Empower Deaf Women to Build a Business in Mexico

The dream of providing a means to create empowerment through employment for the young Deaf women at Escuela de Educación Especial de San Miguel de Allende is within their reach. Three of these young women, Azucena, Laura and Fernanda will graduate from high school, likely in December. Gaby will graduate this year from middle school and has chosen not to go on to higher education which is entirely fine. All four will seek at least part time employment after their graduation. Networking and advocating within the community by school organizers has already reaped the reward of employment for some of the older students. Currently Azucena is working part time with Luis' wooden puzzle making shop after classes and Gaby has been offered part time employment during summer vacation with well known and successful jewelry designer and instructor David Godinez. David trained Gaby himself at EEE's Vocational Training Jewelry Workshop and is so impressed with her skill and imagination that he wants to have her on his team. Laura and Fernanda, avid and accomplished seamstresses trained in the Sewing Workshop at EEE, plan to continue in sewing; making attractive bags, pillows and girls' dresses. Fernanda may have the opportunity to design hand painted clothing for a local fashion design business. It would be the ideal situation to have all of the student eventually employed by businesses outside the school and in the "hearing world" but we realize that this will not be initially practical for every student.

In order to provide means of further training and untimately employment, organizers at EEE created this project as a means to fund a "store" within the school premises to showcase and sell handmade products made by the students to the public. The vocational training instructors have been very busy during the past year training the students in making and perfecting the design of attractive, useful and marketable products from the Sewing, Jewelry Making and Carpentry Workshop. The public has shown their interest in these products through sample testing, special sales events and custom orders received from interested buyers. An example is the outstanding success achieved through building artists' easels in the wood working shop aimed at the large artist community in San Miguel de Allende. All products have been tested and are ready to be offered for sale to the public. The students are now ready to learn to organize production and learn how to market and present their products in an attractive and practical way in a secure environment supported by translators and managers. Work has been completed in painting walls, installing new lighting and beautifying used display fixtures. Work is underway in creating a logo and other marketing materials. We anticipate that when school resumes a new term in September the store will be ready to open its doors. Fernando, a participant of the Sewing Workshop and a talented artist, has drawn a mural on the wall of the proposed shop space. The mural will soon be painted and serve as a logo for the new operation. As a team, all of the older students will work together to make the new store an operating success.

Thank you to all our GlobalGiving donors for funding this project and helping the students feel empowered and realize the success of achieving employment. Although these young people are Deaf, they have come to realize that there isn't a dream that is beyond their reach. Thank you for playing a very important role in the students' future success. 

To donors currently making recurring monthly donations to this project, we will redirect your donations to a second project "Sponsor a Deaf Child to Receive an Education in Mexico" where we focus on bringing elementary and middle school Deaf children to EEE to receive the education in Mexican Sign Language and written Spanish. Many of these children and their families live in rural areas and find it difficult to get to school in the city. Through this project we intend to help them get to school and receive the special education every Deaf child deserves.