The main page is brief two page paragraph regarding the cooperative with a downloadable brochure available. At the bottom of the main page are News Notes which include published reports about the cooperative and latest information regarding sales figures and building projects.
The left side of the main page has 12 links: Home, Our Story, Free Trade Zone, Fair Trade Zone, Worker Co-ops, Our Co-op, Labor Practices, Members, Spinning Plant, Order Info, Contact and Links. Of special notice is the Our Story link. The link directs to an extensive history of the Nicaraguan area: the Center for Development in Central America pushing for more employment which lead to the formation of the cooperative, the cooperative working steadily (without pay) for two years to construct the building, learning how to sew, "ups and downs" of business, finding "steady work" through a two part grant (1st: buying raw materials, 2nd: cooperative certification) and the future of the cooperative.
This site is extremely informative, very easy to navigate and up-to-date in information. The main site is entirely in English but there is an option to switch to a Spanish version. Groups considering entering into a cooperative should model and organize sites after this well planned and executed site.
Proyecto El Cóndor - Association of Pulingui San Pablo. (n.d.). Retrieved March 12, 2007, from
http://www.interconnection.org/condor/english_/proyects/mujeres_.html
Summary: This is an outline for a women's cooperative in San Pablo, Ecuador. The cooperative began in June, 1997 and the main page discusses goals, strategies, training sessions, achievements, and problems. The Association of Pulingui San Pablo is part of a larger association - Proyecto El Cóndor which supports Latin American health, education, ecology, animals, and tourism.
Detailed Description: The main page for the Association describes the necessity for such an organization due to the history of men leaving San Pablo for work and children leaving for education with only the women to care for the flocks of sheep. The Association is a proposal from these women and the main page describes the tasks they hope to accomplish through a cooperative effort of producing woven material.
The women acknowledge a three part process to achieve this goal: technical training; socio-organizational; and accounting and administration. By working together the women hope to improve their productivity, equality, and self confidence. The bottom of the main page lists achievements and problems.
The links on the right side of the page direct to Ecuadorian geographic information, social political information and statistics. The News links to an interview with a leader of the Pulingui San Pablo community.
Nearly all of the information for the page is in English - only one link to a document is in Spanish with no English translation. The main page is a very good example of what happens at the beginning of a cooperative's organizational efforts. Additional information about the cooperative's resale efforts is found with some difficult navigation. Through the main Proyecto El Cóndor page, using the Other Links directs to a new option for Women which provides information regarding sale of woven goods (within their community and to tourists), pricing of goods and future opportunities.
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