Congratulations To The First Pro Mujer Class of 2013!

By Yesenia Diaz, Communications Coordinator, Pro Mujer in Mexico

Over the past five years, Pro Mujer in Mexico has offered free computer training to our clients and their families as part of the financial, health and human development services we provide. This computer course helps clients grow their businesses, and includes a suite of courses, including the use of products generously donated by Microsoft, a longtime Pro Mujer partner. Training modules include Word, Excel 1, Excel 2, PowerPoint, Internet 1, Internet 2, Publisher, Movie Maker and Access, among others.

A Pro Mujer credit officer (standing in red shirt) leads a computer training course for clients and their children

The culmination of this training is a formal graduation ceremony complete with certificates recognizing their efforts, time and dedication; attendance by clients’ families and friends, Pro Mujer employees, including course instructors and credit officers; music, dancing and of course – a celebratory cake.

In 2012, we graduated 220 clients in the first graduation ceremony of this kind. Demand for the training course was so high that we had to divide the course into two so that we can now graduate two classes in one year.

The first ceremony of this year took place last month and we graduated 188 clients! Among the class of 2013 were clients from centers in Xochimilco, Teoloyucan, Pachuca, Tizayuca and Ocotlan and by the end of the year, we expect to duplicate that figure.

Proud graduates from our Xochimilco center show off their computer training certificates.

Congratulations to the graduating class of 2013 for their efforts, dedication and perseverance!

Microsoft Shows its Support for Latin American Women By Donating US$2.3 Millon in Software Licenses to Pro Mujer on International Women’s Day

To mark International Women’s Day and as part of its responsibilities as a signatory of the United Nations’ Global Compact, Microsoft reaffirmed its commitment to communities, young people and, especially, Latin American women by donating software licenses to Pro Mujer worth an estimated value of US $2.3 million.

As a result of this donation, we will be able to increase the number of women we reach from 270,000 to 328,000 in impoverished communities in Argentina, Bolivia, Mexico, Nicaragua and Peru, including 56,000 young microentrepreneurs between the ages of 18 and 24. In addition, approximately 1.3 million of our client’s children and family members will also be reached by December 2013.

Clients and their children participate in a computer training course using Microsoft products at a Pro Mujer center in Mexico.

In making the announcement, Rosario Pérez, President and Chief Executive Officer of Pro Mujer International, said, “Having accurate and timely information is something which is of vital importance for Pro Mujer, as it allows us to adapt to the needs and desires of our clients. The software donated by Microsoft will help us strengthen the efficiency of our 1,900 employees. This means improved implementation for our programs which help the courageous and hard-working women whom we serve. With solid partners like Microsoft, we will continue advancing our mission to provide the necessary tools that women entrepreneurs need to transform their lives and that of their families.”

Since 2006, Pro Mujer and Microsoft have been working together to offer women entrepreneurs from impoverished communities the opportunity to access and make use of technology through Office training courses and free Internet access. Furthermore, the children of these small business owners receive IT classes, which help them improve their mathematical, reading and scientific reasoning skills, thus enabling the entire family to grow.

A joint Microsoft/Pro Mujer ad from a 2008 initiative in Mexico.

Araceli García Valdez, a graduate from one of Pro Mujer’s 13 technology centers in Mexico, had the following to say: “I came to Pro Mujer to look for support, and I not only found it in terms of the economic support they offered me, but also in terms of vocational training and IT courses that opened up the doors to a variety of new paths to me. In addition, it helped me bridge the technological divide for my children”.

Hernán Rincón, President of Microsoft for Latin America added, “When women realize their potential to be agents of changes, it does not take long for the benefits to be seen: families become healthier, and their income and savings also increase. What is true for a family is true for communities and, in the long-term, for entire countries. We work with Pro Mujer because it has always been our priority to support initiatives which promote the inclusion and development of Latin American women”.

For more information about Social Responsibility at Microsoft Latin America, please click here. Thank you Microsoft!

 

 

 

 

Bridging the Opportunity Divide One Computer at a Time

By Tania Calderon, Marketing Manager, Pro Mujer in Mexico

In October of 2007 Pro Mujer in Mexico opened six computer centers in the communities of Tecámac, Tultepec, Tizayuca, Tula, Puebla and Mixquiahuala. Four and a half years later, we have more than doubled this number and we now run 13 centers in Teoloyucan, Pachuca, Xalapa, Apaseo, Ocotlán, Teotihuacán and Xochimilco.

Most recently, Pro Mujer in Mexico honored 219 clients with a special graduation ceremony attended by their family and friends to celebrate their hard work.

 Proud graduates from our Tultepec center

 These centers, made possible with the generous support of Microsoft, offer clients free access to computers and courses in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Publisher and how to navigate the Internet. As a result of these courses, many clients have acquired the tools to manage and promote their businesses more efficiently.

Being more computer-savvy has also helped them to get closer to their children. Araceli Garcia Valdez, a graduate from the Tula computer center explains:

“I came to Pro Mujer looking for support and I found not only economic support, but I also found occupational training and computer courses, which opened the door to a wide breadth of knowledge. They helped me to bridge the technology gap between me and my children.”

Currently, these computer centers serve more than 1,000 clients and their family members and we expect to graduate even more clients this year.

A Pro Mujer credit officer leads a computer training class comprised of clients and their children in our Tecámac center.

Microsoft has been a Pro Mujer partner since 2006. In addition to Mexico, Microsoft has provided in-kind donations and grants to Pro Mujer in Argentina, Bolivia, Nicaragua and Peru.