Banmujer

Banmujer is the women's development bank. I visited the bank with the global delegation. The first person who spoke to us spoke very eloquently about they mission and need for the bank. He said:
"Their concept of development is really transformation. Women are the majority of Ven. and there is 80% poverty in the country. They define poverty as exclusion, people who lack access to the system. In Ven. we view lack of participation and exclusion as lack of water, recreation, school, spiritual activities that should be a part of every one's life. Because people who live in poverty can only think of survival, that situation is a breeding ground for drugs and delinquency. There are more women in poverty, and high statistics of early pregnancy. These women need to be supported. Because the women take care of the household, a reality that is everywhere, they all work double and triple roles, they work in their homes, with the children, in paid work, but they are only payed for part. It is unfair that there are more women than men and women play a secondary role.
When women work in the capitalist process, they are often demoralized and they don't want to continue.
Here (at the bank) we don't talk about competition, we talk about cooperation, complementary process, solidarity.
The oil money began this bank, but the women pay the loans they take out, and the interest. All productive economic activity qualifies for a loan, except sail of imported goods.
A few examples of businesses women have started with that bank loans are washing, artistry, there are businesses that sterilize tools for surgery.
Women learn about the loans through publicity and propaganda, the president talks about the bank a lot. We also go to the communities, we do work shops. They tell us what the needs are in the community and what businesses they would like to create, we tell them which we can finance.
The interest is 6% a year, and it is charged because the interest is then used to create more loans. It is a social investment, a social gain.
To be continued...
However, if the women can't pay back the loan, nothing bad happens to them. They sign a paper when they take out the loan that guarantees that they will work. "