The worldview and interculturality in the training of entrepreneurs: a model of participatory edu-communication in Ecuador

The paper addresses how interculturality and indigenous worldview (cosmovisión) can inform an educational-communicative model to improve entrepreneurship training for women in Ecuador, particularly in rural and urban-marginal areas where the formal education system has excluded them. It situates interculturality as a transformative approach beyond mere multicultural coexistence, emphasizing recognition, respect and dialogic communication among cultures within a plurinational state. The study’s purpose is to design an Intercultural Edu-communication Model for the Training of Women Entrepreneurs (MEIFE) that integrates intersectionality, interculturality and a gender approach as a pathway to Good Living (sumak kawsay), responding to women’s expressed needs for relevant, non-formal training aligned with their socio-economic realities and community roles.

The state of the art examines: (1) Interculturality in Latin America as both concept and practice linked to colonial histories, migration, and current political projects, framed as a proposal from indigenous peoples to transform power structures and promote equity (Walsh, CODENPE). It distinguishes Latin American uses focused on decolonial struggles from European integration approaches and calls for intercultural relations based on recognition, respect, and effective communication. (2) Interculturality in Ecuador, where the 2008 Constitution established an intercultural and plurinational state and introduced sumak kawsay; however, practice remains influenced by positivist paradigms and recognition has been uneven across ethnic groups. Rethinking interculturality beyond ethnicist or hegemonic positions is urged. (3) Edu-communication in Latin America developed through popular education and critical pedagogy, leveraging media (notably radio) to educate rural and indigenous communities (Kaplún, Beltrán), now supported by ICT to facilitate intercultural dialogue, social cohesion, and inclusive educational models. Edu-communication is framed as enculturation and dialogic exchange within intercultural contexts. Ecuador’s Organic Law of Communication supports community media as spaces for intercultural edu-communication. (4) Worldview and development contrasts Andean cosmovision—collective harmony with nature (Pachamama), reciprocity, and balance—with Western developmentalism focused on capital accumulation and consumerism. Sumak/Allí Kawsay is a holistic life paradigm guiding constitutional principles and aligning with SDGs (notably Goals 5 and 8). (5) The role of women in sumak kawsay highlights relationality, complementary gender roles, and the need to address inequities and promote shared leadership while valuing rural women’s environmental knowledge and contributions. (6) Entrepreneurship in Ecuador shows high entrepreneurial potential and activity but limited training, high early closure rates, and policy/finance barriers; gender equity and non-formal training are critical, with calls for supportive public policy and lifelong entrepreneurial education across formal and non-formal systems.

Setting: Imbabura province, northern Andes of Ecuador, a multiethnic, multicultural area (approx. 54% mestizo, 32% white, 9% indigenous, 3% black, 2% other; INEC 2010) with diverse ecosystems and significant cross-border commerce. Research question: What educational-communicative model that considers interculturality and cosmovision is adequate for training women entrepreneurs in Imbabura? Design: Participatory research with mixed methods (qualitative and quantitative). Qualitative components included workshops, unstructured interviews, direct observation (field notebooks, recordings) with leaders and members of three women’s associations to collect testimonies and ancestral experiences. Instruments were validated by specialists in instrument construction, entrepreneurship, and education; data were triangulated with bibliographic sources from indigenous, Afro-Ecuadorian, and mestizo thought. Associations selected by criteria of ethnic diversity, active enterprises, and informed consent: Agricultoras "Frutos de mi Tierra" (Urcuquí), UNORCAC women "La Pachamama nos alimenta" (Cotacachi), and "Las Choteñitas" (Afro-Ecuadorian women from the Chota Valley, Ibarra). Analytical procedures: Researchers constructed analysis categories after discussion and critical analysis of interviews and observations; matrices supported decisions for the model and derived programs; programs were then discussed with specialists and association presidents. Quantitative component: A 31-item questionnaire was piloted with non-association women entrepreneurs in the province to calculate reliability and refine the instrument. The final survey was administered to an intentional sample of 84 women, ensuring canton representativeness. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics to characterize participants, their enterprises, and ICT access/use. Ethics: Informed consent obtained; anonymity and proper data use guaranteed; results shared with associations as part of social responsibility.

- Sample composition and demographics: Among participants, 46% self-identified as Afro-Ecuadorian, 39% as indigenous, and 14% as mestizo; all are part of the economically active population. Age distributions: 75% of Afro-Ecuadorian women were 18–55; 81% of indigenous women 26–45; 83% of mestizo women 55+. - Educational attainment: Only 33% completed six years of basic education; 15% started but did not complete primary. For secondary education, 14% completed all years and 17.85% completed at least one year. 7% had not attended formal education. Only 11.5% were currently studying at university. Findings indicate a persistent gap in access, permanence, and completion for rural women, especially indigenous and Afro-Ecuadorian women, despite constitutional commitments to intercultural education. - Household headship (Table 1): Heads of household—Afro-Ecuadorian 38.46% yes (61.54% no); Indigenous 24.25% yes (75.75% no); Mestizo 66.67% yes (33.33% no). - Income sources and entrepreneurship: 100% of indigenous and mestizo women and 87.5% of Afro-Ecuadorian women reported income from entrepreneurial activities. Motivation (Table 2): Afro-Ecuadorian—Need 74.35%, Opportunity 25.64%; Indigenous—Need 78.78%, Opportunity 21.21%; Mestizo—Need 100%, Opportunity 0. - Enterprise sectors: Predominantly agricultural production, gastronomy, trade in agricultural products, handicrafts, and cultural/community tourism (especially among Afro-Ecuadorian women). - Capacity gaps: Ventures are largely intuition-driven, lacking basic management tools, threatening sustainability. Women expressed a strong will and need for education suited to their socio-economic realities and family roles, including ICT-supported non-formal training. - Model development: In response, the Intercultural Edu-communication Model for the Formation of Women Entrepreneurs (MEIFE) was designed as a non-formal training framework grounded in Andean cosmovision. Components include Dimensions (Knowledge, Attitude, Practice); Fundamentals (Ontological, Epistemological, Axiological, Praxeological); and Transversal Axes (Innovation and Entrepreneurship; Sustainability; Inclusion and Interculturality; Edu-Communicational). The model emphasizes collectivism, reciprocity, dialogue of knowledges, complex/holistic thinking, and ethical-social purposes beyond mere profit.

Findings reveal structural barriers in Ecuador’s formal education that disproportionately affect rural women, widening ethnic and territorial gaps. Despite constitutional recognition of interculturality and sumak kawsay, education policy and practice have not ensured equitable access, permanence, and completion, especially for indigenous and Afro-Ecuadorian women. Economic independence emerges as crucial for reducing inequalities; many women are heads of household and rely on necessity-driven entrepreneurship, yet lack managerial training. The study argues that educational responses must be intercultural, dialogic, and non-formal to align with women’s lived contexts and schedules. Edu-communication—rooted in Latin American popular education and supported by ICT—provides a mechanism to foster intercultural dialogue, democratize knowledge, and strengthen entrepreneurial competencies. MEIFE addresses these needs by reframing entrepreneurship education through Andean cosmovision: privileging collective development, reciprocity, and harmony with nature; integrating hermeneutic and systemic epistemologies; and embedding axiological commitments to community well-being and environmental balance. This approach situates entrepreneurship as both an economic and civic-ethical practice, aiming to enhance women’s autonomy, sustainability of ventures, and community welfare, thus advancing the goals of sumak kawsay and SDGs on gender equality and decent work.

Persistent gendered poverty, unpaid work burdens, and higher female unemployment indicate ongoing challenges to achieving equality and sumak kawsay. The proposed Intercultural Edu-communication Model (MEIFE) offers a reference framework for non-formal training programs that incorporate cosmovision as an identity element, recognize cultural particularities, and comply with anti-discrimination legal principles. The study confirms a relationship between education level and income and highlights that a large share of Afro-Ecuadorian and indigenous women are of productive age, positioning MEIFE to improve household economies by enhancing women’s entrepreneurial capacities. Participants expressed a strong will to pursue education tailored to their socio-economic and family contexts, supported by ICT, and focused on concrete, enterprise-related topics to sustain their initiatives. MEIFE consolidates knowledge and skills for product innovation, commercial and business management, and ethical, community-oriented practice across dimensions of knowledge, practice, and attitude, while preserving and reproducing traditional knowledge grounded in Andean cosmovision.