Recently, nine new women approached the ESPERA network, Red de Mujeres Nicarahualt, and asked to be included in the ESPERA program. These women belong to a village named Nindiri Masaya in Nicaragua. 

The women had seen the success of ESPERA participants in the nearby communities that make up the Nindiri region. In particular they had witnessed two collectives, named "Delicias de Mi Tierra," and "Sol de Vida, Pan de Vida," whose businesses were seeing strong returns on investment. After hearing about the women's experience with ESPERA, the women of Nindiri Masaya wanted to be involved. 

The local ESPERA coordinator, Auxiliadora Salgado, recently met with the group to explain the requirements of being in the ESPERA program, as well as the process for initiating their participation. Continue reading here. 

ESPERA Women Learn Recordkeeping Skills to Improve their Businesses

Auxiliadora also shared with us updates of her recordkeeping training. Auxiliadora has a university degree in accounting and, over the last few months, she has been traveling to the groups that compose the Red de Mujeres Nicarahualt to train the women on how to keep good records. She is helping the women understand how to track the cost of parts and labor, so they can adequately price their products. She is also teaching them how to keep records of their cash flow, what they produce, and what they sell.  

While some women admit this is a tedious process, others have said that keeping good records has improved the success of their businesses. Continue reading here.