Opportunities for My Community is a project by USAID and the Inter-American Dialogue that links remittances with economic development in Guatemala. The project presents a strategy that promotes savings formalization and investment in education as tools to build human and economic capital.

Project activities focus on the Western Highlands and Guatemala City, working in partnership with local financial institutions, schools and non-governmental organizations to improve levels of economic growth and social development, and providing the necessary resources and tools to strengthen Guatemalan “knowledge capital” through three strategic areas: financing, innovation and education.

Remittances and development are linked through four components:

Financial education for remittance recipients in order to improve their knowledge of savings and budgeting, and to promote formal savings.
Access to credit and technical assistance for entrepreneurs, particularly those in the knowledge economy.
Engagement of diaspora groups and remittance companies in order to mobilize resources to fund educational initiatives in Guatemala.
Extracurricular programs for youth in areas of high emigration.
The ultimate objective is to have a critical mass of people formally saving, investing in education, and contributing to Guatemala’s human capital and economic development as it transitions to a more knowledge-based economy.