Gabriela Enrigue

Migrant remittances help alleviate some of the immediate symptoms of poverty, but they are not a permanent solution. They seldom succeed in creating opportunities that have a lasting effect on poverty. In 2007, Mexico received $25 billion in remittances, and yet more than forty million people continue to live on less than $2 a day. The challenge is to break the cycle where the survival of those left behind depends on migrant remittances, and instead create development opportunities within communities, so that migration ceases to be the only option for the next generation. CREA is developing an integrated method for channeling remittances to income-generating projects, eschewing traditional subsidies and cash handouts. By providing training and mentorship to women entrepreneurs in high-migration communities, CREA helps them scale-up their businesses and improve production processes, while developing better distribution channels to reach larger markets. Participating women entrepreneurs acquire new skills, build self-esteem, and forge closer partnerships with migrants, generating local income and employment.