Empowering the Women of Cayo Northeast
In a recent Women in Business Award Ceremony, fifteen entrepreneurs from the Cayo Northeast Women’s Group were celebrated for successfully completing a fifteen-day training program in sewing, embroidery, craft making, and financial management. The program highlighted the significance of these newfound skills in enhancing the lives of the women and their families. News Five’s Hipolito Novelo reports.
Hipolito Novelo, Reporting
Fifteen women recently completed two-weeks of training in sewing, embroidery, craft making and financial management. One of those women was Marissa Mckay of Esperanza Village.
Marissa Mckay
Marissa Mckay, Participant
“I’m a single mother and I wasn’t working at the time and so I decide to say, I’ll do it. So that is the reason why and I joined the program and it really, really makes a whole lot different in my life being that I already used to do these things on hand. When I get in the program, it really makes a difference for me. With all these outcomes I see that it will put me further than where I was. So, I see a lot more potential that I can supply for myself and my family more.”
The training was held for women in the Cayo Northeast division. It was facilitated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Taiwan International Cooperation and Development Fund and Galen University. Area representative Orlando Habet says the goal is to empower the women.
Orlando Habet
Orlando Habet, Area Representative, Cayo Northeast
“The idea is to try to get women empowered. We have a lot of women who are in rural communities who stay home and their husband go to work. We want to see how we can empower them to be able to become entrepreneurs and have their own businesses. So what the program did was to get someone who is a professional, a seamstress to teach them sewing techniques, cutting techniques and also to assist them ideas of how to start to produce handcrafts from different materials”
Participants, like Billy White resident Carmen Gonzalez, also got to learn the basics of financial management to make sure that they turn a profit. Gonzalez says she managed to enhance her sewing skills.
Carmen Gonzalez
Carmen Gonzalez, Participant
“I wanted to join the program because I really love sewing and also liked to be a person independent to start sewing and be able to make some stuff to learn new stuff and be able sell so that I can help my family, my husband and my kids. Sometimes our husbands can’t afford everything so we as woman sometimes it is really hard to go and find work outside because we need to take care of the house and kids. But, this program allows us to work home so we can sew at home and take care of the house and the kids.”
Reporting for News 5, I am Hipolito Novelo.
