“Creadoras” Portal, an e-commerce platform that promotes the economic development of women entrepreneurs in Ecuador.

Montevideo, March 8, 2024.

The “Creadoras” portal contributes to the business development of women entrepreneurs in Ecuador.

UN Women Ecuador launched the e-commerce portal “Creadoras – Entrepreneurship Network,” an initiative that promotes the economic empowerment of women entrepreneurs in Ecuador; both for women in situations of human mobility and those who are part of host communities.

Ecuador has become a host country for people with international protection needs, migrants, and refugees in vulnerable and risky situations. This includes the case of Claudia, a Colombian mother, entrepreneur, and migrant with three children. She arrived in Ecuador from Colombia three years ago, fleeing her country because her life was in danger. Her story is part of the statistics of migrants who leave their countries each year in search of better opportunities and quality of life.

In this context, UN Women has prioritized work in the northern border, especially directed at women and girls in situations of migration, displacement, or seeking asylum. For this purpose, they implemented the “Caminando” project, which promotes gender equality and empowerment for women in displacement and refugee situations in Ecuador. Another action related to this context that promotes the economic autonomy of women in human mobility and host communities is the Buy from Women platform, a digital e-commerce platform that facilitates women’s access to the market to sell their products.

The e-commerce platform “Creadoras” is part of “Buy from Women” and was developed within the framework of the “Caminando” project. Claudia is a beneficiary of this project, who approached the technical team of the host homes while unemployed and, thanks to financial and training support, improved her business sales. Thanks to Claudia’s effort and resilience, she is part of one of the groups of women entrepreneurs supported by UN Women in Ecuador.

About the “Creadoras” platform

The solution was created with technical support from Sofis Solutions. Through its functionalities, users can access and view the products and services offered by entrepreneurs, access a digital training center on business-related topics, and explore stories of the women behind the products and services available on the platform.

Creadoras e-commerce portal – Entrepreneurship Network: https://www.creadoras.com.ec/es

Rocío Coronel, one of the project coordinators from Sofis Solutions, comments that a hybrid work approach was used for the platform development: “… this allowed us to align with best practices of a predictive and agile strategy, managing incremental deliveries to adapt to client needs and satisfaction, with teamwork and feedback cycles. The main modules were PIM, CMS, CRM, OMS, WMS. Integration with ChatGPT was also done for product configuration. Multiple training cycles were conducted for administrators and beneficiaries. A project with little time but very satisfying.”

Marisa Cancela, project coordinator from Sofis Solutions, adds: “During the project, the objectives were successfully achieved. An important milestone was training a group of women to start uploading their products and thus generate income immediately.

This project has been successfully executed remotely through virtual meetings. Even though the development team was in Uruguay and the client in Ecuador, there were no communication or other issues, ensuring the project’s success.”

Technology contributes to social development

Regarding the humanitarian context, labor inclusion, and gender equality, Sofis Solutions has worked on various projects in Latin America focused on these topics, including:

• Refugee Information System (SIRE), in Mexico: A system that supports the rights and well-being of refugees in Mexico. In this new version of SIRE, a self-service module called “COMAR Digital” was developed, where applicants can create an individual account and fill a pre-registration form, facilitating procedures before COMAR and ensuring real-time access to case status, while enhancing communication through notifications sent via COMAR Digital between applicants and COMAR, especially in areas where COMAR offices are not available.
• Portal on Political Gender Violence, in Ecuador: This portal was designed and implemented to highlight issues related to political violence against women in Ecuador, including information, data on complaint processes and case follow-up, current regulations, and public and civil organization support services.
• Labor Market Information System (SIMEL) Portal, in El Salvador: This portal is an interactive interface that allows users to consult and share information about the labor market in El Salvador through various analytical products, including news, infographics, links of interest, and study and report publications on labor market-related topics.
• Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Portal, in Ecuador: Through this user-friendly and interactive platform, citizens and other stakeholders can access information to monitor progress, implementation, and follow-up on initiatives contributing to SDG achievement in Ecuador.

The platform will be operated by CIESPAL and will initially target women involved in projects implemented in the country by UN Women and partner organizations, aiming to strengthen women’s livelihoods, empowerment, and financial autonomy as minimum requirements to build more equitable societies. To learn more about the platform, visit: https://www.creadoras.com.ec/es