The Social Promotion Foundation and our local partner the Nicaraguan Association for Education and Culture (ANDECU) have been implementing the project “Promoting the economic, political and social empowerment of women in the departments of Managua, Masaya and Carazo (Nicaragua) in an inclusive and effective participation in community development” since February 2020, financed by the Alcobendas City Council (Madrid).
The objective of the intervention is to favour the recovery of the impacts of the socio-political conflict on women in these three departments of the South Pacific of Nicaragua, improving their access to employment as self-employed or in the formal labour market. This will be done through training activities in micro-enterprise management, the elaboration of business plans, product marketing strategies and the strengthening of capacities and legal knowledge on human rights.
Five training groups are currently active:
- Department of Managua: 15 students.
- Barranco Bayo Community (municipality of Diriamba, Department of Carazo): 23 students.
- San Caralampio neighbourhood (municipality of La Concepción, Department of Masaya): 4 students.
- Community El Sol (municipality of Santa Teresa, Department of Carazo): 25 students.
- Neighbourhood 19 de Julio (municipality of La Concepción, Department of Masaya): 6 students.
Throughout these months, all the women entrepreneurs have learned and applied the tools of training in strategic planning, financial control, inventory control and organizational control, shaping each of the undertakings, all this in an individual Business Plan. Similarly, the entrepreneurs are carrying out a Marketing Plan where they have had the opportunity, at the hands of ANDECU’s volunteers and specialists, to design a logo for their businesses, identify their clients and competitors and improve the image of their products. In addition, the entrepreneurs have been trained in improving their self-esteem, personal SWOT and improving their independence.
Furthermore, taking into account the current global situation of the pandemic, ANDECU has given talks on the prevention of COVID-19 to the students as well as conferences on health and nutrition for them and their families.
It should be noted that the beneficiaries of the project, mainly those in the department of Carazo, have suffered the consequences of hurricanes Eta and Iota last November. The entrepreneurs of the Barranco Bayo community were left isolated for more than two weeks and without access to a telephone signal due to the flooding of the river which is on the edge of their homes. The impact of the second hurricane even submerged the trees on the banks. In spite of all the difficulties, the women have not stopped attending their classes and the unity among them and the team has been a good support to continue fighting to overcome and to manage to improve their income in order to improve the food and cover the most urgent needs.
In the community El Sol (municipality of Santa Teresa, Department of Carazo), on the other hand, the poor state of the streets prevented access to the community, leaving the beneficiaries isolated and unable to go out into the city.
Faced with this situation, ANDECU provided a series of food and hygiene packages to the women and their families to alleviate the effects of the hurricanes which have aggravated the precarious situation that the health emergency of COVID-19 is generating.