From September 10 to 13, 2024, Paolo Gallizioli, Director of the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) in San Salvador, undertook a mission to Honduras. The visit focused on various activities related to the UN Women initiative “MELyT II: Economic Empowerment of Women in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras.”
A full schedule of meetings with local and regional stakeholders provided insights into the progress and outcomes achieved on gender and entrepreneurship issues under the MELyT initiative. Additionally, the mission offered the opportunity to deepen understanding of savings and loan services, as well as rural credit cooperatives available to women in the Trifinio Region, the area shared by El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, where the project is concentrated. These services help improve women’s financial independence and support their small businesses in agriculture, tourism, and gastronomy.
The mission’s central event was the inauguration of the Women’s Associative Technology Center (CETAM) at the Comprehensive Women’s Center in the Municipality of Sinuapa, Ocotepeque. This new center complements the one opened in April in Chiquimula, Guatemala, under the same initiative. Designed for women’s digital training, the center is equipped with 15 workstations featuring computers and internet access. Honduran Deputy Minister Cindy Rodríguez attended the ceremony, emphasizing her government’s commitment to reducing the gender gap and improving women’s access to technology. She also expressed gratitude to Italy for its collaboration through the MELyT initiative, which is supported by a €3.5 million grant.
Director Paolo Gallizioli highlighted the importance of continuing to support women’s businesses and economic activities, aiming to reduce gender-based violence and promote women’s economic independence and success in the labor market.
