| CURRENT PROJECTS
Women’s capacity
development in Mexico
Partner: Comunidad
PAST PROJECTS IN MEXICO
SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
& AGRICULTURAL SELF-SUFFICIENCY IN CUERNAVACA, MORELOS, MEXICO
Partner: Comunidad
Despite positive democratic reforms in Mexico,
the gap between the rich and the poor continues to grow. The livelihoods
of small-scale farmers, indigenous peoples and independent workers
are threatened by the expansion of the agricultural industry and
the construction of hydroelectric dams.
Since 1996, Comunidad has sought to improve the
quality of life for the most vulnerable social sectors of Morelos
including women, children, youth, and physically disabled individuals
by investing in sustainable community projects.
In association with Change for Children Association
(CFCA), Comunidad works with local agricultural producers in Cuernavaca,
Morelos to promote self-sufficiency in agriculture and to encourage
community members to buy locally produced food. The project’s
key goals include the improvement of the local economy by increasing
the capacity of local producers through organization; training,
technical and financial support; the empowerment of women in the
marketplace and community; and community participation in the
development of government policies regarding agriculture. The
results of this project allow individuals, families and the community
to control their livelihood rather than allowing external forces
like industry impact their daily survival. Over 500 local agricultural
producers are benefiting from the project. Producers’ capacity
for action is expanding through a process of technical training
and the creation of micro-enterprise initiatives.
This project is supported by a Wild
Rose Foundation grant.
CAMINAMOS JUNTOS – WALKING TOGETHER FOR HEALTH AND DEVELOPMENT
IN CUERNAVACA, MORELOS, MEXICO
Partner: Caminamos Juntos
Caminamos Juntos works for the development of community
infrastructures such as a water and sanitation system. As well,
their projects include services for health promotion, vocational
training, special needs assessment, and nutrition and education
for children. Many Canadians support these projects because they
have seen children’s lives in the area improve substantially.
WOMEN SMALL BUSINESSES INITIATIVE MARKETTING ORGANIC COTTON IN
TLAQUEPAQUE, JALISCO, MEXICO
Partner: Fundacion Santa Maria
Fundacion Santa Maria administers a small business
project which provides women with the skills, knowledge and support
to develop their own small businesses. By giving marketing support
for the Organic Cotton products that the women produce, women
are able to generate income and have a positive impact on their
households and communities. This project empowers women, while
promoting the ecological cultivation of a highly marketable product.
Fundacion Santa Maria also runs a shelter to assist the women
in the project by caring for their children.
A success story….
In Tlaquepaque in the outskirts of Guadalajara,
a group of mothers whose children were being cared for in the
Santa Maria del Tepeyac Shelter used a small donation (of about
$5,000) made through CFCA to purchase four sewing workstations.
They organized a co-operative to produce attractive, casual wear
out of organic cotton and linen. These women now work close to
home, instead of having to use 3 or 4 buses to reach the poverty
wage employment they previously held. As a result, they have more
money and time to care for children and have reduced their need
for the Santa Maria shelter.
HUMAN RIGHTS CENTRE IN TEJUANTEPEC, MEXICO
Partner: Human Rights Centre
Plans for the Isthmus of Tejuantepec, the proposed
site of a huge hydroelectric dam and dry-canal, has threatened
to drive many small farmers and indigenous peoples from their
land. The Human Rights Centre educates people about their rights
and promotes alternative community-centered development plans,
in contrast to what the current international trade agreements
envision for this area.
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