Episode 25: How 3 Years of Success Led to an Extension of the USAID/WOCCU Economic Inclusion Project

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in May 2023 extended the flagship project of its Venezuela Regional Response Program through May 2026, awarding $14 million to World Council of Credit Unions (WOCCU) to continue implementation of the Economic Inclusion Project (EIP) in Peru and Ecuador on a much larger scale. Abby Cohen, WOCCU Program Manager for Latin America, and Oscar Guzman, Chief of Party for the Economic Inclusion Project, join the podcast to discuss EIP's successful first phase, and what they hope to add as new objectives in phase two of the Project. Launched in June 2020, the first phase of the Economic Inclusion Project helped Venezuelan migrants and vulnerable local residents in Lima, Peru, and Quito and Guayaquil, Ecuador, achieve socioeconomic security by gaining greater access to financial products and services, entrepreneurship and employment programs, and services focused on the prevention of gender-based violence. Those objectives will continue to be a focus over the next three years, but phase two of EIP will also prioritize: More programs and strategies that allow for the inclusion of youth and LGBTQI+ communities. Capacity-building for credit unions and other local organizations. Climate change adaptation and mitigation through the promotion of green entrepreneurial businesses, jobs and financial products. You can read more about the Economic Inclusion Project here.