Our model
Mercado Global is a Brooklyn-based accessory brand and non-profit that empowers rural Latin American women to become entrepreneurs. Through donor-funded business education and leadership programs, we help women create community businesses to support themselves and their families. By designing collections for the international market while using traditional local weaving techniques, we are changing the status quo for women, communities, and the industry.
Our Programs To Empower
At Mercado Global, we believe in a holistic approach to poverty alleviation.
Community-Based Education
Our Community-Based Education program provides trainings and workshops in local languages.
This continued learning, paired with income-earning opportunities, enables women to become confident leaders, in charge of family health, finances, and education.
Market Access
The women we partner with are incredibly talented weavers and sewers, whose main barrier between a life of poverty and unlimited possibilities is access to a market.
We design collections for international retailers while using traditional local weaving techniques, providing:
Asset Development
Our asset development program pairs microloans with education and incentives to encourage savings.
Artisans receive low-interest microloans to purchase a sewing machine or loom, only making loan payments when they have orders through Mercado Global.
Through financial literacy classes, women are taught the value of long-term financial planning and receive incentives for deposits made in a personal savings account.
With Mercado Global’s holistic approach, women are breaking the cycle of extreme poverty and becoming entrepreneurs in their own right.
The Impact of Our Programs On Our Partner Artisans
Across the board, Mercado Global partner artisans are thriving in comparison to the national average.
Education
99% of MG artisans’ children are enrolled in school.
35% of children are enrolled in school in Guatemala’s rural areas.
Bank Account
64% of MG artisans have a personal bank account.
Only 27% of the indigenous population have bank accounts.
Food and Nutrition
73% of MG artisans have access to the food and nutrition they need.
Only 45% of Guatemala's indigenous rural population has access to proper nutrition.
Women Leadership
84% of MG artisans are in a leadership position despite the inequality faced in a male-dominated society.
Guatemala has the fourth highest rate of gender-motivated violence in the world.
