I often find that the second half of any
experience goes by the fastest; now past the halfway mark here in Honduras I
keep reminding myself to make the most of my time here. With just a couple
months left, it’s been important for me to plan ahead, so that time doesn’t fly
right past me. In the past month, my priority has been the charlas in the
communities regarding the topic of human rights. Coordinating with my counterparts at CASM to
their respective communities, I’ve managed to give 8 charlas since I last wrote.
The structure and organization of the human
rights charla I designed has changed over time, as I’ve tweaked and perfected
it, learning from my experiences with each new group. Many days have been spent
in the CASM office replanning and modifying the charla, trying to make it more
dynamic, interactive, and accessible for participants. As far as planning goes,
I feel pretty confident in the charla as it stands now….
Women work together to write down 5 basic needs to live. |
After introductions, a member of the community
is asked to give a prayer to begin our session. This is followed by a
devotional from 1 Corinthians 12:14-23, in which we discuss how, despite
differences, all people are of the same worth and importance. (Likewise,
everyone has the same basic human rights, regardless of sex, race, political
opinion, gender, nationality, religion, etc.). Then, dividing into teams of 4-6
people, each group writes down 5 basic needs necessary in order to live,
ordered from most to least importance, which we discuss afterwards together. This is a good warm-up, since our basic human
rights often overlap with our basic needs. The results from this warm-up have
varied, but almost always the first thing people seem to think of is God
(because “God gives us life in the first place”) followed by air, water, food, etc. Group work has proven to be
very successful in the communities, as individuals who cannot read/write still
have the opportunity to give their input and participate in the conversation.
Next,
I explain that the content of the charla comes from the Universal Declaration
of Human Rights, signed by the United Nations in 1948 after WWII. It’s
important that the participants know that these rights aren’t just something
that I came up with, but rather have been written down and have authority.
Likewise, since many people here don’t have much confianza (confidence) in the national government (one individual
commented to me that every time there is a new president, they always change
the constitution in some way or another) it helps for them to know that this is
an international agreement.
The goal of the charla is that the participants
learn the rights they have according to the Declaration. Each person in the
group(s) gets 1-2 cards, each containing a human right. Together in their
groups they discuss how to organize the rights, according to three
categories…Satisfy Needs, Enjoy Security, or Participate. Afterwards we
reconvene as a whole group, discussing where and why we are placing the cards
according to the categories, as well as what each different human right entails
for us. I also use examples to stress the idea of equality between men and
women in relation to their human rights, as women’s rights are more likely to
be violated, not only in Honduras, but all over the world.
That is basically the meat of the charla.
Afterwards, depending on time and if the group is still animated, we do another
activity using brief stories I’ve written to identify human rights and
determine whether or not they are being violated, by whom, and who has the
responsibility to protect them, etc. But the conversations that result between people during the charlas are by far the most important part of the learning process.
A long and narrow walkway of a woman´s home made conversation a bit of a challenge |
As much as I’ve planned the charla, with each
community it has ended up different, according to lots of different variables.
In some groups, a few men have been in attendance, which can be a good thing
(men need to hear that women have the same rights as them too!) but I also have
to be careful and make sure that the men don’t also dominate the conversation.
Even if they have good, egalitarian commentaries to offer, it doesn’t do the
women any good to sit there passively (it’s a basic human right to
have an opinion and participate, so I emphasize that we practice it in the
charla!). Likewise, women bring their young children to the charla and this can
cause natural distractions for the group as well. Then there´s the actual physical space we have available for the charla...is it a classroom? A church? Someone`s home? One time in a classroom a huge rainstorm came, and the sound of the rain on the tin roof was deafening - we had to take a break until it passed. While I cannot plan for these
and other variables, with each charla I get better at managing them and rolling
with the punches.
But - So
what? How is this charla helping people in the communities? What good does it do for people to know their
basic human rights, especially if these rights are constantly being violated or
not fulfilled?? These are questions I’ve wrestled with in this work. But the
responses I’ve received from community members have reminded me that this topic
is worth something in the long run.
Working
together in groups in the charla promotes solidarity in the communities, as individuals
collaborate to make sense of this topic. My hope is that after the charla they
will support one another in the protection of their human rights, as well as
the promotion of equality between men and women in their community.
In the
charla we also talk about the right to participate in organized groups, which leads
to a discussion on how many women are serving as representatives of different
organizations (community boards, municipality committees, religious groups, etc.) But we also talk about how it´s not just necessary that there are women serving in these groups, but also important to evaluate which type of position they are filling….rarely is it a role with much power.
As I continue my work with the charlas, the current coffee harvesting season may prove to be a new challenge. The harvest is just beginning, and both men and women go to work in the fields...my counterparts have warned me that as the harvest really gets underway I may see fewer numbers of participants in the charlas as a result. Coffee harvesters earn approximately 30 lempiras ($1.50) per gallon of coffee beans picked. On average, a person will pick anywheres from 4-8 gallons in a day, meaning 120-240 lempiras in a day`s wage ($7-$12). This may not seem like a lot, and in reality, with the rising food prices (remember the beans) here it isn't that much. But families can make $12 stretch a good ways, and since agriculture is the main economy here, the coffee harvest is what many families depend on to make ends meet.
When I visit communities, I also have a short 30 minute charla for the schools on children´s rights. Together, we learn a song I wrote called "My Human Rights". It's always a fun time! |
Already I am working on the planning for another
charla on the topic of gender . After receiving the human rights charla, I think
communities are in a prime position to receive more education on gender norms, and
how this can generate inequality between men and women. Working in these topics
is super exiting for me. There is so much machismo
(male superiority) in Latin America, and while I am certainly not ridding
Honduras of it single-handedly, I do believe that I am making a small
difference here in this corner of the world. I have already met strong women
and men in the communities, whom, influenced by the work of CASM, have come to
recognize machismo as a problem in society. Hopefully my contribution with
these charlas will continue to promote gender equality amongst people here,
improving the lives of both men and women.
Speaking of gender, this past Monday, after our
usual weekly devotional, our CASM team had a meeting in order to do a “Gender
Diagnostic Analysis”. CASM as an institution is analyzing indicators of gender
inequality within the institution, that is to say, that all the regional CASM offices are doing the same analysis to be
reviewed by the administration. Together as a group we reviewed whether or not
CASM’s mission/vision statements, internal structure, project processes from
start to finish, promotional materials, etc. were up to par with gender
equality standards. I really have to applaud CASM for doing this analysis
because it demonstrates a real commitment to ensuring gender equality among
employees as well as in the work we do with the
communities. In one of my earliest posts I mentioned the issue of
homosexuality, and this was also a subject discussed within the analysis.
Apparently, in years before, there was a case of a coordinator in a regional
office who was supposedly dismissed for being homosexual. But times are
changing, and now CASM is committed to promoting the equal rights of EVERYONE involved
in its work, and that is HUGE! I think every organization should do an analysis
akin to this…kudos to CASM for making it a priority!
I’ve already told you what I’ve been up to
personally with the charlas, but our CASM office as a whole has been involved
in so many different projects this past month I can scarcely keep track of it
all!! Here are some snapshots/updates on our work….
Taly, our youngest CASM staff member, representing with her fellow classmates in the march. "For a non-violent person, the whole world is their family." |
Eugenia proudly carries her sign "Beatings are not the only violence...Words, Silence, Betrayal, Scorn, and Indifference also HURT." |
Micro-irrigation systems were one of the highlights of the training, which CASM will help communities implement into their home farming practices. |
CASM gave a business administration workshop to a women`s microbusiness. Here, Maximina practices balancing a checkbook to keep record of the group`s earnings/spendings. |
Another Feria Gastronomica was held in La Reina at the end of September. |
Students gave a presentation on the importance of eating one`s fruits and vegetables.... |
Women preparing the chaya and carrot fritters to share with those gathered for the festival. |
In order to
do so many activities all at the same time, CASM definitely has to have a plan
to carry them all out. Sometimes these plans don’t work as perfectly as we’d
like. The rain pours, the beans we hope for just aren’t there, the prices are
higher than we expected….but we press onward, readjusting and finding better
solutions along the way!
There is a
season for everything. My friends and family back home are busting out their
Halloween décor, scoping out the candy prices, and planning parties and
jack-o-lanterns to be ready for the 31st. While I do miss this part
of home, I honestly wouldn’t want to be anywhere else right now but Honduras.
Despite the challenges and changes in plans I have here, all in all, it’s a
pretty great season of my life to be in right now!
In
Solidarity,
Malinda
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