General Tour Itinerary

We start our day by either heading to Teotitlán del Valle or Díaz Ordaz. Teotitlán, located about a 30 minutes outside of Oaxaca city, is one of the oldest Zapotec villages in the region, and is famous for its traditional rug weaving. Díz Ordaz, a town we began working with in the beginning of 2011, is a little further outside Oaxaca. Díz Ordaz is also a traditional Zapotec town, with fewer economic opportunities than Teotitlán.  

On the tour, we'll first stop in the town center to admire the daily bustling of life and beautiful church.

Then we will visit two groups of three women who are applying for loans. Each of the women we visit will present her project—whether its weaving rugs or raising chickens, selling flowers or making tortillas—and what she plans to do with her loan.  You will hear about the projects, see them in action, learn about the community and have a chance to ask any questions you may have about how it all works.

At the end day, 100% of your tour fee will be given in the form of an interest-free loan to the women you have met on the tour. Once the loan is paid back, we use it to cover administrative costs, give more loans, and support the rest of our work in the community.

Itinerary - Weekday Tours

1:00 Orientation: brief background on microfinance and Fundación En Vía

1:15 Travel to town

1:45 Lunch

2:15 Background on the town and tour of the church

2:30 Visit the three borrowers in the first group

4:15 Visit the three borrowers in the second group

6:00 Discussion and debrief

6:30 Arrive back at the Instituto Cultural Oaxaca

Itinerary - Weekend Tours

9:00 Orientation: brief background on microfinance and Fundación En Vía

9:30 Travel to town

10:00 Background on town and tour of the church

11:00 Visit the three borrowers in the first group

12:45 Visit the three borrowers in the second group

2:30 Lunch, discussion and debrief

3:30 Arrive back at the Instituto Cultural Oaxaca

Please note that the actual timing of the day will depend on the group. Lunch is included in the cost of the tour, but we recommend that you bring water and a snack.