Since Programa Velasco was co-founded 12 years ago by Juan Velasco and Annie Boyd-Ramirez, we have worked in partnership with a local nonprofit, ANADES, to increase access to early childhood educational opportunities and support services for marginalized families impacted by poverty and social violence in the community of San Ramón. As part of our mission, we train women entrepreneurs to achieve more financial independence and increase gender equality in their families. Our complementary, cross-generational interventions increase the engagement of women in public life and foment an increase in health, educational, and social outcomes for their children. 

As an organization seeking to grow its impact, Programa Velasco has expanded it’s Women’s Empowerment Project to a rural community called La Javía. 

PV has the unique ability to connect resources from the U.S. with the deep local knowledge that ensures its programming is both born out of and can adapt to the beneficiaries’ needs and desires. Our staff’s wide variety of experience in the fields of women’s entrepreneurship, public policy, and the social sciences enables us to deliver a high level of quality both in implementation and during monitoring and evaluation.