The Value of Learning trade skills
In many of the communities where we work, employment opportunities for women are extremely limited. Distance, lack of access to training, and caregiving responsibilities make entering the workforce a daily challenge.
Yet we know that when a woman gains concrete tools to develop herself, not only does her own reality change, her family and her community grow stronger too.
A few years ago, Sonia came to our Center in Añatuya looking for a space to learn, connect, and imagine a different future. She is a mother of two, and like many women in her community, most of her time was devoted to caring for her children and managing the household. Until then, her employment prospects were scarce. She lived in a context where work for women barely existed. Through the Trades Program, she began training in the Sewing Workshop, but beyond the technical skills, what was being built went much deeper.
In each session, she gained not only practical tools but also confidence in her own abilities. She learned to organize her work, to sustain a process, to set goals, and to think about a source of income. She had the opportunity to learn to sew and eventually took on a role as an instructor. She also started her own small business, and now has a new dream: to set up her own workshop and create jobs for other women living in vulnerable situations like hers. Our support is not limited to teaching a trade; we seek to create spaces where women can grow stronger, connect with one another, and build autonomy step by step.
Over time, Sonia began applying what she had learned. First with small jobs, then taking on new challenges. Today, her work allows her to generate income and support her family in a new way. But above all, it allows her to see herself differently: as a woman with tools, with the capacity to do and to decide.
Stories like Sonia’s reflect something we see every day. When a woman has access to real opportunities for training and support, new paths open up.
That is why, at Haciendo Camino, we continue to invest in the Trades Program as a key tool for strengthening the economic autonomy of women in vulnerable contexts. Because learning a trade is not just about acquiring a skill, it is about building possibilities.
