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After active participation in a technical and business training process, three hundred and sixty-five rural women completed their courses and preparation for entrepreneurship and decent work, thanks to the support of the ALMA Project, Accompanying Women in Rural Areas, financed by the European Union in Guatemala and implemented by the Institute for University Cooperation-ICU from Italy, in collaboration with partners Fundación para el Desarrollo Integral – FUDI and Asociación para la Cooperación Educativa – ACOE.
During 2023, this group of women living in economically vulnerable conditions in the departments of Chimaltenango, Sacatepéquez and Sololá received technical training at the Ixoqi’ Training Centers in Tecpán, Chimaltenango, and Las Gravileas, in Santa Catarina Bobadilla, Sacatepéquez.
Two graduation ceremonies were held on December 6 in Ixoqi’ and December 9 in Las Gravileas, where the students received their diplomas accrediting their technical and business training, endorsed by the Guatemalan Ministry of Education, which will enable them to develop as small producers or to opt for a decent job in the labor market.
At the Ixoqi Center, 240 women of the Kaqchikel Mayan ethnic group graduated in the areas of cutting and sewing, punching and beading of typical garments, backstrap loom weaving, machine embroidery, basic and commercial bakery, event assembly, floral arrangements, fruit and vegetable packaging, and basketry design with pine leaves.
At the Las Gravileas Training Center, located very close to the colonial city of Antigua Guatemala, 125 women graduated in the areas of culinary arts and hospitality services, professional cooking and baking, cake decorating, floral design, and event set-up
The graduates received not only a diploma, but also seed capital in the form of a specialized production kit for each of these areas, as an incentive and impetus to deepen their learning and knowledge, improve their production and craft skills, increase sales and income, and generate opportunities for decent jobs.
During the graduation ceremony, the joy of the students was evident, for having completed a training process, for having the opportunity to share this moment with their families and friends, as well as the instructors of the training centers.
ICU’s ALMA Project is part of the Decent Employment Program that the European Union is promoting in the country in support of the Ministry of Economy and seeks to economically empower 1,000 small women producers to improve their own living conditions, their families and communities.
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