Vamos Tejiendo: Equal Access to Quality Jobs for Women and Girls in Agriculture (EQUAL) in Colombia

Results

• Vamos Tejiendo has effectively amplified the voices of women in the panela and cut flower sectors by establishing four women's circles, one in each target municipality. Through these women’s circles,  participants gain both soft and technical skills, exchange experiences, and advocate for policy changes at the municipal level. During the last local election cycle, the women's circles championed a women's economic empowerment agenda through six strategic lines of action: 1) political participation, 2) economic autonomy, 3) integral health, 4) education, 5) a life free of violence, 6) recreation, sports, and culture. This agenda was presented to mayoral candidates in town halls. Almost all candidates pledged their commitment to implement the women's agenda in Yolombo and Facatativa. Implementing the women’s agenda as part of the municipal development plans could benefit close to 20,000 women in target municipalities.
• The project has developed a partnership with Molienda Real, a Colombian company that helps small panela producers transition from traditional to organic panela production and to transform panela into innovative, export-quality products. This partnership promotes sustainable Agriculture practices and youth development in the panela production by strengthening individual skills and building trapiches’ production capacity to export. The project, in collaboration with Molienda Real, has launched a rural school pilot to empower youth and cultivate a skilled workforce in the panela value chain. Rural school sessions covered topics such as bio-input production, organic management plans, and product development.
• The project has trained 571 women in the panela and cut-flower sectors on labor rights, leadership, decision-making, teamwork and autonomy, communication skills, care economy, and violence prevention.