Mexico News

2012 International Women's Day Celebrations around the World

jkr — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 14:07:52 +0000

The Hunger Project joined the international community in celebrating International Women's Day in March 2012. Check out the highlights from the International Women's Day celebrations in our programs around the world, including a forum for junior high school girls in Ghana; an experience-sharing visit to a model community in Ethiopia; and conferences in Burkina Faso.

The Hunger Project joined the international community in celebrating International Women's Day (March 8) 2012. This year, the United Nations theme was especially close to our heart: Empower Rural Women – End Hunger and Poverty. As one of its fundamental principles, The Hunger Project firmly believes that it is absolutely essential to cause a society-wide change towards gender equality in order to end hunger and poverty.

Check out the highlights from the International Women's Day celebrations in our programs around the world:

THP-Ghana celebrated International Women's Day with an inspirational forum for selected rural Junior High school girls. Girls attended from 22 schools in the three epicenters in Kwahu West Municipality and women leaders holding various key positions shared various challenges they had to go through as women to reach the positions they occupy. They also discussed opportunities available to these girls as well as the task ahead: to grow into the women leaders of the future who help develop their families, communities, the country and the world as a whole. A total of 327 people made up of 269 Junior High School girls, 41 women and 17 men participated in the forum. Read more about THP-Ghana's celebration, including highlights of the girls' discussion of the challenges and solutions they see for their future role as women leaders.
THP-Ethiopia celebrated International Women's Day at Machakel Epicenter, where 150 women, men and children participated in a day of activities. One activity was an experience-sharing visit, where participants visited a model community where gender equality is practiced and where hard work, peace and love are considered the center of their philosophy of life. The visitors witnessed that the lifestyle of the community as a whole specially focused on equality among women and men members in work division and rights. One of the slogans the community displayed on the wall of their meeting hall reads as follows: "Doing a women's job does not change my sex; it changes my ignorance." Read more about THP-Ethiopia's 2012 International Women's Day celebrations.
Check out photos of THP-Burkina Faso's celebration of International Women's Day with two conferences, one on March 6 at Sapouy Epicenter and one on March 7 at Bissiga Epicenter.
Read THP-Mexico's statement on International Women's Day (in Spanish).

Building the Future Together in Mexico

jkr — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 21:15:24 +0000

THP-México arrived in the village of Morelos in 2010 and from the start, Simona was present in every Hunger Project workshop. It took a few days for her to gain confidence, but gradually she began to express her feelings, discovering that these feelings where very similar to those of other women in the village. Now she feels safer and more united with the women and the men of her village.

Simona belongs to the village of Morelos in the municipality of San Miguel El Grande, Sierra Mixteca, Oaxaca, México. She is 46 years old, strong and has a profound, penetrating gaze. Simona is considered a leader among the women in her village, but it has not always been that way. Simona once used to look down in the presence of men, especially in the presence of her husband, Andrés Aparicio.

Simona and Andrés have been married for more than 25 years. Andrés learned to make furniture and sold his wares in San Miguel El Grande while Simona took care of their children and harvested vegetables – onions, lettuce and radishes – on their small plot of land. The farming went well for a time, until a scarcity of water made it impossible for Simona to continue harvesting. To supplement their income, Andrés decided to include Simona in the furniture sales. Following the instructions of her husband, she accompanied him to San Miguel El Grande and, like she assumed all wives should, she did “what my husband told me to do.”

The Hunger Project (THP)-México arrived in Simona’s village of Morelos in 2010. From the very beginning, Simona was present in every THP workshop. It took a few days for her to gain confidence and give an opinion on issues that mattered to her, but gradually she was able to express her feelings, discovering that these feelings where very similar as the ones of other women in the village. Now she feels safer and more united with the women and the men of her village. At home, Simona’s relationship with her husband is now one of mutual respect. "Now I realize that my husband supports me, and I support him as equals,” she said.

In particular, Simona appreciates the health brigades that try to eradicate the prevailing alcohol problems in her village.

"The health brigades helped a lot. Before these, the women and the men drink a lot, had discussions, did not understand health care. But now everything is changing a little bit."

Simona is excited when she talks about students visit from the Tecnologico of Monterrey, in June of 2011. Students heard that one of the priorities of the community was the efficient use of water, so they took samples of it to determine its quality and assess how the community could make a better use of this valuable resource.

"If the students tell us how we can make better use of the water, perhaps we can return to harvesting our own food," Simona said.

As she was being interviews, it began to rain on the village. Simona smiles and prepares to go for her clothes that were drying in the sun. Before she leaves says to us:

"With the support of THP I realize that we don’t build just furniture, now we build our future and the future of our children."

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THP-Mexico's December 2011 Newsletter: Building Bridges

jkr — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 20:45:13 +0000

Read The Hunger Project-Mexico's December 2011 newsletter, which gives highlights about: an investor trip from Sweden and the United States; a bridge built by village partners in Zacatecas; celebrating international days of significance through a radio program; participatory rural appraisal in Oaxaca; and other THP-Mexico partnerships.

Read The Hunger Project-Mexico's December newsletter below! If you click on the links for more information, note that there is English text at the bottom of each news item.

Building bridges…

These last months of the year have been defined by the creation of alliances between partners. In Chiapas, our partners in the cooperative J'pas Joloviletik received our investor partners from Sweden and the United States in order to exchange ideas and to recognize the role played by each partner to eradicate hunger and poverty in their villages and in the world. In Zacatecas, our partners from the village of Morelos managed to build a bridge in order to have better communication among its inhabitants. In October we celebrated the International Day of Rural Women, the World’s Food Day and International Day for the Eradication of Poverty participating in a special radio program, and in the same month we conducted a Participative Rural Appraisal in the Municipio of San José Tenango (Oaxaca) with the collaboration of intern volunteers from Italy and Spain. In terms of partnerships with government and other organizations, in November we participated in the Forum to create the Development Plan for the State of Mexico, and we were part of the Fifteenth Annual Meeting of the Mexican Philanthropy Center where civil society organizations had the opportunity to bond with the different development actors in our country.

Thanks to the results and achievements obtained in 2011, we are certain that in 2012 the walls that have been built by resignation will fall to give space for the construction of bridges that will enable us to move towards a world without hunger and poverty.

	Visit from our partners of Sweden and the US to our partners in Chiapas Our global vice-president, Dr. John Coonrod and our Swedish THP Director, Asa Skogström, along with other 15 investors from Sweden and The United States, visited us during the week from September 13th to September 18th, in order to be acquainted with the work we do in Mexico, as well as to presence, the work we do in Chiapas with our female partners from the J´pas Joloviletik cooperative. More info
	From poverty to sustainability: People in the center of inclusive development In October 17th, The International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, THP Mexico was invited to participate on a special radio program at “Radio Ciudadana” (Public Radio) where we talk about the actions that The Hunger Project is carrying out, in order to end with poverty, understanding this mission as a great opportunity to unleashed the human greatness. More info.
	Participative Rural Appraisal in Oaxaca During the month of October, the Mexico´s THP team, along with its international colaborators as well as their interpreters and translators, of the communities where we colaborate, created a Participative Rural Appraisal (PRA) in five villages of the municipality of San Jose Tenango, in the Mazateca Sierra. More info.
	Forum to elaborate the 2011-2017 development plan for the state of México On November 2011, Lorena Vazquez Ordaz, Country Director in THP Mexico was invited to participate on the first “Forum to elaborate the 2011-2017 development plan, for the State of México” where the State of Mexico was willing to define the actions and programs which will rule the public state administration during the current government. More info.
	2011 Cemefi´s Annual Meeting On November 14th, 15th, and 16th, The Mexican Center for Filantropy (CEMEFI) held its XV Annual Meeting, where all the organizations from the civil society, had the chance to share our work and learn from other organization´s experiences, as well as to get involved with some socially responsible entrepreneurs, government, media, academics and students willing to collaborate in our country´s development. More info.
	Construction of the vehicular bridge in the village of Morelos On November 18 the village of Morelos, from Juan Aldama, Zacatecas, opened a road bridge. This bridge was planned and arranged by the community members through its delegated Raquel García Vidaña partner of THP Mexico. More info.