As part of its commitment to advancing global women’s economic empowerment, the U.S. Department of State collaborates with The UPS Foundation to help women entrepreneurs increase their export capacity. Since 2020, The UPS Foundation has supported over 600 alumnae from the U.S.-led initiative Academy for Women Entrepreneurs (AWE) in Mexico and Ecuador through the UPS Women Exporters Program.

Launched in 2019 by the U.S. government, AWE is a women’s economic empowerment program that provides enterprising women with the knowledge, networks, and access they need to launch or scale successful businesses. A U.S. government exchange program, AWE connects women with U.S. experts to advance business acumen and build stronger ties among women entrepreneurs in different markets.

The UPS Foundation launches a key module focused on rules and regulations for exporting during its Women Exporter Program.

During the recent launch of the U.S. Global Women’s Economic Security Strategy in January, U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said that promoting women’s economic security is key to peace and prosperity. “When everyone can contribute to their full potential, our economies are more prosperous, our societies are more full of opportunity, our nations are more peaceful, and everyone is better off,” said Secretary Blinken.

The UPS Women Exporters Program represents a broader effort by UPS and The UPS Foundation to help women entrepreneurs trade across borders, overcome challenges, and forge new futures by expanding their businesses to global markets.

UPS Vice President of Global Public Affairs, Maria Luisa Boyce, noted that UPS and The UPS Foundation are proud to work with AWE. “We believe in creating a community around all women entrepreneurs through training and partnerships,” said Boyce. “The programs in Ecuador and Mexico allowed over 600 women to have a better understanding of export logistics and e-commerce, enabling them to be successfully involved in trade and be better positioned for potential shocks in the global supply chain.”

Using knowledge she learned from the UPS trainings, Lara hosts online workshops to educate other women entrepreneurs on how to export their products.

According to a 2020 World Bank Report, women continue to face challenges which inhibit their ability to participate in trade, ranging from structural and legal barriers to normative stereotypes around gender and education.

This collaboration aims to overcome barriers to free trade and identifies suitable channels for export to the United States. In 2022, experts from UPS led a series of ten virtual webinars for AWE alumnae in Mexico and Ecuador on topics like customs regulation, trade tariffs, and warehousing and logistics for e-commerce.

As the United States’ neighbor and 2nd largest trading partner, Mexico is strategic to the initiative. In Mexico, AWE has connected with over 1,000 women entrepreneurs, 60 of whom participated in the UPS Women Exporters Program. Some of Mexico’s participants had the opportunity to meet with Nikki Clifton, president of Social Impact and The UPS Foundation and other UPS executives during the final networking session and to discuss outcomes from the program.

An advertisement announcing the launch of Perugachi’s Artisanal Catalog, which showcases artisanal products to international buyers.

In Ecuador, AWE has supported over 1,200 women entrepreneurs since 2017, many of whom have a strong interest and desire to export products to the United States. Forty Ecuadorian women participated in the export trainings which both enhanced individual business skillsets and provided women entrepreneurs the opportunity to scale their businesses and promote economic growth in local communities.

Paulina Lara, owner of an international cargo and export services company, attended the trainings in Ecuador, in the hope of becoming more familiar with regulations affecting her ability to ship to clients overseas. She said the training helped her create a seamless door-to-door service model, which she is using to train other women entrepreneurs about exporting. 

Ecuadorian Cathy Perugachi was equally as excited to attend the trainings. As regional coordinator for AWE and founder of an artisanal consulting firm, Perugachi supports designers and boutiques in the U.S to develop exclusive collections made by artisan communities in Ecuador. She said the training made her more confident about providing advice about exporting artisanal goods and hopes to inspire other women in South America to engage in cross-border trade.

The U.S. Mission in Ecuador and the Quito Chamber of Commerce are gathering data on the number of AWE women in the region who are currently exporting to the United States. The data will be used to develop follow-on workshops and certification programs focused on exporting to inspire AWE graduates and promote greater trade between countries in the region.

The Academy for Women Entrepreneurs is a global economic empowerment exchange program established in 2019 by the U.S. Department of State, in partnership with Arizona State University’s Thunderbird School of Global Management and the Freeport-McMoRan Foundation.  Operating in 100 countries, AWE has empowered approximately 25,000 women entrepreneurs around the world with the skills they need to reach their full economic potential. 

• For more information about AWE, visit: https://eca.state.gov/awe. 
• For more information about the UPS Women Exporters Program, visit: UPS Women Exporters Program

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