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Collaboration with and support from the Wisconsin Association for Home and Community Education, Zonta International, and the American Association of University Women has provided invaluable funding, supplies, and training for the Women in Development activities.
Chica Nica Doll Dresses
Thirty-two dress designs, all fitting eighteen inch dolls, have now been perfected and are sewn by women of the Learning Centers. The dresses are being marketed throughout the state of Wisconsin at doll dress shows, community festivals, and on the W/NP website, where photos, doll dress styles, and ordering information can be found. We are also marketing the dresses throughout Nicaragua in hotels, gift shops, tourist centers, and restaurants.
Family Planning
Family planning training has been incorporated into the Learning Center network. This is in response to requests from the Nicaraguan women. It is a win/win situation because W/NP can ensure an approach that is culturally sensitive and relevant to the needs of the target communities.
Learning Centers
With a shared vision, volunteers from Wisconsin and Nicaragua coordinate what was formerly known as the highly successful W/NP Sewing Center network. The Sewing Centers have now made the transition into Learning Centers. Each center is autonomous, organized and managed by the women of their respective communities. The project goal is to provide vocational skill opportunities for rural Nicaraguan women allowing them to remain in their communities rather than migrating to urban areas or to other countries to work as maids or in sweatshops. This activity is done in support of the belief that having "mom in the home" is critical to the security and training of young children, especially young girls. The centers provide hands-on skill building training to provide self-sufficiency, dignity, and employment beyond the traditional sewing skills, all the while incorporating small business management into the curriculum. Once the skills and training reach a level whereby a woman is equipped to develop her own small business, access to microlending programs is available to provide equipment acquisition opportunities which allow her to develop her business and work in her home.
Learning Center Tour
Seven Wisconsin women participated in the annual Learning Center Tour featuring meetings and hands-on workshops with their Nicaraguan counterparts. Translation was provided, although it was often bypassed as enthusiastic women of both countries worked together sharing knowledge and skills.
Kitchen Gardens
Working in collaboration with Farmer to Farmer, a kitchen gardening component has been integrated into the Learning Center network, providing vital training in crop production, composting, and marketing. The project not only provides food for consumption in the home, but it also provides fresh vegetables which can be sold to supplement family income.
Wisconsin Women Care
A joint effort with Partners of the Americans, Inc. and Women's EDGE, the WWC project focuses on increasing awareness of and support for U.S. international development programs for women. Thirty-nine years of working with volunteers in Wisconsin has shown W/NP that Latina women in Wisconsin want to help their counterparts in developing countries but generally lack the direction and skills to do so. Latina voters' experiences lend much credibility and power to their communication with legislators. These women can have a strong positive impact on United States international policy. Forty-three chapters of the American Association of University Women in Wisconsin and Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin were contacted and given Advocacy Project packets to help extend their outreach to Latina voters. This easy-to-use informational pack contained resources, website addresses, advocacy training materials, and a colorful video showcasing the global issues that affect women. The goal of this project was to build confidence and effective advocacy strategy on behalf of women-focused foreign assistance and trade policy issues. These materials were also supplied to public and university libraries throughout Wisconsin and used for local programming within the chapters.
Statistics
Training Classes Offered
· Tailoring
· Knitting
· Handcrafts
· Fabric Painting
· Hand Embroidery
· Machine Embroidery
· Dressmaking
· Cosmetology
· Bakery and Cake Decorating
· Solar Cooking
· Typing
· Carpentry
· Dance
· Computer Training
· Poultry Management
· Business Training
Learning Centers
· Learning Centers Currently Active: 79
· Electric Sewing Machines Distributed: 137
· Treadle Sewing Machines Distributed: 24
· Sewing Machine Cabinets Distributed: 29
· People Registered in Training Classes: 420
Kitchen Gardens
· Gardens Established: 17
· Communities Involved: 09
· Wisconsin FTF Volunteers: 03
· Demonstration Plots: 17
· Volunteers Trained: 175
· People Impacted: 612
· Garden Seeds Donated: 750 Pounds
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