Gender Equality Nicaragua Project #20613

Equip 200 women in Managua with life & job skills

by Asociacion Centro Cultural Batahola Norte

Project Report | Mar 3, 2016
Empowering young women for change

By Christina Blebea | Project Leader

Rosselin is a leader in violence prevention

“I want to live in a country without violence! In this neighborhood, we live it every day and we never analyze what’s really going on.”

At age fifteen, Rosselin is already learning to be a leader, volunteering her time as a part of the CCBN's network of eighteen young community organizers that focuses on preventing violence toward women in Batahola. Recent studies have shown that 7 out of every 10 Nicaraguan women suffer repeated acts of physical or psychological violence at the hands of their intimate partners. Day-to-day violence in the home and from men on the street pervades Managua and holds women and young girls back from reaching their full potential.

“Everyone sees it as something normal, and it shouldn’t be that way. I want to raise awareness so that people can recognize the violence in their lives and put an end to it.”

Support from friends like you has meant that Rosselin was one of 195 local teens who was able to learn to identify situations of violence and see how they have affected her life. Rosselin has used this empowering knowledge to spread awareness throughout her neighborhood, strengthening women and youth in her community with tools to prevent violence.

“I used to be shy and timid, but now, if I see violent forms of communication, I denounce it and tell others that it’s bad. They look at me as if I’m crazy, but I know I’m right. Often people don’t take me seriously and they continue to joke, but I’m going to keep trying to affect change.”

With your help, Rosselin now leads workshops with other teens, sharing her knowledge on how to recognize violence in a romantic relationship. In the “Deconstructing Relationships” workshop held from August to October last year, an additional 66 adolescents in Batahola learned how to identify signs of jealousy, control, and abuse in dating. They also learned about their right to have their bodies, emotions, ideas and decisions respected, arming them with knowledge that will help them to survive and thrive. The issue is even more urgent when considering that just 60 days into this new year, 14 femicides (homicides of women by their current or ex-partners) have already been reported.

Rosselin knows how important her efforts are. “We’re trying to change the structure of our society. Although we’re a small group, we’ve seen a difference in our neighborhood. We’re going to keep working for this change.”

We're excited to see this group of committed young people grow in their commitment to a safe neighborhood! They've already started planning for this year's outreach, with workshops scheduled to begin in the next month. Thank you for partnering with us and with young women like Rosselin to make change a reality.

Rosselin uses her cultural heritage as a promoter

Rosselin leads workshops with other teens

Links:

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Dec 8, 2015
A clear path toward our dreams

By Jennifer Marshall | CCBN General Coordinator

Ruth practices her hairstyling skills

“It seems amazing to say it, but I am not the same woman who walked through these doors a few months ago.” Ruth, 36, is practicing her new hairstyling skills as we chat. Living in Batahola she has known about our Center’s work for years, but never had a chance to take part in any of our courses. “I never had time for myself,” she says. “All of my time and energy went into caring for my family. I have two children that mean the world to me.”

Ruth was one of 433 women who enrolled in the Batahola program this year. Thanks to friends like you, last month she graduated with a certificate in Cosmetology. When we started a new training program on personal goal setting, Ruth jumped at the opportunity. This special six-week course brought together 30 women from our different courses. Psychology interns from the local university worked with the group on mapping out their personal goals, along with the timelines and resources needed to reach them.

“This experience has been amazing for me. It really helped me raise my self-esteem, to recognize that first I am a woman with needs and dreams, and that secondly I am a mother. The activities encouraged me to ask myself what I really want out of life and to create a clear path to achieving it.”

Ruth’s goal is to open her own beauty salon, and she is now better equipped to make that dream a reality. As we wrap up this year, I am grateful for the ways that our Center also continues to grow. The support we have received has helped us create new programs like the goal setting workshop. Gifts to our June campaign made it possible for us to offer a new job readiness course, to organize a first annual Vocational Fair and to help more than 250 women get certified in technical courses. We were also able to respond quickly to emergency situations, like when we had to replace the 10-year-old air conditioner in our computer lab in August.

Thank you for accompanying the women of Batahola on their journey of self-discovery and practical training. To learn more about what we accomplish with help from our Friends of Batahola, visit http://friendsofbatahola.org/ where you can find our most recent Annual Report and sign up for our quarterly newsletter. Gifts to the Friends of Batahola annual appeal will help ensure that more women like Ruth can earn skills and make time to move toward a new future.

Best wishes for a happy new year from our Batahola family to yours!

The women created close friendships in the course

Personal reflection is a key course element

Links:

Find a link to our Annual Report at the Friends of Batahola site

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Sep 8, 2015
Encouraging and equipping for job readiness in Batahola

By Jennifer Marshall | CCBN General Coordinator

Jessica is a student in our Computer course

“When I first looked for a job after graduating high school, I had no idea about any of this. I had no experience looking for a position. Now I feel confident and motivated to look for a job, even though it is very hard to find one in Nicaragua.” Jessica radiates with passion and gratitude as she shares her experience in the new Job Readiness Workshops organized by our dedicated Education Team.

Jessica’s experience reflects the reality of Nicaragua, where 3 out of 4 people work in the informal sector – many as home-based workers or street vendors. Young people receive little orientation on how to prepare for formal employment, and it is generally easier to find informal work. But informal workers have less security and no benefits or protections.

Thanks to your support, since July our Education Team has helped more than 60 students like Jessica learn for the first time what it takes to find and apply for a job. Through these workshops, students come together to share about their lives, practice interviewing skills, and write resumes. The workshops include three sessions focusing on the values of discipline, responsibility, human resources, professional behavior, and students’ future goals for employment. Our goal as a Center is to motivate, encourage, and provide practical resources to young people like Jessica, who is also enrolled in our Computer Operator classes.

“Thank you to the teachers and participants of this workshop, and I hope to participate in more in the future!” says Jessica.

And I extend that thanks to you for your help in making it possible for us to offer these and future workshops to women and young adults in Managua. We are already looking ahead to 2016 and what we will need to reach more students with these critical skills – and in response we have increased our fundraising goal to take us into next year. I am grateful to know we can count on friends like you to help us continue making these key skills accessible to our community!

If you would like to know more about what the Center has been up to recently, please check out our Friends of Batahola quarterly newsletter -- click on the link below to see the most recent issue!

I got to know about 50 women I didn't know before!

Jessica practices her interviewing skills

Links:

Friends of Batahola Summer 2015 newsletter

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