Women participating in CEPAD’s craft training program hold up some of the products they learned to make.
Women Empowering Women
Excitement was in the air as women from across the country gathered at our central office in Managua to attend a two day craft training. Together, we learned how to make different styles of bracelets, necklaces, and earrings. Through songs, prayers, and laughter, we wove bracelets while weaving brighter futures.
Women in Nicaragua are the pillar of the family, with many households being led by single mothers. However, there are not many job opportunities for those living in rural areas with no degree of higher education. CEPAD’s craft training program teaches women new skills like making piñatas, jewelry, decorations, and cooking typical Nicaraguan foods to sell.
The impact of this program is ten-fold:
- Women become economically self-sufficient, meaning they can purchase and provide healthier food for their families and can afford school uniforms, books, supplies, etc. to create a better future for their children.
- Empowered with these new skills, the women who represent each zone where CEPAD is present, return to their homes to teach 18 other women in their region what they’ve learned. This leads to a positive cycle of women empowering other women.
- Having the opportunity to create and sell their own products builds up self-esteem, creating confident women who become better family and community leaders.
- Connecting with other women from similar life experiences creates deep friendships. Many women share what they are making and selling with other through texting apps to continue learning new techniques from one another, even after CEPAD has completed these workshops.
- Families are strengthened as mothers can work from home while taking care of the house and their children – they no longer have to leave their kids with other family members while they look for work.
As we ended the workshop, each women proudly showed off her new creations, excited to share their new skills with family and friends back home. Read what Mirna and Sarita have to share:
Mirna (left) enjoying the bracelet-making process.
“Thank you so much for thinking of us. It is such a blessing to be able to work in our homes, and we wish blessings for all of you.”
-Mirna
“We’re happy to know others care about us and our families. It has been a huge blessing to us and I hope our donors are blessed so they can continue supporting this program. I want this opportunity to be available for more women in more communities. Thank you for remembering us and supporting us so we, as women entrepreneurs, can better our lives.”
-Sarita
Sarita works on finishing a pair of earrings.
Would you consider supporting women like Mirna and Sarita?
1 year of training (3 workshops) for 1 woman costs $370.
1 workshop for 2 women costs $123.
1 workshop for 1 woman costs $61.75.
Visit our donate page to empower women through our craft training program.
