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TIAW plans the opening of four – count ‘em! Village Banks in Mexico this summer and fall around the time of the APEC meetings. Find out what TIAW Microenterprise chair, Patricia Hinnen and the Committee have been up to and why Patricia will be meeting with President Fox in August. Want to be part of all the exciting events taking place in Mexico this summer and fall? For more information, read on and please join us in Mexico! TIAW Opening Village Banks for Women Entrepreneurs in Mexico
by Dr. Donna M. Heivilin
TIAW is very pleased to be opening four village banks for impoverished women in Mexico this summer and fall. The actual openings are being planned to coincide with APEC (the Asia Pacific Economic Council) meetings in July, August and September. How fortunate we are to have our Microenterprise Committee Chair, Patricia Foley Hinnen working with the U.S. State Department and the Women Leaders’ Network this year on APEC meetings promoting microenterprise across 21 member nations. This allows us to coordinate TIAW bank openings with their events.
Two of our Mexican Village Banks will be opened in July and a number of TIAW members from our Colorado network, the Alliance of Professional Women are planning to attend these openings. The first opening is scheduled for July 18, in President Fox’s home town of Guanajuato. We are excited to announce that Patricia Foley Hinnen will be handing President Fox a USD $5,000 check for this bank. It will be managed by a microfinance organization that President Fox, himself, started 10 years ago. Our second Mexican Village Bank will be opened on July 22 in Tula, which is in the same general area of Guanajuato. This bank will be managed by the Pro Mujer Microfinance Organization. It is important that TIAW members wanting to attend the bank launching ceremonies donate to one of the banks. Each bank cost TIAW USD $5,000 to open.
Our third Mexican bank is scheduled to open in Cuernavaca on August 19. This bank will be managed by FINCA International, the microfinance institution that manages the TIAW banks in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Nicaragua. A number of TIAW members are already planning to attend this opening. They will fly into Acapulco, Mexico on August 17 and then travel by bus on August 18 to Cuernavaca for the opening on the 19th. Members will return to Acapulco on the 19th and stay for a short vacation if desired and/or spend August 20-22 participating in segments of the Women Leaders’ Network (WLN) annual meeting in Acapulco. The beautiful Las Brisas Hotel is the setting – cabanas on top of a hill overlooking Acapulco. WLN has extended a special invitation to our members who are there to open a village bank, to attend a lunch event. One of the meeting segments will be devoted to microenterprise. If you are interested, please contact Donna Heivilin at donna.heivilin@verizon.net. Plans are in the process of being finalized. However, each person will be expected to make their own travel arrangements to and from Acapulco.
The fourth bank is to be opened in late September in the Guadalajara area. Members who are interested in attending this opening will fly in and out of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Members will be able to attend an APEC luncheon meeting in Guadalajara, which is otherwise closed to outsiders. Please let Donna Heivilin know if you are interested. Plans for this bank opening are in the early stages at this point. To donate to any of the TIAW Village Banks, please contact a Microenterprise Committee member or TIAW headquarters. | 
