Awaken Women for the Future

In essence, the open air market — a public marketplace where food and merchandise is sold in a market square — has remained unchanged for thousands of years. It was where some of the first transactions in recorded history took place, and even today in developed countries, despite the presence of supermarkets and online retailers, farmers markets in particular have made a tremendous comeback.

However, they remain much more common in developing countries like Brazil. This is because the markets are all the more important for rural areas, as they are the only means of access to goods and basic necessities for many people who are unable to travel long distances. It is also very much a community activity, since many of the buyers and sellers know one another. The fifteenth project of Moeda’s Pilot Seed Program, Awaken Women for the Future, understands the importance of the open air market, and wants to make it better for its customers. The 25 members of AWF, located in Itapejara do Oeste, plan to restructure their open air market altogether, including training the workers in communication and sales (so the needs of all parties can known), providing more opportunities for access to the market for both sellers and buyers, mapping out the logistics in the area, providing the tools and means to the vendors (like carts and tables) and bringing new products into the fold.

AWF will receive 18,575USD in Moeda microloans to help them rebuild their market from the ground up. The sustainable development goals in this project include promoting gender equality, providing decent work opportunities, building industry and infrastructure, and reducing inequality.