Women Empowerment

Hi!

We are glad to share news with you!

This year we developed our third edition of "Trabajar Vale La Pena".

It was held at "Pequeños Pasos". They are a Civil Association that was born in 2007 to respond to the complex problem of social exclusion, addressing it from its different areas: Education, Health, Nutrition, Labor and Integration.

They are in the neighborhood Loma Hermosa - San Martín. Tili and Flor are responsible for organizing and implementing the various recreational activities and trainings carried out in the institution, both for women and their children. The main objective of the workshops in this association is to accompany women in developing their capacity for resilience, providing them with tools to increase their employability and obtain new options to improve their future.

"Trabajar Vale La Pena" seeks to promote the personal development of women in situations of psychosocial vulnerability. It aims to build vital / occupational projects through strengthening the autonomy based on a methodological strategy: Occupational Training Project.

The first meeting had the purpose of presenting the project and, the entire group (women and coordinators) introduced themselves.

One week after, nine women attended: One of them was new, five women were absent.

We proposed as a task: "Write a dream".

We observe certain difficulties of some of the women to respond; they remained without writing anything. Those who did, wrote dreams that are too broad and difficult to measure (eg, being happy).

The following proposal was about "Projective game with animals".

Of a variety of printed animals, they had to choose one that they liked and one that did not and explain why. This proposal resulted in the dynamics of the workshop being different from that of the first meeting. It resulted dynamic and spontaneous. Women who had difficulty speaking at the previous meeting were able to do so more fluently. There was more interaction between them and a climate of greater confidence. Those who monopolized before did not do so much and others could take the floor.

The last assignment was referred to the resulting qualities recorded on a poster. We ask you to select those qualities with which each one identified, and those with which the others identify them.

Who I am? How I am? What do I have myself to initiate a project and bring it to action?

Task for the next meeting: choose a characteristic that serves the project and one that works as an obstacle.

3th meeting: nine women attended, three of them are new. There were eight absent.

The new pair (Maxi and Eli) and the 3 new participants were presented.

We proposed, at the beginning, that each one think of a project that is feasible in a short / medium term. It could be a work, occupational or personal project.

We reworked in a reflexive way the work done so far in the previous workshops. We reinforce the importance of identifying the skills, tools and capabilities that each one has in order to put together a project.

We propose, as second task, to work with each one life history its work and educational trajectory.

Some solve the slogans autonomously, and with others we worked one by one.

4th meeting: five women attended. The rest were absent.

We set up an expository workshop, with the intention of working a "Basic step-by-step guide", as a tool to be taken into account when designing a project.

The goal was to identify: What I want? How am I going to do it? What do I have? What do I need to get?

We determine the first step that each woman has to give.

Being a small group, it generated a dynamics of greater confidence and it was possible to work case by case, as well as some reflective points with greater depth.

5th meeting: four women attended.

This time we opted for a more playful dynamic that leads to greater spontaneity and fluidity. We decided to do it on the patio.

One of the women identified that her project (to study for teacher) implied a demand of time that she could not afford because she was going to being mother in few months. She modified her project: to organize an American fair as a venture.

The playful dynamics allowed us to display all the objectives designed for this workshop, so we decided to suspend the second thought activity.

There was more depth in the reflections and stories they made of their lives.

All those present had made their first move.

The objective of this meeting was to work on obstacles / opportunities.

To reflect together on the feasibility of the project, what obstacles are there? Can I circumvent them? How? Do I have to modify my project?

We define the next step for each project.

6th meeting: nine women attended.

We work on a thematic workshop, with simple and concrete tools that serve to set up a venture. The objective of the meeting was to work on the basic axes and concepts required to think and build an autonomous enterprise. It was used by way of examples, the already directed projects of some of the women.

New project ideas emerge from some of the women who had been absent.

We do not inquire about the steps taken nor deepen in the new projects.

Two of the women (Liz and Lina) are personally approaching for questions about their next steps. They are two of the women who find it hard to speak in front of the others within the group dynamics.

7th meeting: ten women participated.

We are dedicated to consolidating the projects and plans of action of each woman. We split into small groups of two or three, each with one of us. We work on the personal situation of each woman with respect to her project. We define the projects that were not yet defined, set up action plans and analyze the current situation of each one, identified obstacles and possible ways of solving them.

The dynamics thus conceived made it possible to work more deeply on each project. The small groups facilitated the trust and the bonds between them; they favored the work together, to think between all the possibilities of action and steps for each project. We were able to go deeper into life stories and work on identified difficulties and opportunities.

The day was more dynamic, concrete and productive. All (except Luna) consolidated their plans.

Those who defined their projects during the meeting commented briefly.

We highlight the importance and value of establishing a network between them, that will support them and also as a resource to promote their projects.

Regards,

FOP team 

Links:

• Search us on Foportunidad.org.ar

Hello!

Happy new year!!

In 2016 two editions of "Trabajar Vale La Pena" were developed.

This is a project that seeks to promote the personal development of women in situations of psychosocial vulnerability. It aims to build vital / occupational projects through strengthening the autonomy based on a methodological strategy: Occupational Training Project.

The last edition of the program was held at "Pequeños Pasos". They are a Civil Association that was born in 2007 to respond to the complex problem of social exclusion, addressing it from its different areas: Education, Health, Nutrition, Labor and Integration.

They are in the neighborhood Loma Hermosa - San Martín. Tili y Flor are responsible for organizing and implementing the various recreational activities, and trainings carried out in the institution, both for women and their children. The main objective of the workshops in this association is to accompany women in developing their capacity for resilience, providing them with tools to increase their employability and obtain new options to improve their future.
 
In the first meeting this group introduced themselves as follows:

•             María Elena, 33 years old, 3 children. She came from Perú, with her partner and his children a year ago.

•             Miguelina, 47 years old, 6 children, in partner for 20 years. She works in the kindergarten of her youngest daughter as a cook. She is working on "learning to delegate".

•             Claudia, 36 years, 7 children. Single mother. Miguelina says of her that "she is very creative and gives a hand with everything".

•             Guadalupe, 33 years old, 4 children, pregnant on the 5th baby. She lives in couple. She would like to be a teacher. She finished high school.

•             Liz, 19 years. She has a daughter and she lives in couple. She talks little and she seems shy. She came from Paraguay a year and a half ago. She says he likes to learn to be a manicure.

•             Mabel, 2 children, single mom. She came 10 years ago from Paraguay. Her eldest son has a brain tumor so her routine is based on dealing with Horace's treatment.

•             Vanesa, 29 years old. 3 children, in couple since 2006. She makes children's artistic makeup.

•             Luna, 17 years old, 5 months pregnant, in couple since 3 months ago. She takes care of the nephew all day.

•             Lina, 3 children. She says that she "learned to speak in Tili's workshop".

•             María Angélica, 42 years. 4 children.

•             Nilda, 2 daughters, recently separated because of situation of family violence. She says that she "learned to speak in the institution".

•             Daiana, 22 years old. 2 sons. She lives with her family.

•             Margarita, 8 children.

•             Camila, 20 years old. She is 8 months pregnant. 

Fundación Oportunidad, through different dynamics during the 8 meetings, facilitates these women the construction of a project based on their wishes, personal goals and possibilities.

This process, allowed the recognition of the participants own skills and competencies developed in their lives stories to be able to define its projects promoting the implementation of a plan of action, as well as building networks and supporting the ties.

Finally, because of the process, different projects were established.

•             María Angélica is doing the bakery workshop in “Pequeños Pasos” and would like to be able to make pizzas, cakes, bread, etc, and sell it to the neighbors. She received an industrial oven from a relative and has it in her house. Her neighbor and her children would help her. She needs an initial capital to buy gas bottles and some kitchen tools: fountains, shelves, molds, etc.

•             Veronica has experience in sewing parts and would like to start sewing directly in his house. She has a sewing machine. She needs to make her work known in the neighborhood.

•             Margarita: We detected that she likes to cook and knows how to do sweet things. She has the oven and in another moment she has already made bakery. In the workshop he learned how to calculate production cost and sales price to estimate prices.

•             Daiana will return to the bakery. She has the knowledge. She defined as physical space of commercialization the garage of her house. She has the instruments, recipes and defined 3 initial products to sell.

•             Camila is a few weeks away from having her baby and her project will be subject to this new situation. The Event Organization course does not require complete secondary but has a cost that she cannot afford so she continues to look for a free course.

•             Lina´s project is to sell pots. The husband gets the saucepans at a lower price for resale. She selected three models with which to start.

•             Vanesa would like to study dressmaking. This is related to the preparation and sale of clothes.  She has already signed up for a course that begins in March. When she finished, her mother promised to help her get the sewing machine in installments. She has already defined a business plan for the sale of clothes designed by her through Facebook. She started with the design of the brand.Already scored in the course that begins in March. When she finished, her mother promised to help her get the sewing machine in installments. She has already defined a business plan for the sale of clothes designed by her through Facebook.