After the severe crisis caused by the earthquake that hit Ecuador in 2016, the women of the Macará community did not lose heart and, thanks to the support of the Sunrise project, they started and learned to manage some productive activities , including a community chicken farm. The beginning was not easy, then, after the first period of work, the arrival of the pandemic brought a collapse in sales. Now that a slow reopening and economic recovery can be seen on the horizon, the women, thanks to the support of the project, have analyzed the causes of the drop in sales and have thought of new strategies to expand their catchment area. Thanks to a refrigerator and a slicer, purchased with the reciprocity fund, and the idea of starting to cook local dishes based on chicken and pork, they can now preserve and offer more formats and solutions for different needs. The Sunrise project in Ecuador for the women of Macará has not only meant a great opportunity to make an economic contribution to family budgets, but above all it has meant greater personal autonomy and increased self-esteem. In addition, 20% of the profits from the businesses run by these women are saved and so far this capital has been used to make several innovations for the Town Hall. Now there is access to electricity and a new protective wall that will allow, soon, to set up a computer room for the children of the entire community with the joint contribution that AMU and AFN are giving for the installation of computers and Internet access. Thanks to the support and accompaniment of the Ecuador Sunrise + Project, the women’s community of Macará is not only a community of entrepreneurs of the future, but a group that is the protagonist of its present and of the change that is taking place.
Ecuador, with “Sunrise +” women are entrepreneurs of the future
The women of Macará continue, despite the difficulties, to carry out the activities started by the social and economic reconstruction project born in Ecuador following the earthquake.
