A 29-year-old midwife-entrepreneur from San Fernando, Cebu won the Youth Microentrepreneur of the Year award in the 2018 Citi Microentrepreneurship Awards, a global financial inclusion initiative that recognizes the contributions of microentrepreneurs.
Mary Grace Bayalas, who founded a birthing clinic, is proof that age should not stop anyone from starting small and aspiring to be successful.
The CMA is a collaboration of Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, Citi Philippines, and Microfinance Council of the Philippines, Inc., and funded by Citi Foundation. It gives small businesses a much-needed boost by recognizing small entrepreneurs from all over the Philippines and offering them a wide array of opportunities.
Now on its 17th year, the awards program provides entrepreneurs with resources to strengthen their businesses, and enables individuals to achieve financial sustainability for themselves, their families, and their communities.
It has so far recognized the efforts of and supported 133 outstanding small entrepreneurs in the country who have also significantly contributed to the quality of life in their respective communities.
CMA honors a National Winner; regional awardees from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao; three special awardees; and a Youth Microentrepreneur, who can inspire others to start a business at an early age.