Alta verapaz in guatemala was one of the regions HIT hardest by hurricanes ETA and iota which made its existing issues with extreme poverty and hunger worse

Yet community savings and loan groups offered a safety net to women when they needed IT the most even as these groups faced mounting challenges from the global pandemic and extreme weather. The IAF supports community-led approaches to expand economic opportunity. Our grantee partner instituto DE ensenanza para EL desarrollo sostenible (iepades) fosters women's economic empowerment through its community savings and loan program in SAN juan chamelco and SAN pedro carcha alta verapaz. IT equips local leaders to manage the groups in the long term and strengthens local networks for financial and commercial inclusion promoting a culture of savings and credit for women's economic initiatives and encouraging local production and consumption. This grant is part of the IAF's women investing in growth and security (wings) initiative to empower women as business and community leaders and part of the IAF's broader ETA/iota response strategy and efforts to address the root causes of irregular migration in central america. Amendment FY24: this amendment grants iepades an additional two years and $352,177 to enhance indigenous women's financial inclusion in alta verapaz, enable them to participate in local economic initiatives, and empower them to become leaders in their respective communities. Iepades is also expanding its financial inclusion methodology, savings for change (SFC), to the municipality of cobán and to more communities in the municipality of SAN pedro carcha. As part of the amendment, iepades is mobilizing an extra $423,904 in counterpart resources to the grant agreement.