Project

Indigenous Women's Leadership Program

Host Organization: Centro de Compartimiento, A.C. Juchitan, Oaxaca, Mexico http://www.centrodecompartimiento.org

About

This project helps indegenous women in the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca with personal and skill development to become leaders in their communities. Women from indigenous communities are not often involved in leadership roles in their communites and are often activly blocked from those roles. Our program supports women from indigenous communites to learn about themselves, the systems that they live in and gender equity to support their leadership in the community.

Need

The United Nations in it Women's Report lauded Mexico in 2013 for new laws encouriging increased parity in leadership roles for women. Yet according to their own research "Despite the progress made, gender equality in Mexico ... (the country) faces series of structural problems characterized by an unrelenting gap between formal and substantive equality in all areas of development." This is especially notable at the municipal and state levels. The gap is even greater in indigenous communities.

Long term impact

Female leaders tend to be more inclusive and community-driven. They are more likely to lead by consensus, rather than try to dictate the rules. The 'feminine' leadership style wants others to be involved and take ownership of the goal so that everyone contributes. Women in leadership roles benefit communities as women issues gain parity in communities and the different leadership style can help communities and organizations address a fuller scope of the needs of their members.

About the Organization

Our mission is to foster the growth of women as leaders with strong sense of self and a will to serve others, whose presence in the community will be an example of virtue, values, ethics and spirituality. Our founding principles are based on the belief that communities need all citizens to be active and have a voice. Equality and equity across gender is important and lacking in many communities across Mexico, especially in rural areas. Leaders in communities need to have service to that community as a priority. We believe that everyone should have access to higher levels education despite barriers of poverty and location. We believe that a nurturing, protective and faith-filled environment helps people grow and we encourage women to participate in the faith organization of their choice finding common ground between faith groups. Our goal is to have more women to take on leadership roles in their communities and support them in fostering personal and economic development in their communities. There are many government programs for marginalized communities here in Mexico, but the communities are not well enough organized to take advantage of these opportunities and community leaders more often than not use these opportunities to their own advantage either to political or personal. If communities are better organized they can make better decisions for themselves. The base of this organization is personal development for the community members. Meeting the basic needs of community members is also vital to community growth, it is difficult to grow when all energy is focused on meeting basic needs of families.

GlobalGiving Categories:
  • Gender Equality
  • Justice and Human Rights

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Total Goal
$10,000
Remaining Goal
$5,285
What is a Project?

Domestic and international programs and services housed within organizations, addressing specific needs of community groups.