Posted 798 days ago

Women's Activities in Agros Communities

_{©2007 by Agros International. Used with permission.}

Agros’ programs address the needs of women and children by creating a positive cycle of change. They help women achieve:

Education: For girls who would otherwise marry and start families when they are very young, Agros works through partnerships to help provide opportunities for them to go to school, particularly primary school. Educated girls tend to marry later and their children tend to be healthier.

Literacy training: Agros offers literacy training to adults, giving both men and women who were not able to go to school the opportunity to learn how to read and write.

Financial independence: Agros trains women to manage a savings account and family finances because women tend to invest in their families.

Business skills: Through micro enterprise development, Agros trains women in business administration skills and micro-lending so they can start and manage their own businesses. Agros helps women generate income through diverse economic activities, such as raising livestock, bread, pastry and other food production, textiles, handicrafts, etc.

Health care and family planning: Many women have had more than five children and have never received a gynecological exam or had access to prenatal care. Through Agros’ human development component:
• Women learn about their bodies in a way that promotes self-esteem. Women with greater self-esteem become active in community organization. They become involved in village decision-making and develop leadership skills.
• Women receive regular physical exams, many for the first time in their lives.
• Agros works within the local culture to provide reproductive education about birth spacing and birth control so that women and their husbands can make informed decisions about family planning that is healthy for the mother and the family.

Magdalena’s Story
Magdalena is an example of resilience and entrepreneurial spirit. With good opportunities and a little help, her hard work has taken her beyond her dreams.

Magdalena grew up in an unstable home, waking up every morning at 4 AM to do all the household chores. She studied in the afternoon, but without money to pay school fees Magdalena could not continue her studies. At 18, she married Felipe. During the first years of their marriage they lived with Felipe’s mother. Magdalena dreamed of having their own house and a piece of land so that they could own livestock.

One day Felipe returned home with an application from Agros International, and Magdalena, bursting with excitement, thought, “Now this is the opportunity to have what I’ve always dreamt of—our own home and land.”

When the day arrived to assign the land, Magdalena was disappointed with the rocky parcel they were given. Putting their disappointment behind them, Magdalena and Felipe worked to clear their new land and began to sow the seeds for the food that would one day end up on their family’s table.

Magdalena’s dreams did not stop with the new ability to plant and harvest. She also started a small business to increase her sales and earnings. Currently, she sells groceries in her own store.

Today, Magdalena runs her business and works her land in El Milagro, El Salvador. She also serves as Youth Coordinator, and joins in with other community women’s projects. Magdalena is known by her eagerness to live fully and overcome life’s obstacles.

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