Gender Equality Venezuela Project #64879

Give a brighter future to women in Latin America

by WONDER Foundation

Project Report | Oct 7, 2024
Claudia's future is brighter thanks to you!

By Ana Pardo | Fundraising Officer

“I didn’t think it was possible to have my own business, but now I know that I am capable.”

Claudia is 20 years old, and is studying dressmaking as Fundación Sirama, our partner in El Salvador.

Claudia has always liked sewing, and at Sirama, she realised that she has a lot to contribute to society. In a very short amount of time, she’s learned how to operate the sewing machine and has already made some garments.

Her dream is to set up a sewing workshop. She says:

“First, I want to work on myself and be happy in what I do and not just do things for the sake of doing them.”

Claudia has also been participating in Siramá’s supplementary ‘Artisan Women of Peace’ programme, which seeks to empower women to be positive changemakers in both their personal lives and their communities.

Although she has only started recently, she has noticed a change in herself. In her own words:

“I’m more patient with my daughters and try to understand them more. I think that I have been able to influence other people by being more tolerant and managing my emotions better”.

Claudia is grateful to supporters like you who believe in WONDER for the opportunity at Siramá, as she reflects,

“Thank you very much for supporting Salvadoran women and allowing us to study in an institution accessible to us.”

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Sep 23, 2024
Education is changing Alisson's life for good!

By Ana and the WONDER team | Fundraising Officer

Alisson

My dreams only grow every time I go to classes in Siramá as I learn a lot.

Alisson is an 18 year-old Salvadorian studying the Bakery course in Fundacion Sirama in San Salvador. Her studies are providing her with the education and the necessary skills that will help her improve her livelihood. In her own words:

I chose to study at Sirama because I wanted to complement my cooking studio with bakery.

I haven't let adversity stop me and thank God I've had the support of my parents. Right now, I'm finishing school and working in a restaurant to save money. My dreams for the future are, first to find a good job in a hotel or big restaurant and then to have my own cafeteria.

The skills learned here helped me noticed a lot of mistakes I made when cooking and I'm improving them little by little. In addition to the technical workshops, I have learned about costs in business.

At WONDER, we recognize that simply providing access to resources is not enough. Mentoring can help improve school attendance and overcoming certain gender-specific barriers to education. This is why we pair each woman to a mentor in our programmes. Talking about her mentor, her classmates and her experience at Sirama, Alisson tells us:

My mentor has helped me a lot in accepting and loving myself. I'm excited to start preceptorships because I want to keep working on my self-esteem.

The truth is that I learn from all my teammates. We have classes with women of all ages and we learn a lot from each other because we all have different talents.

I’m proud to be able to organize my time between school, work and Sirama. This effort, even if it is tiring at times, I know that it will bring positive results.

Sometimes it's tiring to study and work. But with the skills I’ve learned, additionally to the income from my work and I already have some clients.

The courses are usually expensive and you don't learn much, but here the price is affordable and the courses are quite complete. May God bless you. Thank you very much, it's a great opportunity.

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