“I thought that, as a woman, I would be unable to learn… but now I see that I am part of a Community Vision,” says 78-year-old Esperanza Morelos from Piedra de la Luz in Mexico’s Oaxaca state.
Esperanza is a widow and a mother of three. What she is referring to are all the tools she has been able to learn through her partnership with The Hunger Project-Mexico over the past six years. During this time, Esperanza has worked to implement small-scale projects that provide sustainable solutions to hunger and poverty in her community. Now, Esperanza recognizes her value and her ability to contribute. “I have told and encouraged other people to carry on this community work and put their hearts into it so we can fulfill our Vision,” she says.
The Hunger Project-Mexico runs Vision, Commitment and Action workshops,
along with skills and leadership training programs, across four states in Mexico. Empowered with the tools and support needed to plan, implement and evaluate projects, community members like Esperanza gain confidence in the powers of their own entrepreneurship. Currently, communities are implementing visions such as eco-stoves, rainwater harvesting programs and projects to ensure access to water and adequate sanitation.
Together with her neighbors in Piedra de la Luz, Esperanza has been working to construct housing and develop eco-stoves, implement family gardens and provide access to clean water. Esperanza credits the workshops provided by The Hunger Project-Mexico for her new knowledge and confidence.
And this is just the starting point. Esperanza is now moving onto new projects, including one where she is learning to recycle bottles in order to reduce waste and protect the environment.
Q4 2016
