“Andrea: De Tímida e Insegura a Líder de Grupo en su Comunidad”

Andrea Avelina Gironda es clienta de Pro Mujer en Bolivia desde hace un año. “Conocí a Pro Mujer cuando su personal vino a visitar a las casas de mi zona en la Urbanización Centauro de El Alto de La Paz. Me invitaron a armar mi grupo”, dice.

Andrea tenía una pequeña tienda de barrio y desde su primer ciclo en la institución su vida cambió: aumentó su capital de negocio y lo expandió al rubro de venta de desayunos y almuerzos.

Habiendo elevado sus destrezas gracias a los servicios educativos que se encuentran en Pro Mujer, Andrea se transformó. De haber sido una mujer tímida e insegura, ahora es líder y organiza a sus compañeras, quienes, en sus palabras, “a veces necesitan una mano fuerte”. Su vida familiar también mejoró. Andrea manifiesta que se comunica con su familia más que antes, y que puede transmitir a su esposo e hijos lo que aprende en sus capacitaciones.

El impacto en su vida fue muy significativo ya que ahora Andrea puede visitar el consultorio médico cuando lo desea o cuando los miembros de su familia se sienten mal. Andrea agradece a su asesora de crédito porque les recuerda que deben ir no solo cuando están enfermas sino también cuando están sanas para controlar su peso, talla, y para realizarse el examen de Papanicolaou.

Desde que se convirtió en clienta de Pro Mujer en Bolivia, la vida de Andrea Avelina cambió para bien.

Andrea no se conforma con lo que tiene, aspira a tener una tienda mucho más llena de productos y vender incluso al por mayor. Ansía comprar una cocina más grande para poder atender a más clientes, además de contar con otros utensilios de trabajo.

Con humildad, Andrea explica que “todos los días me esfuerzo para trabajar por ayudar a mi familia y darles lo mejor. Quiero que mis hijos tengan un futuro mejor. Hay días en que no me va bien en las ventas pero por lo menos la comida no falta en casa. Lo que me alienta es que siempre encuentro una palabra de consuelo y aliento de mi asesora y de mis compañeras de Pro Mujer, por eso cuando nos reunimos reímos mucho, compartimos entre nosotras esas dos horas que tenemos los viernes”.

“Andrea: Going From Shy and Insecure To Being A Community Leader”

Andrea Avelina Gironda is a client of Pro Mujer in Bolivia since last year. “I found out about Pro Mujer when its staff came to visit my neighborhood in El Alto and invited me to create my own communal bank group comprised of women,” she said.

Andrea owns a small grocery store and her life changed since her first loan cycle in Pro Mujer: She grew her capital and expanded her business so she could sell breakfast and lunch.

Andrea also transformed herself after improving her work skills thanks to the educational services that Pro Mujer has provided her. She went from being a shy and insecure woman to a leader who helps other women in her group, who, in her own words, “sometimes need a strong voice.”

Things at home also improved. Andrea says that now she communicates with her family more than before and she can pass along what she learned at Pro Mujer to her husband and sons.

The past year has been a year of positive impact. She visits the doctor’s office whenever she needs to or when one of her family members is sick. Andrea says she is grateful to her credit advisor because she reminds all the women in the group to visit Pro Mujer’s offices not only when they are sick but on a regular basis to control their weight and body size, and to get a Pap smear.

Since Andrea Avelina became a client of Pro Mujer in Bolivia, her life changed for the better.

Andrea wants to grow her small business even more and she dreams of having a bigger grocery store with more products and to offer wholesale trade. She also wants to get a bigger stove so she can serve more clients at her small restaurant.

Humbly, Andrea explains that, “every day I do my best to help my family and to give them the best I can. I want my sons to have a better future. I have some bad days at work, but we always have food at home. What keeps me going is that I always find a word of support from my credit advisor and friends at Pro Mujer. When the group gets together, we laugh a lot, and we really enjoy those two hours we spend every Friday.”

Pro Mujer en México celebra el tercer “Día de la Socia Líder”

Por Yesenia Díaz, Coordinadora de Comunicaciones, Pro Mujer en México.

El Día de la Social Líder tuvo como objetivo reconocer y fortalecer el liderazgo de las mujeres de nuestra institución.

El equipo de Pro Mujer en México, en coordinación con FIRA (Fideicomisos Instituidos en Relación con la Agricultura) uno de nuestros donantes, llevó a cabo la tercera edición del “Día de la Socia Líder”. Allí más de 160 mujeres de los distintos centros donde atendemos a nuestras clientas participaron en las actividades preparadas exclusivamente para ellas.

Entre los eventos que se realizaron se contó con un taller sobre el poder de la mujer impartido por “Mujer Emprende” y una conferencia acerca del sobreendeudamiento dirigida por la Comisión Nacional para la Defensa de los Usuarios de las Instituciones Financieras. Además se ofrecieron servicios de salud y se realizó la actividad “Cantando por el Liderazgo”, donde talentos de nuestra institución cantaron junto a las clientas. Los juegos y la convivencia fueron unas de las actividades que disfrutaron bastante las asistentes.

La celebración del “Día de la Socia Líder” se desarrolló con mucho éxito gracias a la colaboración del equipo quienes participaron directa o indirectamente en tan importante actividad, la cual tuvo como objetivo reconocer y fortalecer el liderazgo de las mujeres de nuestra institución.

Pro Mujer in Mexico Celebrates the Third Annual “Day of the Client Leader”

By Yesenia Diaz, Communications Coordinator, Pro Mujer in Mexico.

The “Day of the Client Leader” recognized the leadership of Pro Mujer client leaders.

Pro Mujer in Mexico’s staff, in collaboration with FIRA (The Trust Introduced in Relation to the Agriculture), organized the third annual “Day of the Client Leader. ” During the event, more than 160 women from the various centers where we serve our clients participated in activities planned exclusively for them.

Among the activities were a workshop about the empowerment of women offered by “Mujer Emprende” (Women Undertake) and a conference about over indebtedness offered by the National Commission for the Financial Institutions’ Users Defense. Later, our clients received health services provided by Pro Mujer’s medical staff, and participated in the activity “Singing for Leadership” where various Pro Mujer employees sang along with our clients.

The clients said that what they enjoyed most was the games they played and just spending time with one another.

The celebration was a great event at the end thanks to the collaboration from the Pro Mujer in Mexico staff who participated directly or indirectly in this activity, whose goal was to recognize the leadership of Pro Mujer client leaders.

Pro Mujer en Perú Incursiona en Moyobamba, Tarapoto y Yurimaguas A Partir de Junio

Por Paola Fattorini Rodriguez – Gerente de Comunicaciones de Pro Mujer en Perú

Henry, Franz y yo arribamos temprano en la mañana a la plaza de armas de Moyobamba, la primera ciudad fundada por los españoles en la selva al norte de Perú. Estamos aquí para poner en marcha el plan estratégico de expansión 2013 de Pro Mujer en Perú que abrirá centros de atención en Moyobamba, Tarapoto y Yurimaguas. Esta será la primera presencia de Pro Mujer en la selva peruana.

Henry es el encargado de conseguir los locales para nuestros centros. Deberán ser acogedores, ubicados en lugares estratégicos, y donde nuestras clientas se sientan bienvenidas y cómodas. Franz y yo estamos aquí para trabajar en el área de mercadeo y comunicaciones del plan. Después llegarán nuestros compañeros encargados del área de salud y reclutamiento de los profesionales que serán parte de Pro Mujer en esta ciudad.

Moyobamba, que también se le conoce como la ciudad de las orquídeas, tiene unos 65.000 habitantes, casi la mitad de ellos mujeres. Más de 30 por ciento de ellas cuenta con un micro negocio localizados en su gran mayoría en zonas urbanas.

Muy cerca de la plaza central encuentro a un grupo de mujeres que vende aguaje – uno de los frutos de mayor consumo en la selva peruana. Les pregunto quién les dio el crédito para montar su negocio y la autorización para vender allí y responden: “Nadie. Nosotras solas hemos ido juntando, y la municipalidad nos permite vender aquí nuestros productos”. Me las imagino perteneciendo a Pro Mujer, asistiendo a uno de nuestros centros de atención, conformando grupos solidarios y asociaciones comunales, recibiendo nuestros servicios de salud, aprendiendo herramientas para administrar su negocio, ampliando sus oportunidades de desarrollo y así romper el círculo de la pobreza.

Mujeres vendiendo Aguaje, uno de los frutos de mayor consumo en la selva peruana, en Moyobamba, Perú.

El día anterior estuvimos en Tarapoto, la ciudad de las palmas, una ciudad dinámica, alegre, donde reina la amabilidad, y las mujeres son muy trabajadoras. Su población es de más de 68.000 habitantes, de los cuales más de la mitad son mujeres, y casi 5.000 tienen micro negocios, casi todos localizados en zonas urbanas.

Después de Moyobamba visitamos Yurimaguas, una ciudad que representa un desafío distinto. Allí se percibe un ambiente diferente. Las mujeres de pocos recursos no lucen tan alegres como en Tarapoto y Moyobamba. Son más tímidas, hablan menos. Yurimaguas tiene más de 60.000 habitantes y la mitad son mujeres. Más de 2.000 de ellas tienen micro negocios, casi todos en zonas urbanas.

Pasadas las 9 de la mañana entramos al edificio municipal y el calor allí es agobiante. Al rato me atiende la encargada de la Oficina de Desarrollo para la Mujer de la municipalidad y me comenta que la situación de las mujeres de escasos recursos allí es dura.  “¿Ve usted?”, me dice señalando a una vendedora de fruta afuera, “a esa señora el marido la maltrata y ella sola trabaja duro para alimentar a sus tres hijos”.

Poco después visito la Oficina de Atención de Protección a la Mujer y el Niño para preguntar por los servicios y las actividades que realizan. Toco la puerta varias veces, un señor me abre y me da respuestas que me hacen pensar que cualquier mujer que llegue allí se sentiría decepcionada, pero al mismo tiempo imagino cómo se sentirá cuando funcione el Centro Focal de Pro Mujer en Yurimaguas, y como será atendida por nuestros asesores y por el personal de salud cuyas habilidades y vocación de servicio son los aspectos que más valoran nuestras clientas. ¡En Pro Mujer jamás encontrarían una puerta cerrada!

Henry entrevista a clientas potenciales en Moyobamba, Perú.

Al finalizar la semana, regresamos a nuestras oficinas base en Puno. Mis compañeros tuvieron oportunidad de conversar con mujeres en los mercados, las calles y pueblos aledaños que visitaron, cada uno con la convicción que la presencia de Pro Mujer en dichas ciudades es imprescindible. Nos sentimos inspirados por este plan y no vemos la hora de ofrecer a las mujeres de Moyobamba, Tarapoto y Yurimaguas todos nuestros servicios como lo hacemos con otras 60.000 mujeres en Perú y 270.000 en América Latina. Estos servicios las conducirán, con coraje, valentía y autodeterminación, a generarse un sustento propio y labrar un mejor futuro para ellas y sus familias. En ese proceso percibirán su verdadero valor y transformarán sus vidas.

Starting in June, Pro Mujer in Peru Ventures North Into Moyobamba, Tarapoto and Yurimaguas

By Paola Fattorini Rodriguez, Communications Manager, Pro Mujer in Peru

Henry, Franz and I arrive early in the morning in the square of Moyobamba, the first city founded by the Spanish Conquerors in the northern jungles of Peru. We are here to implement part of PMP’s strategic expansion plan that will have us opening centers in the cities of Moyobamba, Tarapoto and Yurimaguas.

Henry is in charge of finding the spaces where our centers will be located. They should be welcoming and strategically placed. Franz and I are here to work on the marketing and communications strategies of the plan. Later, our health managers and recruitment professionals will arrive to this city to form the Pro Mujer team here. Moyobamba, also known as the city of orchids, has about 65,000 inhabitants, nearly half of them women. More than 30% of them have a small business, mostly located in urban areas.

Near the main square, I meet a group of women selling aguaje – one of the most consumed fruit in the Peruvian jungle. I asked them who gave them the loans to set up their small business and the authorization to operate there and they respond, “No one. We’ve been gathering alone, and the municipality allows us to sell our products here.” I imagine them working with Pro Mujer, going to one of our centers, forming solidarity groups and communal bank lending groups, receiving our health services, learning new ways to manage their businesses and expanding their opportunities to break the cycle of poverty.

Women selling Aguaje in Moyobamba, Peru

Yesterday we were in Tarapoto, the city of palm trees, a dynamic, cheerful city where kindness reigns and women work really hard. Its population is more than 68,000 inhabitants, of whom more than half are women, and nearly 5,000 have micro businesses, almost all located in urban areas.

After Moyobamba we visited Yurimaguas, a city that represents a different challenge. There we see a different environment. Low-income women do not look so happy compared with Moyobamba and Tarapoto. They are shy and talk less. Yurimaguas has more than 60,000 people and half of them are women. Over 2,000 of them have micro businesses, mostly in urban areas.

Just after 9 a.m. we go to the municipal building where the heat is overwhelming. After a while, the woman in charge of the Development Office for Women of the municipality tell me that the situation for poor women there is tough. “You see that lady?” she says pointing to a fruit seller outside, “her husband mistreats her and she works hard to feed her three children.”

Shortly after, I visit the Service Office for the Protection of Women and Children to inquire about the services and activities they offer. I knock on the door several times. A man opens it and he gives me some answers that make me feel like any woman who goes there will be disappointed. At the same time, I imagine how she will feel when our center in Yurimaguas is in full operation.

Henry interviews potential clients for Pro Mujer in Moyobamba, Peru.

At the end of the week, we return to our offices in Puno in the southeastern part of the country. My colleagues have the opportunity to talk to women in the markets, streets and the nearby villages, and they conclude that the presence of Pro Mujer in these cities is so needed. We are inspired by this plan and we cannot wait to serve the strong and hardworking women of Moyobamba, Tarapoto and Yurimaguas as we do with 60,000 other women in Peru and 270,000 across Latin America. These vital financial, education and healthcare services will help them generate a living and carve out a better future for themselves and their families. In that process they will realize their true value and transform their lives.

“I Was Able to Save My Life”

As told by Edelma Altamirano Espinoza to Alejandra Narvaez Jiron, Communications Specialist for Pro Mujer in Nicaragua.

Edelma Altamirano Espinoza has been a client of Pro Mujer in Nicaragua for the last seven years.

“My name is Edelma Altamirano Espinoza and I am a client at the Pro Mujer center in León, Nicaragua. I am 37 years-old and have two children, a girl who is 20 and boy who is 16. My daughter is married, lives with her husband and is in her third year of her Pharmacological studies at university. My son is finishing high school and lives at home with me and his father.

I used to work as a housekeeper. My husband also used to work, but one day he stopped working and started drinking. It was back then that I decided to start a business selling clothes. A friend of mine, who had a credit with Pro Mujer, told me about the organization. It caught my attention the way the organization operates and the opportunity it offered me to get a small loan with only my word as collateral.

I have been a Pro Mujer client in Nicaragua for the last seven years. My first loan was US$49, which let me buy some clothing in bulk to then resell. Later, my capital grew and now I buy clothing in higher quantities. I go to Honduras to sell them. I travel three times a week, on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. I can sell them at a better price in Honduras and sometimes I sell on credit between 10 and 12 dozens of pieces to one client.

Edelma buys clothes in Nicaragua and travels to Honduras to sell them at a better price.

I am the president of my Communal Bank Las Madrugadoras (The Early Risers) in León. In my role I try to motivate my group to stay together and pay on time. I try to instill in my group that the money we borrow from Pro Mujer is to invest in our small businesses, not to buy anything else.

I am really grateful for Pro Mujer because thanks to the organization I was able to save my life. They always tell us to go to the gynecologists consistently. In 2006, I decided to take a Pap smear for the first time and the medical staff at Pro Mujer found something that it was in an advanced stage. They did a biopsy and confirmed the presence of the human papilloma virus that can cause cervical cancer.

After a series of exams, Pro Mujer referred me to the Hospital Escuela de León so that I could have a hysterectomy so that I can avoid developing uterine cancer later on. That was three years ago. In the beginning I was sad and nervous because I heard people saying that a woman is not a woman if she does not have her uterus.

I did not have to pay for my surgery nor did I have to wait long for the procedure. It was a difficult moment for my family but thank God we overcame the situation. God had a plan for me and put Pro Mujer in my life.

Edelma did not have to pay for the surgery, neither had to wait long for the procedure thanks to Pro Mujer in Nicaragua.

I stopped working for three months, but I kept paying my loan to Pro Mujer. I could not fail the organization that not only gave me a credit to start my small business, but also helped saved my life.

Today, I talk with many women who are my neighbors, friends, sisters at my church, and my peers in my Communal Bank, to motivate them to get their Pap test. They should not procrastinate in taking care of their health. I also asked my daughter to do the test because you never know.”