November 1998

Why Support Girls' Education?

Girls' Education is considered to be one of the, perhaps the, most powerful development intervention that can be made. The logic of girls' education seems obvious, be until recently, it was not apparent to many development practitioners. The longer a girl stays in school, the later she marries, the fewer children she has, the better nutrition and healthcare she gives the children, the more she earns to support the children, and the more involved she becomes in community and civic activities.

Girls' education is one of the foremost goals of Co-partners' work. Two approaches are used: motivational school packages and scholarships. When the school year begins in January, Association members with 70% attendance during the past year are eligible to receive, for themselves or their children, a school supplies package with a $3 value. Officers of La Nueva Esperanza decide which supplies will be included in the packages for each school level (kindergarten, elementary, middle and high school), buy the supplies, make up and distribute the packages, usually several notebooks, a pencil or pen, a pencil sharpener, and a box of colored pencils. Incredibly, the simple items can make the difference between a child going to school or staying home to do chores. For people with cash income under $1000 a year, the outlay of $9-12 to ready three or four children for school, is often out of the question. Each year Co-partners funds the distribution of about 100 motivational school packages.

In El Salvador schools in most small communities extend only through fourth grade. To continue schooling requires walking long distances. Because girls in traditional cultures are often not allowed to walk several miles alone, for fear that they may be taken advantage of by a man or an older boy, parents prefer to keep them in the safety of home. Transportation scholarships, allowing a girl to ride in a truck or bus, make it possible for girls to go to school without worry on their part or the part of their parents. This year Co-partners, through La Nueva Esperanza, has supported transportation costs for ten girls.

Why Sewing and Embroidery?

Sewing classes are the most popular classes offered by La Nueva Esperanza. They have a multiple benefit. Once a student becomes a good seamstress, she can earn money sewing for others or gain entrance as a worker in one of El Salvador's garment factories. While she's perfecting her skill, she has the satisfaction of designing and sewing clothes for herself and her family. Similarly, embroidery skills have a dual function: to beautify household items, such as tablecloths or tortilla covers, or to make salable products.

To provide further earning opportunities, members learn to produce handicrafts that are popular as tourist items or as seasonal decorations. They are introduced to ceramic techniques used in a large local industry and, because paper flowers are the gift of choice for Mothers' Day in rural areas, learn a new technique of paper flower production, each year in April.

Fundraising Plans

A Co-partners goal for this year was to seek a grant to support program expansion. To this end, the chairperson reviewed a directory of foundations that support girls' and women's activities, and sent letters of inquiry to 20 foundations that fund girls' and women's work internationally. Of the nineteen responses received, five advised that our work falls within their scope of interest. Two accept applications only from organizations location in developing countries, while three fund only organizations located in the U.S. Applications are in progress for these three foundations. In addition, for a much larger list of foundations that work internationally, Co-partners has sent 25 letters of inquiry to grant-makers, in the hope that two or three additional formal applications can be submitted in the next several months. The success of this process with determine whether Co-partners can expand its work and test its model in other locations or whether activities will be restricted to the Ilobasco area of El Salvador.

Co-partners of Campesinas Board of Directors

Chairperson: Archer Dodson Heinzen, Alexandria, VA

Sec./Treas.: Glynne Leonard, Falls Church, VA

Board Members:

Julia Gonzalez, Alexandria, VA

Phoebe Lansdale, Silver Spring, MD

Gloria Martel, San Salvador, El Salvador

Rosa Irma Mendoza, San Salvdor, El Salvador

Teresa Rodriguez de Sarroca, Rome, Italy

Pilar Lecarios, Lima , Peru

La Nueva Esperanza (New Hope) Board

President: Rosa Flores

Vice President: Chita Rodriguez

Secretary: Adriana Dinora Rivas

Tresasurer: MariCruz Mendoza