E-Work Business and Entrepreneurship Center for Migrants and All Community Members - Santo Domingo, Ecuador

The city of Santo Domingo welcomes newcomers from all over, mainly Colombia and Venezuela, as well as Ecuadorian returnees who may need additional support upon returning. Many build small, informal businesses and become entrepreneurs to provide for themselves and their families, turning their creativity and resilience into a skill and a job. However, many are new entrepreneurs and need support to market their businesses, expand their product ranges, learn new techniques and widen their network of customers. 

The municipal government has worked together with UN agencies and local organizations to create a coworking space in the Santa Marta Training Center, the E-Work Business and Entrepreneurship Center, where all community members can come together to work and learn alongside each other. In our new video, Adriana Garcés from IOM Ecuador speaks about how the co-working space encourages entrepreneurs, migrants and the host community to exchange ideas and strengthen their businesses.

José Iván Dávalos, Chief of Mission for IOM Ecuador, emphasized that the opening of this co-working space is an example of the possibility of working beyond a humanitarian assistance approach. This space will provide people residing in Santo Domingo with holistic opportunities that allow them to learn new skills, create sustainability for their businesses and not only prosper and explore their ambitions but also to contribute to the development of the country.

The IOM-UNDP Global Programme on Making Migration Work for Sustainable Development (M4SD) is working in the city to ensure that all members of the community - including migrants, returnees and other mobile people - can have access to equal job opportunities. By creating an environment in which everyone can thrive and meet their family’s needs, Santo Domingo will be stronger and more prosperous both socially and economically. This co-working space is one of several activities ongoing in Santo Domingo and Manta which include: training and building the capacities of workers and entrepreneurs, helping connect job seekers with open positions through job fairs and an online job bank and training local businesses in more inclusive hiring practices. Ecuador is one of 11 countries participating in the M4SD Programme.