Is anything being done in Guatemala
towards the development of women? We asked this question
of Olga Rodas, CEX teacher and founder of Funda Mujer y
Familia, (FMF), a non-profit organization serving
Quetzaltenango and the surrounding rural areas.
FMF creates programs enabling women to develop skills
that benefit themselves, their families, and communities.
Current programs include: a small business coop, which
provides low interest loans and education for women who
wish to invest in their own work; a food staples co-op;
and integrated educational programs including everything
from literacy to vocational and goal orientation
training. FMF also provides support and economic
counseling and resource creating opportunities for
battered women. The organization is currently
investigating local and foreign sources of funding and
ideas in order to eventually build a shelter for battered
women.
Many women like Doña Margarita seek the aid of other
women through Funda Mujer y Familia in order to improve
their lives. Doña Margarita has learned to read and
write, to bake and sell breads and has began basic home
improvement through her own efforts combined with those
of the women of FMF. All of her children are now in
school. Doña Margarita knows that even if she has lived
a poor life, her children will not.
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