Personalized mugs, fresh fruit salads, handcrafted bracelets, natural honey—these are just a few of the many products showcased by Salvadoran micro and small enterprises at the first entrepreneurs’ fair, organized as part of the Semillas project on January 29.
The fair, the first of three to be held in the coming months, was organized to celebrate the distribution of startup funds to 88 returnees and individuals at risk of migrating, coming from four different departments of El Salvador.
The beneficiaries, selected through a public call, participated in an entrepreneurial training program over the past four months and ultimately received a total of $222,925 in capital to fulfill their dream of starting their own business.
Present at the event was the Italian Ambassador to San Salvador, Paolo Emanuele Rozo Sordini, who, in his speech, emphasized the strong commitment of Italian Cooperation in strengthening small businesses and creating opportunities for local development in El Salvador.
This initiative aims to generate opportunities for socio-economic inclusion in the communities of origin of returnees and those at risk of migrating, with the goal of enhancing their impact on the Salvadoran economy and preventing irregular migration.
Semillas, whose full title is “Government Strategy for the Prevention of Irregular Migration through the Creation of Territorial and Individual Development Opportunities,” is a three-year project with a budget of €2.5 million, funded by the Italian Government through the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS). It is implemented by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of El Salvador, through the Directorate of Human Mobility and Migrant Assistance, the Ministry of the Environment, and the National Council for Micro and Small Enterprises (CONAMYPE).
