Friendship Bridge (non-profit)

Friendship Bridge - a non-profit organization based in Lakewood, Colorado implementing microcredit, education, and health programs to give opportunities of empowerment to impoverished women in Guatemala. Established in 1990 by medical doctors Connie and Ted Ning and based in the United States and Guatemala.

According to its statement, Friendship Bridge spent over $7,800,000 in loans to women and more than 21,000 scholarships for their children in Vietnam from 1994 to 2000 and in rural Guatemala since 1998. They are the only micro-finance organization in Guatemala to serve 100% women, and serve on average 28,000-30,000 women per year.

• Microcredit Program - small microcredit loans to rural women, formed in Trust Banks, where the women co-guarantee each others loans.
• Monthly Education for Women - training in business development, leadership training, and health messages.
• Advanced Education - programs for Artisan clients to learn quality production and access new markets; Agriculture program to female farmers that offers updated techniques in the face of increasing drought and flooding due to climate change; mentorship program
• Health programs - beginning in 2015, they offer preventive health services to women clients.