Supporting indigenous mentors to reach more girls

La Casa Productiva es un espacio para que las niñas puedan aprender, crecer y crear. Este espacio se sostiene gracias a la producción de huevos de gallinas libres, y al cultivo de 8 tipos diferentes de plantas tradicionales. Las mentoras de Na'leb'ak, que manejan la Casa Productiva, llegado tan lejos que incluso lograron atrapar la atención de la Defensoría de la Mujer Indígena -DEMI-, la única institución del gobierno de Guatemala para las mujeres indígenas en el país. La defensora, junto a la delegada de Alta Verapaz, visitaron este magnífico proyecto hace unas semanas. Ellas mostraron admiradas por el trabajo que se hace en la Casa Productiva y mostraron su interés en mantener el contacto para invitar a las mentoras a diferentes reuniones, encuentros de aprendizaje y proyectos a futuro. Las oportunidades para las mentoras siguen creciendo y esto solo puede ser a causa de su increíble esfuerzo, tiempo, compromiso e ideas. 

Na'leb'ak demuestra que la inversión en en grupos de mujeres autónomas tiene la capacidad para ayudar a impulsar el cambio para las niñas y adolescentes en sus comunidades; una iniciativa económica de mujeres que funciona bien, fomenta la independencia económica y el empoderamiento de las nuevas generaciones. A través del tiempo el objetivo de Na'leb'ak sigue siendo el mismo: contribuir al país, acercarse a niñas y adolescentes, y equiparlas con habilidades para llevar una vida saludable. 

Porque la independencia económica no es el fin sino un medio para alcanzar a más niñas - dice Karla, una de las mentoras

Te agradecemos de todo corazón si puedes ayudarnos con donar o compartir esta increíble labor para que más personas la conozcan y lleguemos cada vez más lejos. Gracias por leernos y estar al pendiente de nosotros, esperamos usted y su familia se encuentren muy bien. 

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The Casa Productiva is a space for girls to learn, grow and create. This space is sustained through to the production of free chicken eggs, and the cultivation of 8 different types of traditional plants. The Na'leb'ak mentors, who run the Casa Productiva, went so far that they even managed to catch the attention of the Office of the Ombudsman for Indigenous Women -DEMI-, the only Guatemalan governmental institution for indigenous women in the country. Their representative, together with the Alta Verapaz delegate, visited this project a few weeks ago. They expressed their admiration for the work that is done in the Casa and showed their interest in maintaining contact to invite the mentors to different meetings, learning encounters and future projects. The opportunities for mentors continue to grow and this can only be because of their incredible effort, time, commitment and ideas.

Na'leb'ak demonstrates that investing in autonomous women's groups has the capacity to help drive change for girls and adolescents in their communities; A well-functioning women's economic initiative fosters economic independence and the empowerment of new generations. Over time Na'leb'ak's goal has remained the same: to contribute to the country, to reach out to girls and adolescents, and to equip them with skills to lead healthy lives.

Because economic independence is not the end but a means to reach more girls - says Karla, one of the mentors

We thank you from the bottom of our hearts and invite you to help Karla and her colleagues by donating or sharing this incredible work so that more people get to know it and it goes further and further. Thanks for reading and staying with us, we hope you and your family are very well.

Links:

• FB de Na'leb'ak
• FB de DEMI

Dear donor,

We hope that this message finds you well and successfully navigating this “new normal” and staying safe during the COVID-19 outbreak.

In the last report we talked about our key informants on the Covid-19 pandemic; our team obtained information from people living in rural areas to know the best way to support the most vulnerable. We attached a summary of the findings and now we want to share with you a webinar where Ángel del Valle, country director of Population Council (PC) Guatemala, participated. The webinar was titled “Adaptations in Crisis: Stress Testing our Intentional Design Model for Girls’ Programs”, in which a briefly reviewed theory of change of how emergencies are mediated through girls was exposed. Reports from Guatemala, Lebanon, Ethiopia, Bangladesh, and Mozambique highlighted how to positively engage girls, their families, and communities in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Find the webinar in this link: https://vimeo.com/413392357/b94cebf03b

Two other little but important updates:

1. We are developing a radio adaptation of the AO program.
2. We are in close contact with mentors to increase their knowledge around the Covid-19 outbreak and how to access the government’s economic relief programs.

If it is possible, we request you to help us with your donation so we can continue and sustain our efforts. We believe now more than ever that girls and mentors need to feel safe and supported. 

Thank you for all that you have done for the Council's work, and we look forward to continuing engaging with you.

Best regards,