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Credits Photo: Presidency of the Republic of Costa Rica Developed by the Ministry of Communication Gobierno del Bicentenario
Published on February 18, 2021

Open Call To Finance Women's Ventures In The Central Canton Of Limón


  • From this February 16 to March 5, entrepreneurs and businesswomen from Limón will be able to compete for funds ranging from $5,000 to $10,000.
  • Led by the United Nations in Costa Rica and IMAS, the proposal aims to finance business ideas or socio-productive initiatives, to contribute to the empowerment and economic autonomy of women.  
  • Framed within the Mesa Caribe and the Gender Parity Initiative, the project will provide opportunities to dozens of women from the central canton of Limón. 

 

In order to promote the empowerment and economic autonomy of women through environmentally sustainable activities, the United Nations (UN) in Costa Rica and the Mixed Institute for Social Assistance (IMAS) announced on Tuesday the call to finance business ideas or socio-productive initiatives of women in the central canton of Limón.

It is about the launch of the Joint Program, Strengthening the National Bridge to Development Strategy, which aims to support and accelerate the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) in Costa Rica. 

The competition for non-reimbursable seed capital funds - ranging from $5,000 to $10,000 per initiative - is aimed at financing projects of entrepreneurs from Limón that respond to the principles of environmental sustainability, gender equality and empowerment.

The initiative also aims to strengthen the inter-institutional articulation of the country's social protection system to contribute to the generation of opportunities for women living in poverty or socioeconomic vulnerability.

When announcing the call, the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Costa Rica, Allegra Baiocchi, stated that “the Joint Program is a valuable tool to accelerate the fulfillment of the SDGs in Costa Rica, focused on the transformative role of women and recognizing the diversity of the realities and needs of people from different regions of the country”. 

“A woman, and even more an empowered woman, is a transformative force that can truly change and lead to sustainable development in communities. This call for financing of socio-productive initiatives is an opportunity to support development in the canton of Limón". 

The Minister of Human Development and Social Inclusion, Juan Luis Bermúdez, assured that “from the Bridge to Development Strategy, and with the support of the United Nations, we seek to build with women, from rural and coastal territories, epicenters of opportunities for community growth, examples of justice in market linkages, and experiences of local innovation in harmony with the conservation of ecosystems. This is the vision of sustainable development in which women are the protagonists of their personal history and architects of the well-being route of our bicentennial”.

For her part, the first vice president and coordinator of the Gender Parity Initiative, Epsy Campbell, recalled that women make a better distribution of resources and always think about the well-being of their entire family, so the program is a wonderful opportunity to raise the quality of life of dozens of families in the central canton of Limón. 

“When a woman accesses these types of opportunities, they win, their families win, but above all the whole country wins, because they are capable of transforming realities. The role of women is vital to put an end to inequalities and to move decisively towards the fulfillment of the Sustainable Development Goals,” said Campbell.

In the same vein, the second vice president and coordinator of the Caribbean Table, Marvin Rodríguez, said that the program will allow women from the central canton of Limón to “achieve their dreams and enter the labor market with their own entrepreneurship, on a solid foundation that it will make it possible to guarantee their success and the sustainability of their project and thereby contribute to the improvement of their quality of life and that of their families”.

How to enter?

Those who want to participate for  non-reimbursable seed capital funds - from $5,000 to $10,000 per initiative - must be committed to the principles of environmental sustainability, gender equality and empowerment of women. The amount of financing will depend on the number of projects approved. 

Applications must be made through a form available on the  website of the call  and the period for submitting proposals closes on Friday, March 5, 2021 at midnight. Information on requirements and registration process is also available on the site. Interested persons can make inquiries by phone 8640-1265 or write to the email  convocatoria.sdgf [at] undp.org (convocatoria[dot]sdgf[at]undp[dot]org) .

Recently, an event was held to present the initiatives of the Joint Program in the canton of Limón. The activity took place at the Casa de la Cultura, with the presence of 30 leaders from Limón and was broadcast live through the social networks of the Municipality of Limón. 

At the meeting, in addition to the call for funds for seed capital, the options for participation in the electronic commerce platform "Made by Women" (FIDEIMAS and Joint Program), for businesswomen and entrepreneurs in conditions of economic vulnerability, as well as opportunities for institutional support of the State through the Platform for the Comprehensive Care of Business Women of the Caribbean ( PLAMEC ).

More information:

Consultations by phone: 8640-1265

Inquiries by email:  convocatoria.sdgf [at] undp.org (convocatoria[dot]sdgf[at]undp[dot]org)

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