Fight Poverty: Educate Women in Panama

I wish you could listen in on one of Calicanto’s Seguimientos calls - our new follow-up process for graduates of CAPTA. Meeting on zoom over a period of six months, graduates respond to impact surveys, participate in games, and reconnect with their cohort. It has been such a privilege to get to know these resilient women through what they share in the small group environment. Some are working diligently to make their business profitable, caring for a sick family member, rebuilding their lives after divorce, or excitedly sending their child off to university. Though virtual, the environment is warm and empathetic with women readily offering words of encouragement or wisdom to each other. “I feel like I am surrounded by family” remarked Yumico, a CAPTA 60 graduate at the end of our most recent call.

The design of the follow-up process hinges on the premise that facilitating environments for graduates to support and affirm each other is a strategic way of reinforcing the empowerment principles learned throughout CAPTA. Along with receiving support from the foundation, you can hear from your friend, perhaps even your neighbor who shares valuable understanding of your struggles, goals, and contexts. Alumni are provided a space to connect with other women doing the same disciplined work of integrating mature conflict resolution, healthy coping mechanisms, and resilience in their day-to-day lives.

Structuring our monitoring and evaluation process in a community-sustaining way creates a pathway for women to grow into community members and leaders. Even if it is just for an hour, a space for graduates to share what is on their minds and provide support for each other, reinforces the psycho, social, and emotional empowerment experienced through CAPTA. It places them in an environment where they are first and foremost people; separating who they are from their circumstances and interrupting internal narratives of victimization. Instead of being just a beneficiary, they are a listening friend. Instead of being at the mercy of their circumstances, they are empowered individuals. Instead of being defined by the countless, limiting labels our society places on women - they have a place of belonging and have something valuable to offer.

They are in short, a woman whose voice matters and isn't that what empowerment is all about?

For our team, this new process has added much needed structure to the monitoring and evaluation program (Conexiones), greatly reducing their workload while increasing the quality of their interactions with graduates. Our team spends less time trying to track down graduates, and more time building relationships and providing support to alumni. Additionally, there is more clarity on what the Conexiones program actually offers with designated space within each call to communicate the scope of resources available to graduates, share upcoming events, and make an appointment with a psychologist. Our graduates have a clear understanding of what resources are available to them as alumni, increasing the likelihood of long-term involvement in the foundation.

There is no need to overstate the innovation of this new program, it is simply designed and straightforward in application. What makes it special, is that the format meets our alumni’s needs for a greater network of support as they put into practice new life skills. Whether they are experiencing difficulty, seeing success, or working to create positive change in their lives they are not alone. At Calicanto, we are supporting long lasting impact through the fostering of long lasting relationships, one Seguimientos call at a time.

Links:

• Original blog post

To create greater awareness about the prevention of gender violence, Fundacion Calicanto in collaboration with the French Embassy in Panama carried out a training program for local women.

Within the framework of prevention and education on gender violence, Fundacion Calicanto graduated 15 women selected from the CAPTA Program (Training for Work) to be part of the project 'Agents of Change for the Prevention of Gender Violence', created to train and educate women to make social and behavioral changes on other women, men and adolescents in their communities.

As a result of the project, the 15 women selected received their official certifications last December on behalf of Fundacion Calicanto and the French Embassy in Panama, as they were able to impact more than 200 adolescents with the realization of awareness workshops on equity and equal rights, so that each one could acquire the tools and the necessary knowledge to improve their personal and professional development. In addition, the training of the adolescents included workshops on the application of equal rights and the prevention of gender violence.

The women selected are already part of the foundation's internal network, because they had initially complied with the CAPTA Program, that introduces them to psychosocial and personal entrepreneurship development components, which according to the president of the foundation: “The program allows women get and keep a formal job, since we cannot speak of empowered women if they are not able to acquire their own resources.”

Regarding the leadership of the "Agents of Change", the president emphasized that they describe themselves as women who "know what their communities need" and have the knowledge and tools necessary to "impact the inhabitants in favor of a possible positive change.”

From the agents perspective

According to statistics from the Panamanian Observatory against Gender Violence, from 2014 to July 2021 there have been more than 130 thousand 760 complaints of domestic violence, 89 thousand 271 (68.27%) in the First Judicial District, formed by the provinces of Panama, Colón, Darién and the Guna Yala region. While in October 2021 there were 17 femicides, 12 attempted femicides and 16 violent deaths of women, according to an official report of the Attorney General's Office (PGN).

Knowing this aspect of the Panamanian reality resonated with Eldemira, an agent of change who graduated from the program and has a degree in social work, who pointed out the importance of maintaining and increasing the support for projects that seek "better training for women."

"I am motivated by the program because it is an open door to provide information to people, in order to stop the increase in violence, and to expand the message that people should not remain only victims, but transform themselves," she said.

On the other hand, the agent Ana pointed out that "it is not necessary to have suffered from violence to be able to help others who have," and emphasized the high receptivity of young people. "We were able to help many young people because they too are interested, they just need someone who is willing to explain and teach them about how to prevent violence in their contexts."

Links:

• Agents of Change for Gender Violence Prevention