In an advance commemoration of International Women’s Day, representatives of leading lakeside charitable organizations will introduce their programs in support of local girls and women at the Art Fair scheduled for Saturday, March 4 at the Centro Laguna Mall.
Chapala’s Centro Comunitario Tephehua will showcase the sewing program launched in 2012 to train women from the low-income neighborhood as seamstresses. Operating under the motto “Changing Lives One Stitch at a Time,” the program’s participants market a vast array of useful household products at local fairs and the Tepehua Treasures shop at Hidalgo 100A in Riberas del Pilar.
Have Hammer…Will Travel is a woodworking and carpentry school located in Riberas del Pilar set up for entry level instruction for girls and boys from low-income families. Advanced training is available to youth and adults interested in pursuing careers in carpentry trades.
Asociación ProMexico operates a community center in San Juan Cosalá where women from the lakeshore región receive training in business finances, technology and personal development that enable them to launch cottage industries and service enterprises. Successful graduates now produce and market natural cosmetics, fruit preserves and cordials, dehydrated produce, bakery goods and handicrafts.
Niñas Sabias-Wise Girls Chapala runs an educational program aimed at empowering adolescent girls to participate fully in school and in life. The thrust is providing mentoring on menstrual health, hygiene body literacy and self-care for girls preparing for, or experiencing, puberty.
Attend the March 4 exhibits to learn more about these worthy projects, choose from a selection of their products and chip in to help sustain their activities.