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Kuri Nua Women Group
KURINUA is a women group consisting of approximately 15 women from 4-5 communities. The group has their facilities and office in the Arutam community (same community as FUNDECOIPA and where volunteers are staying).
The group was established a couple of years ago with the intention of providing micro-credits to other women for small income generating projects, crisis or education to strengthen the economy for the women.
Indigenous women are most often not eligible and able to take loans in the towns and urban areas, which furthermore is 50 km away from the communities. KURINUA facilitates loans at a considerable lower interest rate than in the traditional banking sector.
Thanks to a grant, the women started out with a small fund of 400 USD, providing loans to other members of the group at a reasonable interest rate. Now the fund has grown to roughly 3000 USD and KURINUA, enabling the group to extend their activities to women (and men) outside the group.
Besides the credit activities, the women are planning other income generating projects. Many of the women are making crafts and with the construction of a new house for the group they want to start selling some of the crafts and organizing the production.
The women are the backbone of the Shuar community as they are in charge of most agricultural activities. In spite of their important role in the subsistence farming, the women are often poorly educated and hold little political influence. The activities of KURINUA are important to empower the women, as they play a crucial role in the overall development of the community as well as the production of the Shuar communities.
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