Member Spotlight: Luisa Fernanda Villamil

FinEquity: Tell us a little bit about yourself. A fun fact? Something that might surprise most people? Your superpower? 

Luisa Fernanda Villamil: I think my superpower is my dedication to serving others. Ever since I was young, I have participated in various activities to support people living in difficult situations. During my early career, I had the opportunity to work with victims of the armed conflict in Colombia between 2005 and 2011, which opened my eyes to the harsh realities that most people in my country face. A large part of this population was forcibly displaced to Bogota and had to adapt to this urban life.
What surprised me the most was that, despite all this adversity, people felt happy when we talked over coffee. They felt reassured to find a safe space where they could talk about their families, about love, about simple things. The space we had created had become an oasis for them. I drank lots of coffee during this time, but fortunately Colombia produces some of the best coffee in the world, so it was always a pleasure.  

FinEquity: What originally drew you to the women’s financial inclusion and economic empowerment sector? What has kept you here?

Luisa Fernanda Villamil: I am a psychologist by profession. Before joining Desjardins International Development (DID), I  served as a justice centre coordinator. These centers were established to guarantee access to justice, especially for women who were victims of abuse, and in many cases did not have the financial resources to get out of this sad reality. This motivated me to look for a place that could also support with their financial inclusion.  It would help the women improve their ability to save and accumulate enough economic resources, to allow them to seek help, move to a place of safety place or seek advice without having to rely on third parties. Financial independence is key to strengthening women's ability to make decisions, improve their quality of life, and that of their family.

I have been part of DID for nine years and through our work we have helped thousands of women to improve their self-empowerment (self-esteem, self-confidence, and self-determination).  Through financial education and inclusion programs we have increased access to financial resources needed to strengthen their businesses as well as their own productive capacity.

FinEquity: Any current projects you’re working on/or recently worked on that you find particularly exciting/engaging?

Luisa Fernanda Villamil: We are currently implementing the "Atenea Program: Women who Transcend", a sustainability program that seeks to generate long-term transformation for women who produce cocoa, enabling a fairer, more equitable and inclusive value chain and a more prosperous and dynamic cocoa sector. Under this program, we are collaborating with Compañía Nacional de Chocolates and financial institutions to strengthen skills development in entrepreneurship, financial education and women’s empowerment among rural cocoa growers.

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The program seeks to improve quality of life, increase productivity and contribution of women farmers to the cocoa sector. Last month we held the Atenea Financial Fair in Apartadó, Antioquia, where we invited the women to come and interact with different financial services providers and learn more about their services offering. The aim was to expose these women to formal financial services and help them gain a better understanding of how the financial system works. Participants felt they had gained more confidence to approach service providers and access products whenever they needed them. These women are now better equipped to negotiate credit terms, loan amounts and grace periods. So far 124 women belonging to 6 associations have benefited from the program and have received 322 hours of training. 

FinEquity: What have been some of the most impactful findings you’ve come across in your career? What about in the last few years? 

Luisa Fernanda Villamil: There was one experience which really broke my heart. While I was leading a financial education workshop in a rural Colombia, I was told that a woman in the community had been a victim of femicide. This woman had asked for financial assistance to pay for transportation, but people were reluctant to help since they didn’t want to get into any problems with her partner. That day I understood that a little help can go a long way. I thought about what would have happened to that woman's life if she had some savings or other financial resources.
Everyday when I meet more rural women, I realize the privileges I have: a family that loves me, I was able to study, I do the work that I love, I got married because I wanted to, and my daughter was by choice. But this reality does not apply to most women in my country. The Atenea project allows me to meet courageous, strong women who have flourished despite hardships, who have created support networks among themselves so they can grow and have a better future. 

FinEquity: What are your top priorities for the remainder of 2024 (and beyond) for your work?

Luisa Fernanda Villamil: My top priority for the rest of the year is to continue supporting financial institutions to strengthen their gender perspective, so that they can offer financial products and services that meet the needs of women and their businesses. I also want to continue advocating for safe, gender-sensitive workplaces that promote women's equal and meaningful participation.

FinEquity: What can our members connect with you about/what can they ask you about?

Luisa Fernanda Villamil: I would love to connect with other community members around these topics sustainability, intersectionality, gender and how to mainstream it in financial inclusion, financial education with a gender approach, how to design financial products and services with a gender approach, and protocols for attention with a differential approach.

FinEquity: What role does FinEquity play in your work? Where do you see value in this community? How has being a member shaped your work?

Luisa Fernanda Villamil: For me, FinEquity's community of practice is a space where I can learn from people of different profiles, positions, institutions, and countries. What I like is that these spaces of interaction are designed to share experiences and motivate us to think of possible solutions adapted to different contexts. Each member of this community contributes to the common goal of reducing the gaps in financial inclusion for women, either through financial education or the design of financial products and services tailored to their needs.