2006-2007 Local Development Partners & Projects

Association of Women for Equal Rights and Gender (AMAIG)

In 2006 SHARE continued to support AMAIG via the Institute for Women of El Salvador (IMU) in organizational and social strengthening of the women and literacy. AMAIG has continued to build up support networks and empowerment groups to educate on gender awareness. With over thirty training workshops throughout the year AMAIG has worked with a range of topics such as gender awareness, human rights, peace advocacy and leadership development. AMAIG’s trainings also dealt with the importance of local women’s role on the municipal council to organize around civil protection laws.

SHARE supported AMAIG with their literacy campaign through learning circles in the communities of San Sebastian and Michele Calderon; in all there are twenty-four women in the literacy circles.

Furthermore, SHARE accompanied AMAIG in the process of identifying economic initiatives that would generate sustainable income for the cooperative members. SHARE assisted the contact between AMAIG and Foundations for Development of Micro and Small Business (FADEMYPE) to do market research and analysis for the region. FADEMYPE is planning to begin a project t o train women in business start-up and management skills.

The Federation of Cooperative Association for Agriculture Production in El Salvador (FEDECOOPADES)

The 2006 project “Literate and Organized Women Make Productive Businesses” supported the organizational, educational and leadership efforts of the women’s committees of three FEDECOOPADES cooperatives: El Jicaro, Paso Carrera and La Reforma-Manguito.

Trainings

Organizational development trainings handled topics of interpersonal relational skills, team building, board member responsibilities and work plans. Leadership development workshops dealt with topics of effective communication, power and authority, being proactive and creative, solidarity, delegation of power and conflict management. The number of members throughout the cooperatives has grown – nearly doubling from seventeen to thirty at El Jicaro, adding five new members in La Reforma and one addition to Paso Carrera.

“I’m very grateful to FEDECOOPADES and SHARE for bringing us training, organization and literacy capacities in which I have now realized the value we have as women to defend our rights and support each other.”

-Gladis Noemi Rosales Garcia

Literacy Program

Almost fifty percent of women in the cooperatives are illiterate which puts them at a great disadvantage in developing businesses and leadership skills. SHARE supported the three women’s committees in a dynamic and transformative literacy program.

From the beginning the literacy program coordinated with the Ministry of Education of Santa Ana, and Mercedes Campos, a member of La Reforma cooperative, took up teaching responsibilities for the three cooperatives. They use the Paulo Freire method of popular education that incorporates their own reality to Ver, Juzgar y Actuar (See, Judge and Act). Words become alive when these women find meaning in their own experiences and let this profound learning move them to action. They are not only learning how to read and write, but they are transforming their consciousness and their country.

In these three cooperatives, only 15% of women are official members of the cooperatives. Therefore, the literacy training is widely known as a success, teaching more women to read, write and do arithmetic so that they can take on the leadership positions necessary to work at the cooperative.

“For FEDECOOPADES and their base cooperative, they’ve moved forward in how many people have learned to read and write, and in their capability for leadership and organization preparing many more to occupy important positions within the cooperative.”

-Teacher of Literacy Campaign, Mercedes Campos

Economic Initiatives

In La Reforma-Manguito they’ve built a new place for their store because the previous store was located in an old storage unit. Their ability to manage the local store and corn grinder has grown as more education has brought greater capacity to fill positions. Their facilities consistently serve the local community by making it easier to purchase daily products without traveling great distances.

“Both youth and adults are very involved with SHARE’s projects of producing bread and selling it. The project seems to be going very well by involving many, teaching new skills and providing an economic chance for the women involved.”

-Rosario Menjivar, El Jicaro

The Jicaro and Paso Carrera bakeries are successful during coffee harvest season, their busiest time for sales as a result of an influx of workers. In other periods, women from El Jicaro cook and sell food throughout their community. This past year Paso Carrera struggled with profit growth but is in process of learning how to make different types of breads and cakes to compete with other bakeries in the region.

FEDECOOPADES has also been active in conducting medical surveys of the women in the cooperatives through interviews to detect medical needs. As a result, five women received successful eye surgeries, coordinated by FEDECOOPADES.

The Marta Gonzalez Cattlewomen’s Cooperative (ACAMG)

In 2006, SHARE supported a study to analyze and report on ACAMG’s sustainability, reviewing and updating their internal rules and credit policies. The report gave ACAMG suggested measures to ensure future sustainability.

After Hurricane Stan, the women of ACAMG were essential in the reconstruction process of the Jiquilisco region. SHARE supported ACAMG in a humid agricultural project that utilized the wet soil after the floods to replant crops and yield a productive harvest, after the first harvest was lost. This project was a success and helped bring food security and economical sustainability to a community that was damaged tremendously by the hurricane.

Furthermore, in 2006 SHARE supported ACAMG with a literacy program in collaboration with the Association for Women in San Carlos Lempa (ASMUR) and the Association for Economic Development and Social Progress (CIDEP). The literacy program was officially certified from the Ministry of Education and plans to run through 2008. The first phase of the literacy training was completed at the end of 2006.

The literacy campaign visited different communities where cooperative members live in order to encourage the women to participate in the program. Currently twenty women participate in two learning circles. The women are from the various communities of Zamorano, La Canoa, El Marillo, La Limonera, Sisiguavo, Nueva Esperanza and Mat de Piña. Although some have struggled with the economic cost of eyeglasses or transportation to classes, the women remain committed to learning, and many have already learned the basics of reading, writing and arithmetic.

Municipal Development Committee (CDM) of Tecoluca

Civic Education Project

SHARE’s supported CDM Tecoluca in a civic education project in 2006 to encourage participation, organization and voter education for the local elections of March. Through door-to-door knocking and holding local assemblies, CDM worked to raise consciousness on the right to vote and analysis of local and national socio-political awareness. Accomplishments and outcomes included a high voter turnout of eighty percent of registered voters and the victory of the CDM supported Mayoral Candidate, Simon Amaya, who received sixty-four percent of the votes.

 Regional Training Exchange Program

SHARE also supported an exchange program to strengthen coordination between the CDM of Tecoluca and an NGO from the Eastern Zone of Usulutan called Inter-institutional Foundation (FLAZO). Mayors and council members coordinated training workshops on local development, emergency prevention and alert systems, community organizing against domestic violence and risk awareness on emigration to the US. CDM then brought these workshops to various Tecoluca local communities.

Social Initiative for Democracy (ISD)

SHARE accompanied civic-political participation activities in Zacatecoluca, which included assistance and education in acquiring a DUI, an official ID required to vote. Forums with candidates helped promote a conscious vote while ISD trainings for election officials assisted with poll organization and management. Activities organized by ISD included home visits to over six hundred and fifty houses and various market centers to distributing information on DUI acquirement. ISD covered public forums, schools and over a thousand houses to promote voter education.

Help these projects continue to change lives - donate now!