LEADERSHIP PROGRAM

The Women’s Leadership Program is an effort to underscore the importance of building women’s leadership within the PROCESO programs. While the program aims to ensure the long term sustainability of PROCESO projects, building women's leadership is an end in itself. This program is a regional initiative with country specific programs in Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua.

One goal of this program is to develop the tools of leadership (self-esteem, community organizing, women's rights, communication skills, etc) in an integral and participatory manner. In order to develop these skills every country is using the Siemprevivas audiotape and workbook series of workshops developed by the Asociacion ANDAR of Honduras in conjunction with women of Mujeres Defensoras de la Vida. The basic idea is that a group of women is selected as representatives from different communities to participate in the series. To practice their leadership skills and spread awareness, the participants then give the workshop to women in their communities. The Siemprevivas program is woven into the other PROCESO programs in each community.

Another tier of the program is the scholarship for formal education or informal education (such as workshops and conferences given by other NGOs). The Women’s Leadership Program offers scholarships to women within the solar oven program to further their education and participate in either formal or informal course work. The goal of the educational scholarships is to contribute to the formation of women as community leaders.

As part of this program representatives from each country attend the annual Women's Leadership Meeting in one of the participating countries. The goal of this meeting is to exchange experiences, difficulties and solutions that every group has discovered in their own country. Also during this meeting the plan of continuity of the project is designed.

The first Women's Leadership Meeting took place in Nicaragua in January of 2003. The leadership coordinator decided to dedicate the first year to the "siemprevivas program" and the empowerment that has resulted from participation in this program has already been seen as women have returned to their communities and have begun to address local problems

The second leadership coordinating meeting took place in January of 2004 in Honduras. D uring this meeting the coordinators of each country evaluated the work carried out during the previous year and they agreed to integrate (should be present tense, not past) the leadership program with other PROCESO programs and to continue with the Siemprevivas program.