Call for Sovereign Rural Woman’s Organizations in Colombia

Deadline: 05-Apr-24

The Fondo Mujer has announced applications for Sovereign Rural Woman’s Organizations in Colombia to select organizations owned and led by rural women that will be beneficiaries of the Sovereign Rural Women route, to enhance economic autonomy processes led by rural women.

Particularly, the Sovereign Rural Woman route seeks to enhance the processes of autonomy and economic empowerment led by rural women who are the driving force of development and/or well-being in their communities by contributing to closing gaps and strengthening the productive and commercial capacities of their organizations.

In this context, the FONDO MUJER is a public policy instrument designed to positively influence the economic autonomy of women by reducing the gaps they face in the consolidation and/or growth of their businesses. Its main mission lies in designing and implementing financial and non-financial actions and instruments aimed at supporting and financing projects and initiatives that promote autonomy, economic empowerment and the dignification of the work of women in Colombia, through entrepreneurship, formalization and business strengthening in conditions of environmental sustainability, adaptation to climate change and considering the economic and social dynamics of the regions, with the purpose of contributing to closing gender gaps.

Benefits

Improve the productive, commercial, administrative, associative, and financial capacities of the organization and the skills of the rural women who lead it, through technical assistance and close accompaniment.
Expand knowledge and also the organization’s support and cooperation network by participating in knowledge exchange spaces with other organizations, leaders, experts, among others.
Produce more and/or more competitively by accessing machinery, equipment, technological packages, among other productive assets, worth up to $70 million pesos per organization.
Improve the possibilities of connecting with clients.

Duration

The duration of the intervention will vary according to the results of the diagnosis and the strengthening actions identified for each beneficiary rural women’s organization. In any case, it will not exceed ten (10) months.

Eligibility Criteria

To be a beneficiary of this call, the applicant organization must meet the mandatory requirements:
- Be an organization owned and led mostly by rural women.
  - In the case of organizations that are NOT formally constituted:
    - The majority of the associated people, that is, more than 50%, must be rural women. Fondo Mujer will assume ONE HUNDRED PERCENT (100%) of the total value of the route for each of the rural women’s organizations that are selected. Additionally, the majority of positions or roles at the management level, that is, those whose functions are related to the strategic direction of the organization, are occupied by rural women.
  - In the case of formally constituted organizations:
    - The majority of the associated persons, that is, more than 50%, must be rural women and the shareholding has corresponded to them for at least the last year prior to the closing date of this call. Additionally, at least 50% of the jobs, positions or roles at the management level must be held by rural women. These positions can be: president, general manager or legal representative; or more than 50% of the members of the highest decision-making body are rural women.
- Have a minimum of five (5) associated rural women.
- Have had sales for more than one (1) year, counted from the opening date of this call.
- Add value and/or transform raw materials (for example, ferment, dry cocoa beans or transforms them into table chocolate).
- Be located in one of these departments: Magdalena, Bolívar, Sucre, Córdoba, Cesar, Norte de Santander, Santander, Arauca, Casanare, Meta, Cundinamarca, Tolima, Huila, Caldas or Risaralda.