Nuevas técnicas, bellos bolsos, deliciosos chocolates y mucho más!

Autonomía Económica de las Mujeres se refiere a la capacidad de las mujeres de ser proveedoras de su propio sustento, así como del de las personas que de ellas dependen, y decidir cuál es la mejor forma de hacerlo. En ese sentido, autonomía económica es más que autonomía financiera, ya que también incluye el acceso a la seguridad social y a los servicios públicos.

A pesar de la creatividad de las mujeres en la lucha por su autonomía, muchas encuentran restricciones para conseguirla. Existen países, comunidades o familias donde ellas precisan, por ley o por costumbre, la autorización del padre, del marido o de un hombre de la familia para ejercer un trabajo remunerado. En adición, en muchos países las mujeres son menos escolarizadas que los hombres y las niñas tienen muchas dificultades para permanecer en la escuela. En otros, la escolaridad de las mujeres viene aumentando pero ellas están estadísticamente más frecuentemente desempleadas o reciben menos que los hombres en la misma condición.

Además, en casi todo el mundo son las mujeres las principales responsables por el llamado trabajo reproductivo: de cuidado de los hijos, de la casa, de los maridos, de los enfermos y ancianos. Así, en su busca de autonomía económica, las mujeres siempre tienen que administrar el tiempo y la disponibilidad para el trabajo de cuidado y para el trabajo remunerado. Por eso muchas veces se ven limitadas a empleos de jornada parcial o a trabajos informales que les permiten ir a buscar a los niños a la escuela, llevarlos al médico, etc…

Por lo anterior, para que todas las mujeres tengan autonomía económica tenemos que construir una sociedad donde el trabajo – en todas sus formas – sea reconocido y valorizado.

Nuestras acciones y propuestas deben estar orientadas a la distribución de las riquezas, el derecho de todas y todos al empleo, a condiciones de producir y comercializar con dignidad, a posibilidades de crecimiento personal, además del derecho a tiempo libre.

Fuente: economia solidaria/autonomia economica de las mujeres

 

La fundación WWDF/BIENDEMUJER es una organización sin fines de lucro orientada por la visión de una sociedad justa y equitativa que ofrezca a mujeres, niños y niñas, mayores y mejores oportunidades de desarrollar todo su potencial y capacidades para su propio bienestar, el de su comunidad y del medio ambiente que les rodea. 

El propósito de la fundación es contribuir al empoderamiento de las  mujeres y educación de los niños y niñas a través de programas de formación dirigidos al desarrollo de sus potencialidades y capacidades desde las perspectivas integral, humanista y de género.

Para la Fundación BienDeMujer su contribución es muy valiosa. Nuestros proyectos de mayor impacto están enfocados en apoyar y sostener iniciativas en favor de niños, niñas y mujeres que viven en condiciones de alto riesgo social.

Ayúdanos a desarrollar potencialidades

para colaborar con nosotros visita:

http://www.biendemujer.org/donar.html

Celebración día de la madre Nicaragüense, 31 de mayo.

A razón de que muchas de las mujeres que forman parte del Proyecto Granos Solidarios son provenientes de Nicaragua, en mayo nos organizamos para celebrar juntas el día de la madre nicaragüense!

De esta forma, se organizaron comisiones para que ellas mismas se encargaran de las cosas de la fiesta; y  así, conjuntamente con el apoyo de la Fundación, ellas fueron las protagonistas, de inicio a fin,  de su propia fiesta. La mayoría de las cosas utilizadas  para el almuerzo fueron generadas por ellas mismas, proveniente de ventas, rifas, etc.

Está bien que nos celebren, pero podemos aprender a celebrarnos a nosotras mismas, reconocernos a nosotras mismas y darnos la oportunidad de celebrar.

Ercy, Coordinadora de Proyecto Granos Solidarios

Con las comisiones, las compañeras del grupo aprenden a confiar en otras personas. Se construye de esta forma el conocimiento  y se crea  juntas la experiencia. Desde el género, se propicia la autoconfianza y el descubrimiento de habilidades.

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Es por esto que por medio de actividades de este tipo se pretende cultivar valores como el respeto, la solidaridad, la creatividad, la expresión del afecto así como el autoconocimiento.

Usted puede colaborar con BienDeMujer, cualquier ayuda es bien recibida!

ILORI Xmas party for 200 kids at social risk!

Dear  friends,

BienDeMujer  is a non-profit, community-based organization addressing programs and projects aimed to contribute to the holistic development of women and children, especially those at social risk.

One of the programs we treasure the most is the Ilori Project in which approximately 200 children participate.  Currently we are building a facility in the community of La Carpio to provide after school educational programs and we are organizing a Christmas party to celebrate their effort throughout the year.

We are kindly requesting all our friends and supporters to help make this possible.

You can collaborate by:

Giving a monetary donation trough our website, www.biendemujer.org  or alternatively by sending a check (if you reside in the USA) to:

                                 WWD-F

                                 22 Ravenscroft Drive

                                 Asheville, North Carolina 28801

                                 USA

Buying a set of books from our sister company Wise Heart Books. For more information visit us at www.wiseheartbooks.com

For more information about our projects please visit our websites:

www.wwd-f.org

www.biendemujer.org

www.wiseheartbooks.org

Thank you for all your time and consideration and Merry Christmas!

The importance of teaching generosity and kindness to children

No matter how elaborate your holiday giving plans, it is important to talk to children about the true meaning of the holidays and the spirit of kindness and generosity that surrounds this special time of year.

Parents are powerful models to their children during their developing years. As such, their impact should transmit lessons which their children can assimilate into their value system.

Generosity is a positive trait that parents should consider teaching their children, for it would enhance the discovery of other traits that would help them to succeed in their future careers.  Children are easily impressed by what they see in their parents. If they see them offering help and showing kindness to others, children emulate these kindly acts. If parents are mindful of the welfare of their fellow men, their offspring will catch the same spirit towards others, too.

Ellen G. White, the author of the book, Education, wrote, “Character building is the most important work ever entrusted to human beings; and never before was its diligent study so important as now. Never was any previous generation called to meet issues so momentous; never before were young men and young women confronted

Children at the Ilori Centre, La Carpio,Costa Rica sharing their food!

by perils so great as those confronting them today.”

Reading & Giving is a program of Wise Heart Books designed to support educational programs for disadvantaged children in the USA and Central America.  By buying our set of books, not only will your child learn many important qualities that build strong character, mind, and heart, they will also know that they are helping another child.  For more info please visit our website, www.wiseheartbooks.com

Wise Heart Books is an initiative of the BienDeMujer Foundation.  For more information about our projects please visit  www.biendemuer.org and http://www.wwd-f.org/
To watch a video of the Ilori children, please go to
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHjAQoN1Sbo&feature=share&noredirect=1

Learning to work together and share their materials!

La música reggae y el amor hacen posible un sueño//Reggae music and love make a dream possible

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Hace unas semanas tuvimos un grato encuentro cibernético con un grupo de mujeres madrileñas amantes de la música y legado del Reggae.  Amorosamente buscaban una buena causa para apoyar a través de un maravilloso concierto en Madrid y encontraron en nuestro trabajo lo que buscaban.  Inmediatamente se identificaron con los procesos de formación y educación que se están llevando a cabo a través del Proyecto Ilori para contribuir con el desarrollo físico, emocional, espiritual y socioeconómico de las mujeres, niños y niñas en riesgo social de la comunidad de La Carpio, San Jose, Costa Rica. María Martins, una de las organizadoras, nos escribió e inmediatamente hubo una conexión más allá de las palabras.

El concierto se llevó a cabo el 23 de setiembre 2011 y la motivación fue rendir un tributo a todas la Queens que han dedicado su vida a expandir el mensaje del Reggae (One Love).  En palabras de María “¡el concierto fue fenomenal, mágico!, se llenó de gente y de buenas vibraciones, ¡puro amor! Todos se entregaron por completo y el ambiente que se respiraba era de felicidad, esperanza, fuerza y elegancia… ¡el poder de la unión! Consecuentes con este profundo mensaje decidieron beneficiar a los niños, niñas y mujeres del Proyecto Ilori, con los ingresos generados en este evento.

María nos cuenta que casi medio centenar de excelentes músicos interpretaron un repertorio de más de dos horas para un gran público. Algunas de las participantes fueron Kati Dadá (Desakato Dadá); Mary Jane (Emeterians); Alana Sinkey (Cosmosoul); Rory Garzet (Freedonia), Astrid Jones y Yolanda (The Sweet Voices), así como el grupo madrileño Emeterians.

Gracias a María, a las demás organizadoras y todas las y los participantes en el concierto, así también al maravilloso público que asistió. Actos como estos refuerzan en nosotras la convicción de que  en la unidad del amor está la fuerza para construir un mundo más justo y equitativo.

http://fotoreportajeando.blogspot.com/2011/09/sisters-sing-reggae-queens-ii-las.html

Reggae music and love make a dream possible

A few weeks ago we were contacted by a group of women in Madrid who love Reggae music, its message and legacy. They were planning a wonderful concert in Madrid and were looking for a good cause to support.  They identified with our work at BienDeMujer, especially with the Ilori Project training and educational programs, which contributes to the physical, emotional, spiritual and socioeconomic development of women and children at risk in the community of La Carpio, San Jose, Costa Rica.

The concert took place on September 23^rd, 2011 and the idea behind it was to pay tribute to all the Queens who have dedicated their lives to spread the message of Reggae (One Love). In the words of Maria Martins, one of the organizers, “The concert was phenomenal, magical!  It was filled with people and good vibes, pure love!  The atmosphere was one of happiness, hope, strength and elegance … The power of union!”  In accordance with this profound message they decided to donate the proceeds generated from this event to the children and women of the Ilori Project.

Almost fifty excellent musicians performed for a large audience for more than two hours. Some of the participants were Kati Dada (Desakato Dadá), Mary Jane (Emeterians) Alana Sinkey (Cosmosoul) Garzet Rory (Freedonia), Astrid and Yolanda Jones (The Sweet Voices), and the Madrid group Emeterians.

We are deeply grateful to María, the other organizers and all the participants of the concert, as well as the wonderful audience that attended. Acts such as these reinforce in us the conviction that the unity of love gives us the strength to build a more just and equitable.

http://fotoreportajeando.blogspot.com/2011/09/sisters-sing-reggae-queens-ii-las.html

In loving memory of Ana…

One of our beloved Granos Solidarios, Ana, passed away, a few days ago, after a long painful, struggle with liver cancer.  Ana came to La Carpio 14 years ago with her father, all the way from Nicaragua, at the age of 15, and was left an orphan when her father died. Ana was one of the first women to join Granos Solidarios.  She was only 29 years old when she died.

Ana leaves two children behind, a 10 year old girl and an 8 year old boy; their father “disappeared” years ago, so Ana had been bringing up the children herself in the slums of La Carpio.  Her children will now be under the care of Ana’s sister (who already has 5 children of her own), with the additional support of Bien de Mujer. 

For the past year or so, Ana had not been able to work a full-time job on account of her illness, but she continued to diligently prepare food to sell with the Granos Solidarios and sell bags, clothes, whatever she could, in order to feed her children, even during the worst of her illness.

Ana was independent thinking, strong-willed, brave, self-driven, and hard working throughout her illness, dedicated to the best care she could provide for her children, and served as an inspiration to other women in the group, as well as Bien de Mujer staff.  So needless to say, Granos Solidarios and Bien de Mujer staff are heart-broken about her absence in our lives, but relieved that her pain is over.

Casa del Sol teaches Granos Solidarios how to cook using solar energy

Last Saturday, Bien de Mujer staff and 17 women from Granos Solidarios traveled all the way to Casa del Sol in Guanacaste (a 4-hour drive) to learn how to cook with solar panels.  The women sang the whole drive there!

Casa del Sol is an eco-tourism project of Sol Verde—a cooperative formed with the support of Sol de Vida and the Central American Solar Energy Project—which represents 15 local community groups, presents the annual “Fiesta del Sol” event, and operates a small solar restaurant with “delicious home cooking.” Sol Verde is headquartered in the Casa del Sol, which houses a permanent demonstration facility for solar applications with emphasis on solar cookers.

Operating in the Santa Cruz and Nicoya counties of the Guanacaste region, Fundación Sol de Vida takes a holistic approach to expanding the use of renewable energy.  The proj­ect not only promotes the use of solar power for cooking, but also seeks to build women’s capacity for other development activities through the process of constructing and using solar cookers.  Therefore, our group of women was warmly welcomed by the Casa del Sol head of staff, Fatima, and several other local volunteers.

In addition to learning about solar cooking, our group participated in guided tour of their resource center.  They learned about different mod­els of solar cookers, about solar water pumps, were shown solar heaters and solar dryers, as well as photovoltaic panels for lighting—all the different ways solar energy can be used to make their lives easier and cheaper!  They were guided through organic gardens; given priceless healthy growing, eating and cooking tips, and eventually, prepared their own meal, using a solar panel!

Casa de Sol even donated one solar panel cooking structure to Granos Solidarios, to be used at our women and children’s center in La Caprio.  It was a beautiful day, on many levels, and we are grateful to the everyone at Sol de Vida and Casa del Sol who made this an informative, fun and unforgettable experience!

For more information about this project please visit here!  And for more photos of our day at Casa del Sol, visit our FaceBook page!

Tamale Tuesday in La Carpio

Every week, Bien de Mujer hosts holistic, educational playshops as part of our Ilori Children’s Education program—which seeks to nurture the mind, heart, body, and spirit of each child living in La Carpio, the slums of San Jose, Costa Rica.  This past Tuesday, March 29, we had a full house of enthusiastic kids, as well as a group of hard-working women, from our Granos Solidarios women’s group, cooking up tamales to sell throughout the neighborhood.

Each Ilori playshop usually begins with songs and some yoga or dance, and this week, we continued to use Wise Heart Books as a tool to teach values to the kids.  They read “Captain Grimy”, “Manny the Mouse” and “Annie the Ant” together, followed by games and exercises to reinforce the lessons in the books.  If you visit the Bien de Mujer/ Women’s Wellbeing and Development Foundation FaceBook page , you will see some videos taken by a volunteer.

While the children were busy doing art work and playing games, the women of Granos Solidarios were busy making home-made tamales, to sell, and thus raise funds for the Granos Solidarios group business fund.  The Granos Solidarios are working to develop their current tamale-making micro-business into a larger, sustainable business; while at the same time, they are learning business skills 101, basic finance management, and how to work efficiently as a team.

The women of Granos Solidarios are so enthusiastic about this growing tamale business that the women had to be separated into two working groups, so each group alternates, each month.  To further support our children’s educational programs or the work of Granos Solidarios, please send us a donation at

Thank you again for your generosity of spirit!

Celebrating International Women’s Day with the women of Granos Solidarios

In honor of International Women’s Day, a global celebration of the economic, political and social achievements of women past, present and future, held every March 8^th, Bien de Mujer organized a special outing to celebrate the women of our Granos Solidarios group.  To read about the history of this women’s group–all their projects and activities, please visit our previous blog.

At 9 am, on March 19^th, 50 women from Granos Solidarios packed onto a bus from La Carpio and headed, singing all the way, to Parque del Este for a day of fun and relaxation.  The day started off with yoga in the park, swimming in the park pool, and some group games and exercises.  After lunch, the women were serenaded by a Nicaraguan folk singer, which became a sing-along and much dancing!

For many women, this outing was the only time they had been away from La Carpio, or away from their husbands and families.   It was truly a special day for the women of Granos Solidarios, to see all the photos from this celebration of our women: http://www.flickr.com/photos/biendemujer/sets/72157626320455708/

Meet our neighbors in La Carpio, Costa Rica

Every time I mention I work in “La Carpio” to a Costa Rican, they grimace and ask, “But isn’t that dangerous?”  This reaction is most likely because the only times “La Carpio” is mentioned in the local media it involves drugs, crime or violence.  Most visitors to Costa Rica have never even heard of La Carpio because the local media (and the tourism industry) is proficient at covering up any blemishes on the face of Paradise.  But yes, despite Pura Vida, there is poverty, disease, crime, and neglect in Costa Rica; however, most of it seems to be isolated to one particular San Jose neighborhood:  La Carpio.

Founded by squatters in the mid-1990s, La Carpio’s estimated 40,000 residents, around half of whom are immigrants and refugees from Nicaragua and other Central American countries, live in an area of 296 square kilometers, encircled by two heavily polluted rivers and the city landfill (which receives over 700 tons of waste daily.)  As a matter of fact, more garbage-per-capita comes from the wealthy, predominantly ex-patriot community of Escazu into the La Carpio landfill, than from La Carpio residents themselves.*

Forgoing the obvious environmental hazards of living in La Carpio, like most “slums” throughout the world, public infrastructure such as schools, clinics, roads, security, and sanitation systems are under-resourced or plainly neglected; unemployment is high; drug and alcohol abuse is common; low levels of education; large families with single parent homes; and there is a high prevalence of HIV and other chronic diseases.

Without getting into the complicated reasons why such a place continues to exist in a country whose pride and reputation lie in being an eco-progressive, peaceful “social democracy”, I will refer you to more qualified (and eye-opening) resources such as

http://www.envio.org.ni/articulo/2782
http://insidecostarica.com/dailynews/2008/october/04/nac04.htm
http://www.monitor.upeace.org/innerpg.cfm?id_article=547

It is within this context that we, at the Women’s Wellbeing and Development Foundation/Bien de Mujer, are actively building our women and children’s community playground and education center, which seeks to be a safe, eco-conscious, community education and resource center for both local women and children living in La Carpio.