Mercedes Parra Foundation

Description

The Mercedes Parra Foundation (MPF), named in the honor of Mercedes Maria Parra Forbes, was established in 2010.

The foundation provides programs and services aimed at ensuring gender equity by promoting sustainable social development through training, consultancy, and direct support of individual women, groups and organizations.

MPF’s work targets five dimensions of female empowerment and opportunity:

1. economic participation,
2. economic opportunity,
3. political empowerment,
4. educational attainment,
5. and health and well-being.

The foundation has three major initiatives:

1. Agrofem, supporting female agriculturalists in developing countries to transition from subsistence to market-oriented farming by providing grants and interest-free loans, capacity building, and technical assistance;
2. the Micro Grant Program which awards small grants to help support the humanitarian efforts of women;
3. and Operation Santa Clau, providing clothes, books, and toys to families in need on the Island of San Andres, Colombia.