Our Mandate

Mission

To empower young girls and women around the globe primarily third World countries to discover their potential -as individuals, entrepreneurs and community leaders by the through the dynamics of socially responsible entrepreneurship.

Our local mandate in Canada is to , to create awareness of socially responsible, Fair trade and ethical approaches, and their benefits for the community of producers as well as for the community of consumers (both south and north based).

Our vision is to support these women to re-shape their current situations, through effectively managing local initiatives that can maximize benefits to their family and the society as a whole.

Our  general goals

• To promote Fair trade and ethical practices and their positive impacts for women, their families and their communities.
• To encourage and promote socially and community oriented business training for unprivileged young girls and women producers in developing countries
• To foster Micro-credit programs as a empowerment tool part of a comprehensive system to enlarge possibilities for women producers based in developing countries
• Stimulation of International Voluntarism, in a way that promotes cultural exchange, effective support and expertise for a community in need.

Milestones of FEM International

• 9800 hours of voluntary work with the community on field and on Canada!
• 120 women in Thailand and India graduated from Basic Business planning course.

Our story

Read FEM International story through the experience of Lis Suarez, FEM International Founder.

FEM International has evolved from a personal quest, a realization of selfness and the connection with the world we live in. It was born out of passion, canalized through an extraordinary international volunteer venture and made possible by the continuous support of those who believe we could do something better together rather than alone. 

I signed up to my volunteer venture with my soul open to do whatever was needed, the willingness to share my expertise in business training and the hope to work with women's empowerment groups. I jumped in a plane, with a smile on my face and a sigh on my heart, without realizing that the whole adventure that was about to start, was going to change the course of my life forever.

While working in both Thailand and India, several circumstances made me realize that a change in the way things were being done was needed in order to bring together a solution that really worked for everyone involved in the community development field related to women empowerment groups.

Firstly, I was incredibly touched by the conviction of young girls to be normal girls, despite their rather unprivileged situation of exploitation, isolation and poverty.

Secondly, I was amazed with the incredible support international volunteers can bring to local communities. They bring ideas, energy and all their passion to contribute to a better world.

Thirdly, I was exposed to an incredible need from local communities to receive basic business training that complemented their services and skills.  I noticed several attempts were made to fulfill that need from the side of international volunteers. However, by the time they were able to figure out what the organization needed and what they could provide, half of their volunteer time was gone. This resulted in a one-time effort that couldn't be maintained or further exploited, because there wasn't a system to make it possible.

Within this framework and the knowledge that positive change germinates from the local people, but it needs to be understood and structured in an efficient way to produce lasting results, our business training model was developed. With the incredible support of Cross Cultural Solutions (CCS) staff, amongst other volunteers, the tools were designed, and delivered amazing results.

Out of a pilot group of 100 students from Nonthonburi, Delhi, Dharamshal and Mumbai, upon completion of the program 85%    felt more confident in their business knowledge, 98% learned something new and felt they could use it to develop their Income Generation activity.   95% liked the workshop system, and thought it was easy and fun to learn with it.  An amazing 97% stated they would sign up for future business courses with us. On the volunteer and staff side, 83% found it was very easy to teach with this method, 84% thought that no previous experience was imperative to participate in the program.  When asked about positive impact of the implementation of BBIP an incredible 100% thought it elevated self-confidence, and 88% thought the tool brought awareness of women's potential.

Today the story continues to evolve in our existing international projects and more recently in Montreal with our local awareness campaigns about ethical and fair trade practices ( Go-Op and ModEthik ). We continue to meet and work with incredible people all with hopes for a better world, and with the passion, dedication and expertise to make this happen!

Our System

- Raises Awareness in two ways…

1. In the women we work with, helping them to realize the enormous potential that all women have.
2. In the general public worldwide, by telling the stories of these girls and women and their efforts to overcome poverty, i.e. the selling of their
   products.

- Empowers, because through the coaching and training programs, it stimulates the local leaders to reach further into their communities.

Is easy to replicate, because it is based on a basic approach that highlights the essence of a business venture in a fun, interactive and easy to follow model, especially targeted to Women and Youth around the globe.

Is self-sustainable in the long run because it uses local partners and individuals who in turn, train the rest of the community, encouraging them to become active members in the whole business concept.

Who we are working with

Cross-Cultural Solutions (CCS): Cross Cultural Solutions has been an active member in the international arena for the last decade with a consulting status at the UN, which accredits them as experts in their field. Their main Objective is to place volunteers in several development projects around the globe. They match NGO and local initiatives’ needs, with volunteer’s interests and expertise. They support us with the logistics and the coordination of our volunteers overseas.

Baan Kredtrakarn Foundation: The Baan Kredtrakarn Foundation is located north of Bangkok, Thailand, on an island in the Chao Praya River. It is home for around 400 girls who take part in a 2 year program in which they learn 8 vocational training courses. It is a Government organization which is supported by international agencies such as the UNICEF and several other entities that provide assistance on women's rights and child exploitation.

With over 30 years of experience Baan Kredtrakarn has more recently focused on business training to complement the vocational training and increase possibilities of income generation for the girls.

We work with the Kredtrakarn Foundation through Our Business Training Program BBIP, and the Go-Op Initiative to support the girls to sell their products.

Vidya foundation. Vidya in Hindi means knowledge and thus Vidya's mission is to educate women and children from the slums of Delhi and Mumbai. Vidya is a volunteer organization run by the wives of the professors of the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology (IIT). It has been helping women and children from the slums for 18 years through their education empowerment approach. Furthermore, Vidya Foundation has a
cooperative called Sanik Farm where women learn vocational training, and make beautiful handmade products ready to be sold.

We work with the women affiliated to the Sanik Farm project with Our Business Training Program BBIP, and further support the sales of their products through Our Go-Op Initiative.

Foundation el Refugio: The non profit organization el Refugio was created in 1994 and since then it has been committed to bringing opportunities to populations at high risk in marginalized neighborhoods of Colombia. The aim of their project is to bring concrete solutions to the problems of drug addiction, and alcoholism that are very present in the realities of their communities. The organization was founded by WOMEN who decided to put their talents and passion to the service of the community and launched the project Young Silversmith. We work with the Silversmith Project through our BBIP, and support the sales of their products through Go-Op.