Namaste Direct & Fundación Namaste Guatemaya

We are a nonprofit organization that is laser-focused on economically empowering women entrepreneurs in Guatemala to grow profitable businesses, achieve financial security, pursue their dreams, and break generational cycles of poverty. Why? There is an overwhelming correlation between poverty and gender inequality. 60% of the population in Guatemala lives in poverty and the country has the one of the highest rates of violent deaths for women in the world. There are very few traditional employment opportunities in Guatemala, especially for women. Over 70% of working women are self-employed in the informal workforce, out of necessity. The average education level for women entrepreneurs over the age of 40 is 4th grade, and they typically lack financial literacy, business training, and fair access to capital, all of which makes running a profitable business exceedingly difficult. Namaste exists to equip these women with the skills and resources to thrive as entrepreneurs, achieve financial security, and pursue their dreams. Since Namaste was formally established in Guatemala in 2008, over 5,000 women have graduated from our signature Creating Prosperity Program (CPP). The CPP combines business advising, financial literacy training, customized microloans, and savings clubs to help women entrepreneurs formalize their business models, manage their finances, and dramatically increase their profits. On average, women double their profits in our program, and establish sustainable habits to keep earning more throughout their lives. When women have access to the resources to make and manage their money, they gain agency over their lives and shatter toxic gender dynamics. Women also invest their profits into in the well-being of their families, strengthen their communities, and make an immense contribution to the economy.