The Rainbow Effect: A project for economic autonomy and human rights

Although Ecuador's 2008 Constitution bans discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity many Ecuadorians face such discrimination in their daily lives particularly when they seek health care education and employment.

The IAF supports community-led efforts to promote inclusion through increased economic opportunity and civic engagement.

Our grantee partner Mujer & Mujer (M&M) promotes civil rights and rising incomes among marginalized communities in Ecuador's coastal provinces through training organizational strengthening and the provision of seed capital to small businesses.

Amendment FY21 :This amendment provides M&M with an additional two years and $234,450 to strengthen its fund for small grants, expand into four additional provinces, and support thirteen new business ventures. As part of the amendment, M&M is mobilizing an additional $131,450 in counterpart resources to the grant agreement.

Amendment FY24 :This amendment provides Mujer & Mujer (M&M) with an additional 24 months and $240,000 to provide training on business development and financial management to 30 groups on the Ecuadorian Pacific coast.

M&M is making microcredit available to all members of its network via a savings and credit fund and taking the legal and administrative steps to form a Savings, Credit and Multiple Services Cooperative. Finally, M&M is publishing a strategy to provide services to survivors of gender-based violence.

Through their efforts they aim to multiply the factors that protect marginalized communities from the effects of social exclusion, thereby improving their quality of life.