80% of indigenous Mexicans live in poverty. The situation is even worse for women in rural areas, who are less likely to work in the formal economy and earn a fair income.
This project will see 14 indigenous Ikojts women in Oaxaca expand their new business, selling goods including traditional textiles and foods.
Over six months in 2021, the community of women received business training and guidance from a business consultant who helped them to design and create marketable goods, access local markets, and test their products with local consumers. They then successfully launched the first phase of their business, producing, packaging and distributing locally made tortillas. They are now ready to expand into selling products which utilise Oaxaca’s vast array of plentiful fruits and vegetables as well as their skills creating traditional embroidered textiles.
The new entrepreneurs have managed to secure business support and technical training for the crucial next 12 months of their venture as they establish the full product range so they can provide enough work for each woman to thrive and harness their unique skills and passions within the business. Your support of this project will ensure that the women have the start-up capital needed to purchase equipment and an initial supply of raw materials to begin production and sell local fruit preserves and traditional textiles.
14 women will develop mastery of a skill that they are passionate about and receive the machinery and materials that allow them to utilise this skill to earn an income.
In a community where women are not traditionally seen to work in the formal economy, younger women and girls will have new role models who can show them that it is possible to gain economic independence and not just rely on men for their survival.
Additionally, as development literature often shows, the health of a family is closely linked to the health of women. So, as this project is targeting the wellbeing and economic opportunities of a group of women, we estimate immediate improvements on the lives of their children, parents, brothers and sisters.
Each Just Peoples project is led by a local project leader from the country of implementation who designs and delivers the project alongside the local community. All Just Peoples project leaders are part of a global community of 15 project leaders who are all tackling poverty in their local communities and share learnings between them.
Juan and Laura Mayorga, the Mexican project leaders who will deliver this project, have been working closely with this community of indigenous women in Oaxaca for the past 12 years and adapt and innovate interventions based on their learnings with each subsequent project delivered.
Those interested in funding this initiative have the opportunity to meet directly with Juan and Laura, via video call. They'll be able to learn more about the local context in San Dionisio del Mar and determine whether supporting this project will help them meet their goals of contribution.
Following the delivery of this training, the project funder will have the opportunity again to meet directly with Juan and Laura to hear their reflections about the impact that the initiative has had for the women business owners and their wider communities.
We believe in a world without poverty. Where people have the power to solve their own problems, their own way. We believe that real, sustainable change comes about when people are given the resources to lift their own communities out of poverty.
We tackle global poverty by supporting grassroots leaders to design and deliver locally appropriate solutions to the challenges their communities face. Just Peoples currently has 16 Project Leaders from across Africa, Asia and Mexico who are bringing to life a wide-range of projects based on delivering health, education, technological and economic outcomes for people living in poverty. The majority of our projects are designed and delivered by women and/or for women as we believe that supporting women around the world to step into their power is one of the most effective ways to change the trajectory for entire communities. Our Project Leaders are effective because they have a deep understanding of the local context of poverty in peoples’ lives, and have established respected relationships in their communities. Their insight and expertise make them the best people to understand problems, and implement lasting changes that work. So far we have delivered 125 grassroots projects globally, impacting the lives of over 100,000 people living in 13 countries around the world.
Think lens, think glasses. Glasses correct limitations of vision and enable clearer sight. And so it is with a gender lens, which helps us to see more clearly the role gender plays in shaping our male and female lives, our work, experience and choices.
Also known as Australian Women Donors Network (ABN: 28 141 197 471), Australians Investing in Women is a registered charity endorsed by the Australian Tax Office as a deductible gift recipient (DGR1) under a special listing, all donations over $2 are tax deductible.