Guatemala

Sona Gandhi began her microfinance work in India and Malawi, and has been with SME Finance Forum member FINCA since 2005, assuming leadership positions in the U.S. and Jordan. Since 2015, Gandhi has served as the CEO of FINCA Guatemala. Under her inspired leadership, FINCA says it has introduced innovative health and life insurance products now benefiting 30,000 Guatemalans.

Oxfam’s Women in Small Enterprise (WISE) initiative starts with a systemic understanding of these barriers and attracts partners with expertise in the areas of financial services, women’s rights, advocacy, and entrepreneurship to develop a multidisciplinary collaboration to support women in overcoming these challenges. WISE follows Oxfam’s belief in people’s power to change their lives. Through WISE, Oxfam serves in its traditional role of supporting collaboration between the private sector, nonprofit organizations, and government leaders.

In most of Latin America, small, and medium enterprises (SMEs) dominate the economy and the private sector. SMEs are also major providers of jobs in these economies because they frequently operate in labor-intensive sectors. Improving the performance of SMEs and increasing their participation in local and global markets can have enormous and positive economy-wide consequences. For example, the opportunity to increase productivity and access new technology, among other improvements, can increase employment, raise incomes, and reduce poverty.