We are raising $20,000 by Dec 31, 2022 to support women entrepreneurs in Catarina. Donate here to support this campaign.
Maria Eugenia Muños Guerrero and Julisaa Lopez Carballo are women entrepreneurs in Catarina, Nicaragua. They both own and operate restaurants at the top of the hill at the end of the main street that overlooks Laguna de Apoyo, a lake in the base of a volcanic crater. Maria’s restaurant is called Restaurante Carolina and Julissa’s restaurant is called El Meson. Small businesses surround the viewpoint including restaurants that serve Nicaraguan food, stands selling handcrafted artisan items like wooden animals, leather keychains, and paintings. The tourist economy in Catarina provides a vital source of income and employment for local residents.
GRID is raising funds to bring solar to Maria and Julissa’s businesses and others run by women in Catarina to support local economic development by reducing their monthly electric bills. The cost savings from solar will directly benefit Maria and Julissa’s families and the restaurant workers, allowing them to grow their businesses. Julissa hopes to use the cost savings from solar to expand her restaurant, improve the building’s infrastructure, and purchase better equipment for the kitchen. Maria also hopes to expand and improve her business and offer better benefits to the restaurant employees. Solar electricity is an investment that provides cost savings month after month. .
Women-owned businesses in Nicaragua can provide a viable path to long-term economic development for women and their families. Having control over their income source can give women more freedom to make choices in their home and with their lives, make healthcare more affordable, break gender stereotypes, and improve their overall well being. Women business owners are leaders in their communities and are an example to other girls and women. Your financial support of this project will directly benefit Maria, Julissa, and other women in Catarina.
Support this project.
