- Latin & Central America
"I am worth something. So is my work!"
"Ni una menos!", "Not one more!", shout the women demonstrating in Latin America's major cities. Or: "I am worth something. So is my work!" More and more of them are standing up. They are resisting the fact that they experience violence day after day and even have to fear being murdered - just because they are women. They are fighting back against unprecedented exploitation and oppression.
In Bolivia, almost 80 per cent of all women have experienced intimate partner violence, according to the Misereor partner organisation ECAM in Tarija, Bolivia. And it also knows that almost all of the care work falls on the shoulders of women. In addition to hard labour, often in insecure and poorly paid jobs.
Protecting and empowering women
Every day, countless women seek ways out of seemingly insurmountable poverty, violence and threats. Our partner organisations reach out to them. For example, by providing them with legal advice and helping them to assert their rights. Or by providing psychological counselling to help them overcome terrible experiences and find new strength, for themselves and for the children.
Your donations make this valuable work possible!
Each for themselves and all together
The path is easier together. This is why Misereor's partners create sustainable networks. For example, "Vamos Mujer" has motivated women in Antioquia, Colombia, to join forces. The "Las Lilas" group brings together older women, many of whom are stepping out of their traditional roles for the first time. When they bake and sell biscuits with their fellow members, they earn their first income. In another group, women who have experienced violence organise themselves. They work through their experiences psychologically, for example via self-produced podcasts. Some then receive training so that they can competently support other women in similar situations.
Shaping society
Women who find their voice are not just standing up for themselves. They want to take responsibility for the community. ECAM and Vamos Mujer invite women to get politically involved. And they do! Women who have been silenced by violence become attentive observers and strong leaders. They highlight problems, find sustainable solutions and take their entire neighbourhood with them. ECAM trains women as radio reporters. The freelance journalists have already achieved a great deal through their research. Women who take on leadership roles in their neighbourhoods as "Liderezas" also find suitable training and valuable ongoing support at ECAM.
New togetherness
Women's rights concern society as a whole - which is why our partners involve the public through communication on all channels. And they work specifically with boys and men. Their efforts are laying the foundations for a new way of working together: together, the people in Bolivia and Colombia are developing new forms of conflict resolution and improving living conditions for everyone. And they are creating happy moments together. Thank you for your contribution!
Sometimes we receive more donations for a project than was granted to the legal holder of the respective project. The projects listed here are examples of the work Misereor supports all over the world. If donations for a project exceed the amount granted to its legal holder, we allocate the surplus to other projects with a similar concept.
Our local partner organisations
Equipo de Communicacíon Alternativa con Mujeres (ECAM)
The Misereor partner organisation "Equipo de Communicacíon Alternativa con Mujeres", ECAM for short, was founded in 1993. It is active in the Bolivian city of Tarija. Its work focuses on the participation and empowerment of women. To this end, it raises awareness through campaigns and radio programmes, encourages women to participate in politics and supports them individually. For example, by offering them educational programmes, advising them on legal issues or teaching them how to market goods they have produced themselves. The programme also includes work with boys and men, for example as part of school groups or special workshops.
Corporación Vamos Mujer
The Misereor partner organisation "Corporación Vamos Mujer" has been doing pioneering work since 1979. Back then, it was the first point of contact for women in the Colombian department of Antioquia, where living conditions are particularly difficult and characterised by violence. Through its work, it promotes the self-organisation of women into long-term groups. The women develop a network that strengthens and sustains them so that they can also find out about their rights and stand up for them with renewed self-confidence. In this way, the Misereor partner contributes to a peaceful society that negotiates conflicts instead of allowing them to escalate into violence.
Suzanne Lemken
Donor Communications
- Telephone
- +49 241 442127
- suzanne.lemken@misereor.de
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