In Colombia DGRV offers support through two different projects. One financed by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and one financed by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).
In Colombia, DGRV works together with its local partner Fundación CFA to implement the project “Apoyamos – Buen Vivir Rural.” The aim is to strengthen rural communities and small-scale farmers by helping them foster inclusive participation in rural life and take an active role in shaping their own development and well-being.
Colombia is home to around 6,700 cooperatives across diverse sectors, serving 6.4 million members—most of them affiliated with Savings and Credit Cooperatives (SACCOs). These cooperatives play a vital role in rural areas, where banks traditionally focus on (semi-)urban populations. In agriculture, some cooperatives hold key positions, contributing significantly to Colombia’s success in exporting for example high-quality coffee.
The project supports people in organizing themselves into cooperatives or other community-based groups and encourages them to build strong networks for economic and social cooperation. It helps them identify and develop small business ideas that can generate income and improve living conditions in a sustainable way.
These initiatives come from vulnerable communities in selected regions and are supported through four main areas of activity: Strengthening – building organizational and leadership capacities, Financial inclusion – improving access to financial services, Networking – fostering collaboration and exchange, Fair trade – promoting ethical and sustainable economic practices.
The program has expanded to the departments of Huila, Córdoba and Risaralda through various cooperation agreements.
Our project in Colombia contributes to several Sustainable Development Goals, in the Apoyamos project especially:
The CFA Foundation is a non-profit entity that, based on mutual aid, equity, and solidarity, ethics, commitment, and excellence, advances social intervention processes aimed at improving the quality of life of the members of its community.
In collaboration with DGRV, Apoyamos executes the “Apoyamos – Buen Vivir Rural” project, which aims to encourage local economic activities in Colombia through the creation of development networks and the promotion of fair agricultural production and marketing.
https://www.cfa.com.co/cfa-fundacion
Financial network Red Coopcentral is operated by DGRV’s partner VISIONAMOS, a cooperative central institution based in Medellin. Payment services and IT service (including development and operation of an IT-core) for the affiliated credit cooperatives are in the foreground.
https://www.visionamos.com/
Together with DGRV the so-called “Programa de Fortalecimiento Institucional” (PFI) is carried out to advise cooperatives affiliated to VISIONAMOS.
https://www.visionamos.com/nosotros/dgrv/
The activities of the project in Colombia are supervised by the DGRV office in Costa Rica:
Plaza Torres de Heredia, Of. 221
Ulloa, Heredia – Costa Rica
F. +506 4200 3034
costarica@dgrv.coop
Across six countries in Latin America, DGRV implements the project “LAC E-Coop: Piloting Green Finance to Promote Community-based Clean Energy Solutions” (2024–2027), funded by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).
The concept: long-standing partners of DGRV—savings and credit cooperatives (SACCOs)—are empowered to finance renewable energy investments. DGRV, as IDB’s selected implementation partner, provides tailored advisory services to ensure green loans are effective and sustainable.
Through this approach, rural communities and smallholder groups gain access to affordable financing for productive uses such as solar-powered irrigation or energy-efficient agricultural processing. DGRV leverages its expertise and strong cooperative network across Latin America to design practical solutions. Advisory services accompany borrowers before and during financing, reducing risks and maximizing impact.
This initiative strengthens cooperative structures, promotes climate resilience, and accelerates the transition to clean energy in rural areas.
Colombia is one of the pilot countries within the framework of DGRV´s activities in this regional project. The project partners are the cooperatives CFA and Coogranada based in Medellín. In their area of influence (mainly Antioquia), the project supports smallholder farmer groups and rural water organizations with green loans for solar energy solutions. DGRV provides advisory services on business management, legal aspects, and financial education. CFA and Coogranada also received an IDB credit line to establish green credit products under the program.
Latin America In Costa Rica, DGRV works to strengthen the cooperative sector as part of the country’s broader social economy. The focus lies on helping cooperatives contribute more effectively to sustainable development, especially in relation to the goals of the 2030 Agenda. Costa Rica is home to 540 cooperatives across various economic sectors. Out of a population […]
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Latin America In the Dominican Republic, DGRV’s work focuses on strengthening cooperatives in the financial and agricultural sectors, particularly in rural areas in the north and south of the country. The objective is to improve the economic and financial inclusion of small-scale producers, women, youth, and other vulnerable groups. The country is home to around 2,300 cooperatives, […]
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Latin America In Ecuador, DGRV works across the country to strengthen the cooperative sector, with a particular focus on financial cooperatives. To foster financial inclusion, the project supports savings and credit cooperatives in delivering innovative, high-quality products and services to their members and clients. Special emphasis is placed on sustainable financing and promoting gender equality. The country […]
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