Guatemala: Strengthening the business skills and employability of informal entrepreneurs at the Ciudad Pedro de Alvarado Border
Información general
Resumen
Within the framework of the border modernization process in Central America, this project seeks to generate economic opportunities and promote productive and decent work mainly for informal and unemployed workers and people involved in menial economic activities located at the Guatemalan border in Ciudad Pedro de Alvarado.
In the pilot phase, the project will seek to address institutional weaknesses and deficiencies hindering informal entrepreneurs advancement in education and in the labor market through skills development, access to micro-finance and employment promotion.
In the second phase, the project will seek to develop profitable businesses with groups of beneficiaries who acquired relevant skills in sectors with potential for domestic and export sales. In parallel, the project will continue to enhance Ciudad Pedro de Alvarado’s position to attract investments building on the new brand developed during the pilot phase.
Doing so, the project is expected to i) enable informal entrepreneurs to reduce their level of dependency on income derived from border activities and their presence in the primary border areas devoted to border control and inspection functions and to ii) reduce the propensity of border communities to migrate thanks to the new economic opportunities in border areas.
Receptores
Asociados
ITC Trust Fund Window 1 - BDF (Belgium, Canada, China, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland)
Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible
We work in Guatemalan communities along the border with El Salvador, in the town of Ciudad Pedro de Alvarado, part of Moyuta municipality. These communities face economic hardship and rely on border traffic for income. When CRECER began in 2018, we provided vocational training to over 300 people to encourage them to start small businesses and give them more skills to find work. We also helped move informal businesses in the customs zone so that they could modernize their operations.
In its second phase, we’re focussing on attracting investment and, creating sustainable economic opportunities. With advice from our team, 35 people – mostly women – are forming a joint business to make textiles for export. By working with environmentally sustainable practices, they are creating products that are growing their incomes with their enhanced skills.
ITC contracted Deloitte to create sector investment profiles to promote investments in the Ciudad Pedro de Alvarado border area. Download the attached documents to learn more about it.
