Sewing and Hoping in Guarjila
In order to better manage the region, the CCR divides Chalatenango into seven different sub-regions. Within each committee of the CCR, members are designated a specific sub-region in which they can follow the projects and organisation of small communities. In the CCR’s women’s committee, Sonia Aleman, who lives in the community where I am staying, Ignacio Ellacuria, is a regional reference for Sub-Region Two, which incorporates the communities of Ignacio Ellacuría, San Jose Las Flores, Guarjila, San Isidro , amongst others. Her job is to facilitate and support the organisation amongst and within all of her region’s communities. Every week, she visits the women who are involved in small projects and workshops, as well as monitoring the use of the public mills and making sure they are being carefully upheld.
This week, Sonia took me to a sewing workshop in Guarjila, where seven women meet three times a week to learn how to sew with machines, cut cloth and take measurements. This workshop is just getting started, having been opened this past March 22 nd. The project, which is operating under a budget of $1000, has been set up thanks to the joint effort of the CCR and Sister Parishes Inc. So far, the workshop is planned to run for eight weeks. The operating budget is being used to buy basic materials needed for the workshop, such as thread and scissors, to pay Elba Rivera, who trains and assists the women, and also to fund transport and lunch.
Sonia visits the women every Thursday to monitor the costs of the workshop, and to manage and distribute funds. She fills out a register that follows the attendance of the trainees and the costs of transport and lunch. The $1000 budget also pays Elba a weekly salary. The CCR hopes to collect more funds to sustain this workshop so that they can continue to support more women in the region. Basic training such as this is incredibly important in developing skills and confidence amongst women, and so far, most workshops in the area of Chalatenango have given the women an opportunity to be more active within their community.
Photo: The women at work in the Guarjila workshop
The women of the Guarjila workshop are all from a nearby village called San Isidro . The latter has held a similar workshop for the past three years, but the training was very basic, and they lacked their own house or building in which to hold this workshop. In Guarjila, the training course is held in Elba ’s house, where they are being taught greater skills, such as taking measurements and cutting cloth to make items of clothing. The sewing machines from San Isidro have been moved to Guarjila to make this workshop possible.
When it came to forming the workshop in Guarjila, one of the difficulties was deciding who could participate. With both limited space and available equipment, only seven women could be accommodated. In reality of course, many more than seven wished to be included in such a project. Participating in a sewing workshop means that women can learn to make their own clothes and then move on to sell their work in regional markets, providing a new and independent source of income. The women who were eventually chosen were those who demonstrated the most activism and participation within their communities, and most importantly, those who wished to work.
Photo:
Elba Rivera (centre) assisting the trainees in their work
The women hope that the workshop can continue, for ideally, a longer period of time could be enjoyed to learn more and deepen their skills. In these eight weeks, they will be taught how to design and make skirts, but there will not be enough time to learn how to make other items of clothing, such as trousers or t-shirts. When I visited the women, they were busy making their own skirts, each to their own respective measurements. When these eight weeks are over, the women will return, along with the sewing machines, to San Isidro . Those who feel that they have learnt enough will plan to continue to sew on their own and thereafter sell, or look for work with greater hope of success given their newly acquired skills.
Stephanie Kennedy
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