This story was produced by El Tiempo Latino. La puedes leer en español aquí.

Earlier this year, the Mexican Consulate in Washington, D.C. awarded 25 migrant women with certificates in entrepreneurship for completing the Mexicana Emprende program (“Mexican Female Entrepreneurship Program”).

The program lasts five months, with new modules each week. Then, at the end of the course, participants must present their own business plan. The certification is backed by ASU’s Thunderbird School of Global Management.

“This is something that women knew how to do, but that was not a matter of business,” said Esteban Moctezuma, Mexican Ambassador to Washington, D.C. “Now, with these trainings they will be able to pay taxes, grow their businesses, and empower themselves to formalize their work.”

The training participants received will benefit their families as their ventures expand and improve their income, Moctezuma added.

Rafael Laveaga, head of the Consular Mission of the Mexican Consulate in D.C., pointed out that this type of action also helps to eradicate and prevent domestic and gender-based violence suffered by migrant women.

The more prepared and empowered migrant women entrepreneurs are, the less economic dependency there is in cases where women are abused by their partners, Laveaga said.

Jessica Cleris Reyes, one of the workshop graduates who was also recognized for developing the best business plan of the group, said that being better prepared will allow her to improve her work.

“I feel very grateful because this was a dream from the beginning,” Reyes said. ” It is a good initiative to support migrant women because it is complicated to start a business for many reasons, and thanks to this program it is possible to make a dream come true.”

The Mexicana Emprende entrepreneurship program is open to all Mexican migrant women residing in the D.C. region.