AID cooperative agreement no. OTR-0158-A-00-9113-00 to Accion International to increase income and employment opportunities among the poor in four countries in Latin America through expanded access to credit in secondary cities and towns

These affiliates are PRODEM in Bolivia, AVANCE in Costa Rica, the Ecuadorean Development Foundation and the Eugenio Espejo Foundation in Ecuador, and FUNTEC and FUNDAP in Guatemala. ACCION will: (1) develop training materials to prepare for and accomodate credit access in secondary towns and rural areas; (2) experiment with new approaches to microenterprise development and share these experiences with the broader development community; (3) professionalize efficient methods throughout the program; and (4) train ACCION field staff to assist in credit expansion, especially for poor and female microentrepreneurs. The project is expected to benefit 33,600 people (half of them women) directly, 225,600 people indirectly, and to create or strengthen 53,493 jobs. Two additional ACCION field personnel will be hired.