Pathways to autonomy: tzotzil women's empowerment

During these few months the team of the Red Binacional de Mujeres Artesanas Niu Matat Napawika continued with the workshops, so that the artisans could strengthen their businesses and in turn visualize new ventures so that young women can generate constant income in their territories.

In order to supervise the managment and the administration of the Raw Materials Funds, the project coordinator, in this time focused on visits to the 5 communities and give the followed up of each Social Enterprises of Women Artisans (ESMAS), together with the board members they review each of the administrative and accounting system, that have the objetive of establish the best entreprenual practices that empower women artisans in their entreprise managament, the resources and the democratic decision-making, favoring their empowerment aimed at building a relative and territorial autonomy.

In the follow-up it was observed that artisans have appropriated the accounting system, which translates into an efficient and transparent management of their resources. The commercialization is a one of the key activity in the processes of accompaniment of the Red Binacional  to contribute to the economic empowerment of artisan women, through the stablish of long term costumers relationships in the fair trade markets on national and international level that allow them to convert their main economic activitie, the production of  crafts, in an profitable enterprise one based on the generation of a constant income and in this way build a relative economic autonomy in their territories. 

During this time, training and support has been provided to the ESMAS, this has had the result on participate production experiences at scale, which includes:

Interpretation of the designs required by the clients. The Artisanal Innovation team of the Red Binacional is responsible for interpreting the designs and product idea required by the clients, preparing the design boad, the patterns and the instrucctions so that the artisans can make the first sample. 

Sampling process: The first step is making one sample of the product requested by the client, the main propouse is to secure that the product will achieve the client expectations on function, quality and cost. During this fase the artisans are trained and accompanied by the Red Binacional team so that they can correctly calculate the production cost.

Production managment: Once the sample is approved by the client and they get the order, the Red binational team organize the production of the order with the ESMAS in an workshop the order is presented, taking count of the number of pieces and togheter establish a production plan that contemplates the delivery dates requested by the client.

Commercial system application: Once the order was accepted by the ESMAS as part of the fair trade principles, a contract is signed and they ask the client the 50% advance deposit to start the production,  the other 50% will be requested once they finish the order, in addition the Red team advised the artisans for the invoice, declarations and tax payment.

Total Quality Managemet: As part of the Red Binacional training  program, the women artisans participates in different workshops with the main objetive that they know, understand and achieve the international and national markets requirements in therms of quality, (measurements, color combinations, washing and ironing)

During the execution of the project the ESMAS in total have had received an income of 20,000 USD,  each one has establish relationship with different clients giving us a different production volume The results in this 9 months were: the higher income $1,825 USD per women artisans to the lowest was of $150 USD per women artisan, it is important to clarify that this income it´s only for the commercial efforts that the Red Binacional gets them. It might not seems much but in the poverty conditions that the women artisans lives having an steady income allow them to improve their lifes.

In this few months also the Red Binacional has work directly with the young women artisans as part of the training process, they have had participate in workshops at the CENDA Artisan Development Center, which has allowed them to expand their business vision, identifying new social entrepreneurship based on their knowledge and based on the needs of their communities.

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Durante estos meses el equipo de la Red Binacional de Mujeres Artesanas Niu Matat Napawika continúo con los talleres para que las artesanas pudieran fortalecer sus empresas y a su vez visualizar nuevos emprendimientos para que las mujeres jóvenes puedan generar ingresos constantes en sus territorios.

La coordinadora del proyecto, dio seguimiento en cada una de las Empresas Sociales de Mujeres Artesanas (ESMAS), con la finalidad supervisar el manejo y administración de sus Fondos de Materias Primas, esto se realizó a través de la revisión del sistema administrativo y contable que tiene por objetivo establecer prácticas de rendición de cuentas, que empoderen a las artesanas sobre el uso y control de los recursos de sus empresas y la toma de decisiones de forma democrática, favoreciendo su empoderamiento encaminado a la construcción de una autonomía relativa y territorial.

La comercialización es una actividad clave en los procesos de acompañamiento de la Red para contribuir al empoderamiento económico de las mujeres artesanas a través de su vinculación, consolidación y permanencia en los mercados de comercio justo a nivel nacional e internacional que permitan generar ingresos dignos y construir una autonomía económica relativa en sus territorios. Durante este tiempo, se ha brindado capacitación y acompañamiento a una ESMAS que ha tenido experiencias de producción a escala, que comprende;

• Interpretación de los diseños y productos que requiere el cliente. El equipo de Innovación Artesanal de la Red Binacional es responsable de interpretar los diseños y productos que requiere el cliente y elaboración de las fichas técnicas o patrones para que las artesanas puedan realizar la primera muestra.
• Muestreo.- Durante este proceso, se capacita y acompaña a las artesanas para que puedan calcular de forma correcta el costo de producción, así como en tendencias de la moda y mercado.
• Una vez aprobada la muestra, se firma un contrato con el cliente y se solicita el anticipo para que las artesanas puedan iniciar la producción.
• Organización para la producción.- El equipo de la Red, organiza la producción con la ESMAS, en una asamblea se explica el pedido, número de piezas, características, fechas de entrega, precios y se firma un contrato de compraventa u orden de compra.
• Aplicación del sistema comercial. Se realiza el anticipo del 50% a las artesanas para iniciar la producción, y el 50% contra entrega de los productos, además se asesora a las artesanas para la facturación, declaraciones y pago de impuestos.
• Revisión de calidad total.- Se capacita a las artesanas para que puedan elaborar los productos con la calidad requerida por el cliente (medidas, combinaciones de color, lavando y planchado)

Por otra parte se han desarrollado talleres en el Centro de Desarrollo Artesanal CENDA, con las mujeres jóvenes, que les ha permitido ampliar su visión empresarial, identificando nuevos emprendimientos sociales en base a sus conocimientos y en base a las necesidades de sus comunidades.