High in the Ecuadorian Andes, the Indigenous community of Zumbahua faces a triple challenge: economic exclusion, digital illiteracy, and cultural underrepresentation. For young women, the barriers are even higher: only one in three completes secondary school, and many lack the tools to participate fully in economic and civic life.

OFELIA’s Empowering Zumbahua project transforms the local library into a vibrant e-learning and entrepreneurship hub, giving young leaders, especially women, the skills, confidence, and resources to shape their own futures.

With the support of the Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador (PUCE) and local facilitators, participants receive mentorship and peer support for six months after training, ensuring skills are put into practice. The impact extends far beyond these 22 leaders: strengthening education, boosting local businesses, and building pride in cultural identity for over 12,000 residents.

Empowered women empower entire communities. In Zumbahua, that transformation has already begun.