By Paz Gonzalez and Annie Bacher | Co-Director (Paz) and Copywriter (Annie)
In spite of the rough economic climate in Argentina, we’re full steam ahead towards our goals as we approach the end of the year. We’re continuing to work with the spirit of community and togetherness that always permeates work in the Nuestras Huellas community.
In the last few months, we’ve held tons of workshops, supported the formation of two new community groups, and welcomed new participants into financial training and microfinance programs. We’re forming partnerships with new organizations to continue to support new communities.
In essence: the economy is tough, but we’re not letting it hold us back.
Highlights of August, September, and October 2024
A dance party to celebrate entrepreneurship and achievements of our community
In September, we enjoyed our annual event, which was a celebration of what we’ve achieved as a community. The theme was “Peña” — a traditional Argentine dance party.
Financial and entrepreneurship workshops in August, September, and October 2024
Here are some highlights of trainings and workshops we carried out:
1. Leadership for women entrepreneurs: A free workshop in August on leadership in entrepreneurship for women entrepreneurs.
2. Personal finance for incarcerated people: Then, we worked in partnership with the University of San Isidro’s training department to host a three-day workshop in the Buenos Aires Penitentiary Center to teach personal finance principles to people who are currently incarcerated.
Maite and Paz, two of our co-directors, led the workshop for 30 people from different male and female pavillions. They taught strategic planning and budgeting for managing personal finances, and promotes responsible and productive attitudes around saving.
3. Additional training workshops this month : As part of our Training Program, we held a series of financial education workshops in collaboration with Fundación Vivienda Digna. These workshops took place in Derqui, Buenos Aires, with participation from the Fundación Vivienda Digna (Dignified Housing Foundation) community.
The goal of the workshops was to introduce key concepts around managing money and strengthen financial management and sustainable decision-making.
Topics covered included planning, setting financial goals, best practices for managing money, debt, and how to avoid over-indebtedness.
Featured entrepreneur: Griselda, owner of Mi Tacita Ceramics Studio
Griselda, founder of Mi Tacita ceramics studio, got her start in entrepreneurship when she quit her full-time job, and dove head-first into entrepreneurship. She took full advantage of every single course and workshop offered through Nuestras Huellas to learn and grow.
She joined the community bank in her neighborhood, 7 Reinas (7 Queens), and started selling artisan ceramic products, including beautiful ornaments, candles, dishes, and seasonal gifts.
Encouraged by her fellow entrepreneurs in the Nuestras Huellas community, Griselda began offering classes in addition to selling her ceramic products. She uses a space in her mother’s house for a small studio, which accommodates up to six students. Lately, all her classes are full and Griselda is looking to expand to be able to accommodate more students.
Griselda uses the home-related loans from Nuestras Huellas to make gradual updates to her house — currently, that includes putting in a brand-new sink in her kitchen, so she doesn’t have to walk downstairs to borrow her mother’s kitchen for dish-washing.
On the business side, she’s laser-focused on paying off the kiln she bought, a major investment thanks to loans from friends and family members. In the near future, she aims to get her own space, and continue growing her business to be able to provide jobs for others in her community.
Support her business by following her on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mitacita.gris/
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