Fight Poverty: Educate Women in Panama

We have been working non stop since Covid-19 striked us in march. As many other non profits, our first response was to help as many of our beneficiaries as possible. We educated, gave emotional and monetary support to the ones in most need, but our goal was to keep doing what we do best: Change lives through our educational program. 

That was something we had been planning before Covid-19, how to reach as many women as possible and how to do it in an easy and accessible way? 

Thanks to these uncertain times, we focused like never before and finally we have created a program that is 100% virtual and structured to give tools to all those women who have an entrepreneurial mindset to give them the tools they need to reach their goals and economic stability. 

It hasn't been easy, the digital gap in our country is very real and we had to think out of the box to overcome that obstacle. 

We are starting a new challenge and we wanted to share this great news with you, this wouldn't be possible without your support. 

Also we have been receiving support from companies and small businesses who want to give back to the community. 

In the last few weeks we delivered more Gift Cards for grocery shopping, our beneficiaries had a sweet treat in the form of delicious cookies and face masks from Wellys Kitchen and also received brand new sneakers from Adidas and Reebook. 

We won't stop: 

-We kept our vow to give tools to women to become financially independent and we started a program with 6 beneficiaries to make face masks for sale in collaboration with Fundamorgan. 

-We had been working in alliance with almost 30 non profit organizations in a shared effort to collect funds in a campaign denominated #RecuperaPanama (Recover Panama)

-We are giving 2 weekly sessions of Espacio Positivo, trough Zoom and IG live

All of these efforts wouldn't be possible without your support, we want to thank you for believing in our cause and being part of the change in the lives of panamanian women.

A lot has changed since our last report. Not only in Panama, in the whole world. 

What seemed to be a new disease that was affecting a few countries rapidly spreaded across the 5 continents. 

Panama is a developing country, we were not ready for something like this but we had to quickly adapt in order to continue doing our job helping women in vulnerable situations. 

Today the country is in strict quarantine due to the lack of attention from the public. 

We got 558 cases and the numbers are going up quickly.  

We had to rearrange our whole plan and start going digital, in order to support and educate these women and their families about the importance of basic hygiene and staying home as much a posible.

It was a bittersweet moment, because we were about to graduate 26 CAPTA beneficiaries, the spirits were high and all of a sudden everything changed.

We didn't got a chance to say “see you soon”, or give a last hug; we owned the situation and handled it with the strength and support that our beneficiaries needed. 

We quickly set up a hotline for emotional support, and started a social media campaign in order to support and educate. 

We are currently using tools like instagram to connect live with our audience and talk about our emotions, with the guidance of our psychologists.

Also as a non-profit we are working to connect all of our beneficiaries with the different programs our government is implementing to help all the people that are directly or indirectly affected by this situation. 

As the situation develops we plan to run a food program to support the ones in need and collaborate with similar efforts. 

This is the moment when we have to show the best we got and work together to get through this time supporting the ones who need it the most.  Solidarity is our new economy!

After having successfully completed the first five weeks of the Fundamental Cycle of the CAPTA Program, 28 strong women manage to move on to the Vocational Cycle where, in teacher Victorino`s words: “GIVING UP IS NOT AN OPTION. This is the motto that keep you motivated to move forward to stand firm in the face of adversity and keep in mind your purposes.”

The Beginning of CAPTA 53 represented for some a dream to fulfill, for others a new hope, for some a new challenge and sacrifice but all agreed that CAPTA is a new opportunity to learn, improve, find themselves, continue growing and reaching that economic and emotional autonomy they need to get ahead.

No effort was spared, all had given their best and through the classes of Emotional Intelligence, conflict management, self-confidence, leadership, personal image, acting among others. They have been working on their purposes and we have seen these women strive firmly to learn and fulfill their tasks responsibly, improve their communication and draw strength from fears.

Undoubtedly, the first weeks become a school of life, allowing day-to-day strengthening and developing the social skills necessary in all living together, becoming more aware of the importance of physical and mental health, setting goals and expanding their preparatory technical skills to Job search.

Today, in this new stage, they get ready to know and develop skills in the technical vocational area, training as kitchen assistants and waitresses. Happy to have fulfilled their first goal and to start this second with renewed forces and their eyes set on that purpose, which they mentioned and have embraced since their first day at CAPTA.

Rilan, a 37-year-old woman with 5 children and who lives in Curundú, shares that CAPTA has changed her life, has learned that the attitude can open doors but also close doors and that she has made the decision to be a better person, mother and woman . 

“My biggest change has been my attitude and rebellion, it was not positive. But now even if it's not perfect, I'm looking to be a better person every day because, selfishness is a darkness that keeps you in the shadows ” Rilan.

We wish Success for all in this new stage!

November has just ended, and with it the international stand against gender violence taken by women everywhere on the day of the 25^th.

As an organization working with women in social vulnerability (trapped in cycles of violence and economic dependency), we see every day the consequences this kind of violence has on the women that go through it. We get to know them, we hear their stories, we try to mend their confidence broken by it, we change their perception of it, as well as the way they define love.

We know first-hand that going through gender violence is a brutal experience, from the experiences that the CAPTA women have gone through. We know what it can do to a person, to their sense of self, to the way they treat others as a result, to their motivation and the independence they feel they deserve…

This is why we created our social media campaign #NoEsNo at the beginning of the month. To educate and raise awareness in the population about the different types of violence, the prevalence of violence in vulnerable populations (based on figures from our CAPTA program), and the power of saying "NO".

On the 25^th, like hundreds of women in several countries, we marched. To demand a better future for all women and girls, a real awareness of society and the enforcement of adequate protection laws to punish those responsible.

The day after that, we continued with a conversatory: "Gender Violence, a Reflective Look", which seeked to make people aware of this reality. The free event, for both men and women, started a conversation on the topic, what to do to avoid violence and how to support its victims.

This is not over yet though, since we are taking this campaign until the 10^th of December. Through it, we hope to start a real conversation and leave an impact on society. Our goal is that, when it is no longer November 25, and the protesters and banners will not resonate in the streets, its lessons will remain and things will change for the better.

Apart from this, November was also a CAPTA month. First, the women went to the usual educational tour at the Panamanian Dell facilities, where they had job-related classes and workshops. They also participated in a Cultural Day, where they represented and learned about the different provinces in Panamá and their cultures (food, drink, dances, music…) alongside their families in an activity filled with color, laughter and good vibrations. As survivors of gender violence, they took a proud stand on the march of the 25^th, united alongside our staff under our NOESNO banner, which they showed with conviction in front of passerbuys and protesters alike. Finally, this week, they started the second part of the program: the vocational training, where they began learning about cutlery, cooking, winery, and waitressing for any occasion. We’ll follow their progress closely and let you know how it goes.

For now, we will leave you with this. Today, Fundación Calicanto is taking part of the GivingTuesday fundraising event here on GlobalGiving. As you may or may not know, this #GivingTuesday, GlobalGiving is giving away $500,000 in matching funds to its nonprofit community members.

All funds raised at the event will go to our CAPTA program, which helps women in vulnerable situations to empower themselves and move forward through training in soft skills and technical knowledge in the area of restoration so they can get a job and break the cycle of violence and poverty in which they, their families and their communities find themselves.

To make these objectives a reality, we will need your help. How much we earn depends on how much you give. We've only got 24 hours to participate. So help us win big, and let’s keep changing lives together!