Mujeres Emprenden completes a year of promoting entrepreneurship in Cartagena, Colombia, with 160 women advancing towards economic autonomy

The Mujeres Emprenden project comes to a close after a year of work in Cartagena, promoting entrepreneurship and empowerment with 160 women participants.

Almost one in three participants was a migrant, mainly from Venezuela, who accessed technical training and support in a safe environment.

With a firm commitment to real equality, Mujeres Emprenden has facilitated new opportunities for young women in Cartagena, especially migrants, providing them with training, guidance, and support to develop their own projects, achieve social and labor integration, and strengthen their autonomy. In addition, the project fostered collaboration between public entities, social organizations, and local leaders, generating a network that strengthens women’s entrepreneurship and community impact.

This effort, led by Jovesólides Colombia in partnership with Jovesólides Spain and Conviventia, and funded by the Generalitat Valenciana through the First Vice-Presidency and Department of Social Services, Equality and Housing, officially concluded on May 20th with the event “Women Empower and Undertake,” a space for reflection and celebration of the achievements made.

A year building economic autonomy for women in Cartagena, Colombia

The Mujeres Emprenden initiative arose in response to the multiple structural inequalities faced by women in Cartagena. Through a participatory, innovative, and gender-focused methodology, Mujeres Emprenden aimed centrally to strengthen the entrepreneurial capacities and personal empowerment of women heads of households, impacting not only their individual lives but also those of their families.

Thanks to the collaboration between public and social entities and the support of international cooperation, this initiative was implemented over the course of a year in a context marked by economic challenges, high female unemployment, and precarious community support systems. According to the National Administrative Department of Statistics (DANE), in the first quarter of 2024, the female unemployment rate in Cartagena was 18.4%, while the male rate was 7.5%, making Cartagena the city with the highest unemployment rate among women.

Throughout its implementation, the project offered a training plan composed of workshops in entrepreneurial skills, leadership, digital marketing, financial literacy, and personal coaching.

Mujeres Emprenden boosts the skills and empowerment of 160 participating women

Entrepreneurship training with real impact in the lives of young and migrant women

The impact of Mujeres Emprenden was both quantitative and qualitative. Over the course of the project, 160 women participated in the Training Labs, of whom 138 successfully completed their training and received certification at the closing event. 30% of the participants were migrant women, mostly from Venezuela, who found in this initiative not only tools to become entrepreneurs but also a welcoming space, active listening, and real opportunities to build a project with their own identity.

The workshops, held at four different venues—Unbound, Unicolombo, Conviventia, and Pasacaballos—brought training closer to different neighborhoods and addressed the participants’ needs.

Additionally, 30 women with businesses already operating participated in a personalized coaching process, which allowed them to strengthen their business models, define sustainability strategies, and work on the growth of their brands.

These figures are more than just statistics: they are evidence of the transformative potential women have when given the right conditions to put their ideas into action.

According to the follow-up results, the process had a profound personal impact: many strengthened their self-esteem, autonomy, and ability to make decisions for their well-being and that of their families.

Participants of Mujeres Emprenden during a practical training session

The closing event “Women Empower and Undertake” brings together voices, experiences, and proposals

The “Women Empower and Undertake” event was a meeting space for participants, institutional allies, and the general public.

The event brought together dozens of women participants, mentors, and representatives of partner organizations in an atmosphere of celebration and shared learning. Throughout the day, inspiring testimonies were heard, the program’s impact was presented, and a space for exchange was created to identify challenges, proposals, and new pathways for women’s entrepreneurship in the city.

During the event, experiences were shared, success stories were highlighted, and collective proposals were built to continue promoting women’s leadership at the local level. “Today I can say that I have my own voice and a business that is mine,” said Janis Arrieta, one of the project’s participants, who managed to consolidate her food venture.

The Mujeres Emprenden project closes with the conviction that investing in women is planting the seeds of development for the whole community. The initiative demonstrated that boosting leadership and entrepreneurial capacities among women in contexts of social exclusion not only improves their living conditions but also generates sustainable transformations in their families and communities.

Mujeres Emprenden is a project coordinated by Jovesólides Spain together with its local partner Jovesólides Colombia and Conviventia, and funded by the Generalitat Valenciana through the First Vice-Presidency and Department of Social Services, Equality and Housing.