Indigenous Women's Leadership Program

This spring and summer our women came together for our reading circle. Together we have been reading Richard Rohr’s Breathing Under Water: Spirituality and the Twelve Steps. The book, which explores the deep connections between spirituality, healing, and personal transformation, sparked many conversations about how these steps are relevant to women’s lives despite not living with addiction to substances.

As we read and shared, many saw strong parallels between Rohr’s teachings and values they have from the Zapotec culture—particularly around growing and healing through community. The women found his message about the importance of surrender and honest self-reflection is difficult to accept but ultimately meaningful.

One image that impacted the women recently was the idea that our lives are like a knot that has to be untangled, instead of seeing a clear way through issues they often travel convoluted routes that make their lives harder. It is counter cultural to the women to talk about their struggles outside of the family and Centro de Compartimiento provides a unique safe environment where the women can continue to heal.

We know that leadership begins with inner work, and that healing is a vital part of the path forward. Your donations make these safe spaces possible for the women of our community. Thank you for your continued support of our programs.