The UPS Foundation Opens Global Markets to AWE Alumni | Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs

Written by Claire Rudinsky, a VSFS Intern with the U.S. Department of State. She is currently majoring in International Relations with a focus on Economics at the Joint Degree Programme with College of William & Mary and the University of St Andrew.

Implemented in nearly 100 countries since 2019, the Department of State’s Academy for Women Entrepreneurs (AWE) has empowered an estimated 25,000 women entrepreneurs around the world with the education and financial skills they need to reach their full economic potential. 

One of the challenges facing many AWE graduates is how to expand their market internationally, which involves the complicated process of exportation. These women are ready to share their products with a larger audience, but the logistical obstacles can sometimes remain. 

In 2020, the Department first worked with The UPS Foundation to offer the Women Exporters Program (WEP) to AWE participants. WEP was utilized in an effort to support and encourage female entrepreneurs to export internationally and compete in the global market. UPS and The UPS Foundation launched the Women Exporters Program to help address the disparity in education and workforce participation between men and women by providing targeted assistance to women-owned small and medium-sized businesses worldwide.

Since 2020, over 850 female entrepreneurs have participated in the WEP supported by The UPS Foundation. In addition to AWE graduates from Mexico and Ecuador, this past year the UPS Women Exporters Program virtual sessions expanded to include AWE alumni from El Salvador, Colombia, Peru, and Venezuela, as well. In 2023, the UPS Women Exporters training connected with over 700 business-women from across Latin America, receiving advice from experts in the industry. 

Two AWE alumni, Elizabeth Chavez from Mexico and Isabel Cuichán from Ecuador, shared their transformative experiences with The UPS Foundation and AWE. Looking specifically at WEP, they felt the space specifically for female entrepreneurs allowed them to share their ideas, experiences, and challenges in a supportive environment. In addition, the training also featured more logistical skills such as the exportation and trade process, sustainability, and the technology required in e-commerce.  

Elizabeth Chavez not only manages an artisanal business but also created an NGO, “MujerES Jalisco,” for domestic abuse victims, and began a Latin America centered magazine called “Woman Evolution.” All of her ventures focus on the power that comes from a strong community of women; her business gathers local products made by women in Mexico and ensures that they are sold for a fair price. 

One of the biggest benefits is seeing the real-life impact on the women I work with. You can see it in their body language and their face that they are proud of what they are doing. This also affects the people around them as they discover their own talents as a community of women,” said Chavez. 

The UPS Women Exporters Program focuses specifically on issues of internationalization and business growth, providing month-long training with modules on exportation and e-commerce. Connecting graduates with experts in the field, they are able to explore the reality of running a transnational business; this includes working with the complexities of trade tariffs, customs regulations, and overall logistics for global commerce. 

Isabel Cuichán hopes to make her business, Sacha Cosmestic, a household name not only in Ecuador but throughout the world. Beginning with hand soaps, she now produces shampoo, conditioner, creams, and health foods and teas. Her products are sold in 30 stores throughout Ecuador, and she is partnering with other companies and investors to increase her distribution internally and externally.  

“My advice is to do something you love so that when there are problems you are motivated to work through them and not abandon your project,” Cuichán said. “It’s hard to believe that your business will actually work, but you need to trust yourself.” 

The AWE program uses DreamBuilder, a no-cost online learning platform created by Arizona State University’s Thunderbird School of Global Management (ASU) and the Freeport-McMoRan Foundation, to teach AWE participants the fundamentals of business not only from a U.S. perspective, but also addressing regional and individual needs. Classes cover topics in marketing, financial management, product differentiation, and other skills essential to starting and maintaining a business. Having this program available online allows AWE to draw from a variety of resources and provide a diverse range of mentors and subjects. 

“Nowadays, it is as important to understand and utilize technology as it used to be to read,” Chavez points out. “There is the issue of constantly evolving technology and social media, which requires us to be adaptable.”

Apart from information on international trade, Cuichán felt inspired to focus more on sustainability after the UPS program. “One of the sayings that stuck with me is that there’s no point in making big gestures if you don’t start small, if you don’t start making changes in your own house.” 

Already, her business Sacha Cosmetic Ecuador sources many of their materials from Amazonian plants, all of which are harvested by local women and families to ensure a natural and ecologically-friendly extraction. After her experiences with AWE and The UPS Foundation, Cuichán has also begun the process to receive fair-trade and organic certification for her products, and she hopes to increase her exports internationally in the coming months. Similarly, Chavez is working on exporting more artisanal goods and reducing the number of intermediaries in the process so that the female workers receive proper compensation. 

“I believe you can always improve, both personally and professionally. It’s never too late to start, and when two women work together, they can move mountains,” said Chavez.