Fight Poverty: Educate Women in Panama

CAPTA is a program that reinforces self-esteem, leadership and empowers women to achieve their dreams. The program works with two cycles during 7 weeks of training:
                                                   

 During the Foundation cycle, women have the opportunity to learn about life skills in different modules as: Emotional Intelligence, Conflict Management, Assertive Communication, Reproductive Health, and other classes that conform a cycle with more than 28 modules. Once they had finished the first cycle, they enter the second cycle: the vocational training, in which women have the opportunity to practice as a housekeeper in various hotels in Panama and Colon city. For most of them, this means their first job.

We celebrate the ending of the program with a graduation ceremony, and then CAPTA women start their journey as empowered and self-confident women.

We can explain the program, but there’s no better way to understand it than learning about one of our graduates experience: this is the story of Raquel.

“I entered this course because it was difficult for me to get a job and I got this opportunity through a flyer about the CAPTA program for those women who wanted a better quality of life for them and their families. That's how I came to Calicanto Foundation.

I was a very quiet and isolated person, even with my partners I was shy and I did not like sharing with my family.

I did not like to talk. When I first entered CAPTA classes I felt alone, without knowing anyone.

The most difficult thing for me in this course was to work as a team. It was hard for me to build a bond with my classmates.

But then I started learning how to participate and speak in public, and that was one of my favorite parts of the program. Teachers always kept us high self-esteem and taught us tools to solve conflicts that sometimes arise in our families and jobs. I will remember all this learnings and I will put them into practice. I’m even giving the speech of my CAPTA group during our graduation ceremony, and I feel as a strong and confident woman.

To all those women who are about to enter this training, do not hesitate, it is worth making a sacrifice for a better tomorrow, for your family and for yourselves. It will not be easy, you just have to do your best and you will see that the obstacles will be left behind and will be more women of CAPTA groups. For me it was a great challenge and today I can be glad to tell you that I will start a new job in a few days. I thank the Foundation and all the staff.

To the donors I thank you for supporting each of us, for placing this trust in us, do not be discouraged because with your help Calicanto Foundation can have more promotions and More women CAPTA.” 

More than 1000 graduated CAPTA women, and counting!