By Rut Roman | Project Leader
“I never knew I was good at this” says Juanita (42 years old) while she threads one of the industrial sewing machines at the seamstress workshop in Don Juan. “In a funny way, the earthquake made me discover things”, she continues. “When my house was torn down I didn´t feel like watching telenovelas all afternoon among the mess, debris and disaster in which I´ve been living in the improvised shelter we were able to put together after the earthquake. When someone told me about this place, I didn´t know what I would find, but when I stepped in, you greeted me with a big smile and showed around all these sewing machines. I had never used one before, but I love it now!”
Juanita is one of 300 women who live in Don Juan and one of many that spend the afternoon in the seamstress workshop mending old clothes or learning how to cut and sew along with her neighbors. After the 7.8 earthquake that destroyed our village last year, this place has turned into a safe haven for women and children. When the rainy season destroyed the roof that protected our small library we had to hurriedly make space in the workshop and move all the books in.
In spite of the precarious setting, this is a happy and busy place during the afternoons. Our view is that women who share time and projects together will soon start to move towards productive initiatives and our NGO will be there to accompany them all the way. We don´t want to come up with a sewing contract or push them into a productive project; we think that given the space and time to develop their creativity and camaraderie, this will lead towards entrepreneurial ventures, if this is what they want. Nonetheless, this is the perfect place to delicately discuss gender issues, child security and many other subjects that create risks for those most vulnerable of Don Juan´s population.
Thanks to your generous support, we have secured a 300 square meter plot of land; a beautiful architectural design; 11 industrial sewing machines in the seamstress workshop; 1,500 books in the library and $39,567 to construct the Intercultural Center. This building will house the seamstress workshop, training space, volunteer suite and the library. We are deeply appreciative of your continued involvement with our projects. We still need equipment and funding to run our educational programs so please share your praise worthy commitment to Don Juan with friends and family so we may continue to grow and help local families to make their dreams for a better life come true. We hope our donors will come and visit the results of our shared endeavor. If you would like to teach English as a Second Language (ESL), math, arts, sports or crafts, the volunteer suite will soon be ready for your visit. ¡Gracias mil!
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