20150729_135600The Citi Microentrepreneurship Awards (CMA) is a nationwide search for outstanding Filipino micro entrepreneurs funded by Citi Foundation, the philanthropic arm of multinational banking and financial services corporation Citigroup. Done in partnership with the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas and the Microfinance Council of the Philippines, Inc. (MCPI), a non-stock, non-profit development organization for microfinance institutions in the Philippines, the CMA was launched in 2002 as part of the celebrations of Citi’s 100th year in the Philippines.

In 2015, the CMA Country Team decided to add a mentoring component to the awards program, starting with the past winners in Luzon. Thus, MCPI engaged the services of UP ISSI to undertake the mentoring program initially for the 13 past winners of the CMA in Luzon. The project was initiated to help each micro entrepreneur improve the business and elevate its products and services by developing an intervention based on the specific business needs of the winner.