eng.el empoderamiento de las mujeres indigenas qÔeqchies

8/2/2019 eng.EL EMPODERAMIENTO DE LAS MUJERES INDIGENAS QEQCHIES

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Empowerment of QEqchies Indigenous Women in Cardamoms Production

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1. Where does the experience take place?

The association Asociacin de Productores Indgenas La Catarata (APIC) islocated in the village of Chitzubil, San Agustn Lanquin municipality,approximately 6 kilometers by dirt road and 40 minutes from Lanquns mainroad; it is one of the tribes conquered by a group of friars, among them: FrayPedro Angulo, Fray Luis de Cncer and Don Rodrigo de la Cebra. The villagewas founded in 1540, the first Catholic Church was build 1540-1550 andfounded with the name of SAN AGUSTN. At the same time, the church -astraw hut- was destroyed by fire that consumed half of the population; a newchurch was built, the construction started in 1,574. This new building wasdestroyed by an earthquake in 1,810. The current municipal market is locatedon the ruble and foundations of the church. Lanqun took its first steps asmunicipality in 1,846. The first mayor was Don Crisanto Beb, honorable Indianchosen for this important position. In 1956, Lanqun was declared NationalPark for its natural beauty and touristic attractions. In 1970, Lanqun was

declared National Monument (artistic, touristic, etc.) and in 1997 CulturalHeritage.

APICs experience, located in the community ofChitzubil, San Agustn Lanquinmunicipality, has as main stakeholder 28 families from the indigenous ethnicgroup Qeqchi; the association has 28 members- 14 women and 14 men-, theadministrative council is composed of 2 women and 4 men, who work incardamom production and processing, as main activity, and they also cultivatebasic grains for home consumption.

The organization started as a purely male association, being trained in thecultivation and processing of cardamom, as the area was suitable for that crop.The associations members negotiated institutional support in order to improvecrops techniques and have financial resources to buy cardamom, as thefamilies had scarce economic resources; they worked together for thedevelopment of all the members.

2. What do we learn from this experience? Qeqchies womens empowerment in the cardamom process. Qeqchies cultural changes generated by the inclusion and incidence of

women in income-generating productive activities. Capacities and skills acquired by Qeqchies women to be in the

cardamoms productive organization under the same conditions as men.


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Learning Route:

Tools to mainstream gender equity and womens empowerment

in IFADs projects: the experience of Central America

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3. What are the milestones and key moments of the experience?Capacity building training

A key element for APICs members was the strategy implemented byPRODEVER with the program Training Program of Agricultural, Livestock andSocial Promoters developed for 18 months during a 3 year-period. The mainrequirement to participate in the training process was that the communitychose a man, a woman and a young. This process contributed to create andstrengthen capacities in the three abovementioned areas that were very weakin this community, these trainees became community leaders, who promotedand encouraged others to get organized and work together.

So these leaders also replicated the acquired knowledge in the training onagricultural and livestock production. For the community was quite new to seehow a woman and a young were trained and contributed with their knowledge

in the development of the community, these opportunities were created byPRODEVER. The training program included the following topics: gender,development, self-esteem, womens participation in rural development, amongothers. The training opened an opportunity for womens participation anddeveloped their capacities and skills in the public sphere, which in the past wasonly possible for men, womens environment was home.

Creation of the organization and its legal status

The association of indigenous producers of La Catarata was initially formed bya committee that was organized for the development of the community,

composed exclusively of men; women were considered weak to take part incardamom production process and had no place in the organization. Thanks tothe support provided by PRODEVER during 2003 and 2004, the legal aspects ofthe organization were formalized. This came together with a strong genderawareness process; men and women of the committees decided to establish asingle organization formed by men and women. In June 2005, the associationAPIC was formalized with the participation of 15 men and 15 women producersof cardamom, PRODEVER supported to obtain the legal status.

Womens participation in cardamoms process and in the organization

Thanks to trainings women learned about organizational, administrative andaccounting, self-esteem and leadership topics. And thus, women had theopportunity of holding positions in the administrative council, such as:president and treasurer; and men recognized their abilities. It is worthmentioning the work of Dona Hilaria Coy Choc as president; she executed veryimportant works for the organization as the construction of the memberspremises, built with incomes generated by a cardamom harvest; an emergencyfund was created, to cover grains harvest expenses, diseases and others. It is


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also worth mentioning the role of a young woman that worked as treasurer,showing that funds administration in hands of women is transparent.

According the culture of our parents, women could notleave the house, only men could go to the field, in ourfamilies now is different, with the opportunity given by

PRODEVER we work together and we women feeluseful:

Amelia Pan.

As consequence of the gender awareness process, women take part in somestages of the production process, such as drying, transformation from berriesto parchment. Women have learned a lot and now they have direct incidence inall the stages of cardamom production. They have agreed that men andwomen perform the same tasks, establishing shifts for the harvest; work isequitably distributed, taking into consideration the physical characteristics of

women that are the only difference as men and women have the samecapacities.

Before women rarely attended committees meetings - they were supposed tostay at home-, if they did they could not comment on topics addressed. Todaywomen have a say, share same meetings and have the same opportunities topropose new ideas to improve the organization or production process, thanksto PRODEVERs awareness process.

Women have new ideas, as the one they proposed two years ago to cultivatecacao and process it. Men supported this idea and, currently, plants have been

planted and will be harvested next year, in order to diversify taking intoconsideration the variations in cardamom prices.At the beginning, men though that with the inclusion of women in theorganization they will lose some privileges and women will hinder the work.Now, it has been demonstrated that women are able to work in the cardamomproductive project and they encourage men to continue moving ahead duringdifficult times.

4. What are the results and achievements in terms of managementand womens empowerment?

At personal and organizational level

I was president of the association of indigenous producers La Catarata, Inever thought that will be possible, as it used to be activity only for men,

but I was able to lead the association and now our cardamomscommercialization is good, we sell at the best price and we sell toexporters we have good profits. She concludes in her native language(Qeqchi) Hilaria Coy from the association APIC, Chitzubil, Lanqun, A. V. D.


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Learning Route:



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Systematization of Experience of PRODEVER, Restableciendo el TejidoSocial en las Verapaces.

Including women from the beginning of the process contributed tocapacities strengthening and their insertion in the cardamoms process.

Qechies indigenous women have obtained and strengthened capacitiesand skills, such as organizational strengthening, accounting and financialadministration, gender, which allow them to have a voice in the associationAPIC.

Indigenous women from Chitzubil have made visible their contribution inthe cardamom productive chain, are recognized for their valuablecontribution to the productive chain, all these thank to the change ofmentality generated by PRODEVERs intervention.

Qeqchies women have achieved decision-making positions in theassociation, such as president and treasurer; members consider thatwomen have a very good performance in said positions.

We, women, are now considered as important stakeholders in theorganization and in cardamoms production, we are not only producerswives but we also contribute with the project.

Women have opportunities and a source of work in similar conditions thanmen at the different stages of cardamom production.

Achievements at familiar level

The participation of men and women in the organization has strengthenedthe families around a crop that generates incomes to support the families.

Children access to education has improved, as consequence of incomesgenerated by women.

Activities and responsibilities are equitably distributed in the organizationand in cardamoms production process. Knowledge acquired by men and women on the use of good agricultural

practices. With the intervention of women, cardamoms profits have been invested in

improving childrens food, education, and clothes and to generate assetsfor the household.

Men and women learned to read, write and sign documents, thanks to theliteracy program.

With profits from 2010 harvest, they bought a truck that is used to buycardamom and sell parchment, a need of the organization. The truck isused to transport cardamom in parchments and sell it in CobnMunicipality, with higher benefits.

Success factors and difficulties in the implementation

Women willing to provide services to the family, organization andcommunity.

The union and joint work of men and women in search of common good.


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Knowledge received in technical, agricultural and social areas that havestrengthened them to fight and move ahead.

Challenges

Involve more women in training process, to develop their capacities anddirect participation in the organization.

Improve access to education for youth, for them to contribute with moreand better knowledge in the administration of cardamoms business.

5. Who are the relevant stakeholders (public and private, inside andoutside the territory) in this experience of womens empowerment?

The Program of Rural Development PRODEVER. Creation and legalization of theorganization; organizational strengthening program; training for agricultural,livestock and social promoters; micro-enterprise training, gender andenvironment training, resources to buy the dryer, construction of facilities and

acquisition of supplies.

6. What are the tools and good practices implemented byPRODEVER that have contributed to these achievements?

Training strategy for agricultural, livestock and social promoters, whichcontributed with the education of communal leaders (men, women andyoungsters), recognized and accredited by the organization for theircontribution that benefits members.

Gender awareness program, which generated changes in the mentality of

the qeqchie population in Chitzubil community, among them understandingthat women have same rights as men, deciding to work together in order toimprove life conditions.

Inclusion of men and women in trainings, technical assistance andexchange visits: access to technology in cardamoms process as anaffirmative gender action, favoring capacity building of leaders that today leadthe organization.

Literacy program: more men and women learned how to write and read; italso increased their capacity to administrate small income-generating pilotprojects, and then engage in cardamom production.

Construction of improved stoves: this project improved the health ofwoman, reducing their direct exposition to smoke, reducing hours used toprepare food.

Support to cardamom production, dryer: PRODEVER emphasized therelevance of equitable distribution of activities and responsibilities in the use ofmachinery and equipment.


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Learning Route:



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7. What are the lessons learned? The stereotype that women could only work at home was broken,

women have the same capacities than men, and they even have somemore developed and specific skills for cardamom cultivation. Gender training was one of the main strengthens to foster womens

participation in the productive process, which used to be considered byQeqchies as a masculine task, contributing to the sustainability of theproject.

PRODEVER promoted opportunities and possibilities for decision-makingat personal, familiar and communal level with equitable conditions inAPIC.

Mentality changes in some cultural aspects have contributed to improverelations between men and women, it was a difficult process for theorganization and it took a while to achieve it.

Women fought to obtain a place in the organization, they had todemonstrate their capacities, skills and interest in working together withmen, and now they are actors of their own development.

With the inclusion of women in the organization, relationships betweenmen and women are fair and equitable.

eng.el empoderamiento de las mujeres indigenas qÔeqchies

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