According to UN Women, rural women ensure food security and sustainability for their families and communities.
Since 2008, every 15 October has marked the International Day of Rural Women, highlighting the crucial work they do to support their households and families, and the national economies.
Banco ADOPEM supports women in remote rural areas in the Dominican Republic who have no access to the market economy. Thanks to programs designed specially for these women, they have been able to get ahead with Productive Finance.
Through their 72 branches (21 in the metropolitan area and 51 in the rural setting), over 120 banking subagents and a team of advisors, Banco ADOPEM reaches the most vulnerable sectors in the country and helps micro, small and medium-sized companies.
68% of their customers are women, so it continues to be known as “the Women’s Bank”. Of these, 39% are in the rural environment and 29% are young. 3% are employed in agricultural work and 84% in the retail trade.
For the microfinance bank it is very important to promote education for rural women through empowerment so they can demand their rights and share in the benefits of development.
Through financial literacy and training, it offers them the possibility of accessing credit services and other financial products so they can improve the management of their businesses and their productive capacity.
Banco ADOPEM recently presented its Rural Finance and Environment program (FRA), a green finance program for customers willing to implement, or who are already implementing, activities whose practices safeguard the environment.
The FRA program is part of the bank’s Corporate Social and Environmental Responsibility policies, and includes plans and financial products such as Agrocrédito, AgroPyME, Ecocrédito, Agromujer ADOPEM, Crédito Macadamia, and training in Financial Literacy for the rural population.