The Downtown San Diego Rotary Club is proud to continue supporting sustainable microfinance initiatives that transform the lives of women in coffee-growing regions. Based on the Grameen Bank model pioneered by Muhammad Yunus, these programs use solidarity lending—a peer-administered approach where local community members come together to provide support, accountability, and encouragement to help each entrepreneur succeed and repay her loan.
In 2025, Downtown San Diego Rotary joined forces with Rotary District 5240, several partner clubs across our district, District 4250 in Honduras (including the Rotary Clubs of Colopeca San Marcos and Real de Minas Tegucigalpa), and the Rotary Foundation. Together, we funded a microfinance project in Honduras that achieved an incredible 100% loan repayment rate!
Building on that massive success, we are setting our sights on our next milestone: funding a new Guatemalan Women in Coffee Microfinance Initiative.
By expanding our network of partner Rotary clubs, we aim to deliver financial independence, peer mentorship, and economic growth to even more female coffee farmers and entrepreneurs across Central America.
Want to get involved or help us fund our next cohort of entrepreneurs? Join Downtown San Diego Rotary and get involved in our International Services Committee.
