Report from Women's Organizations in Condega, Nicaragua (9 Nov 1998)

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El Lunes 9 de Noviembre de 1998, nos reunimos La RED de Mujeres en Contra la Violencia de Condega y La Asociacion Colectivo de mujeres constructoras de Condega. En dicha reunion analizabamos que:

• Ambas organizaciones al igual que la mayoria de las ONG en el Municipio, respondimos a uno de los sentimientos mas primitivos que los seres humanos con capacidad de raciocinio tenemos: La solidaridad. De manera espontanea conformamos el Comite de emergencia, cuyo fin era persuadir/evacuar a la gente que estaba en situacion de riesgo producto del fenomeno natural y trasladarla a lugar seguro. Posteriormente organizamos un maraton en el casco urbano de Condega para quienes no habian sufrido las consecuencias del huracan de manera directa se solidarizaran con los refugiados.
• Superado ese momento era necesario pensar en la reconstruccion, lo que implicaba redisponerse. Se trata de responder a la nueva coyuntura que sin desnaturalizar el perfil de nuestras organizaciones, no se quede al margen de la problematica economica y socio politica en donde las actoras mayoritariamente somos mujeres.
• Ambas organizaciones nos hemos ganado en nuestros años de trabajo el respeto y el reconocimiento en el municipio y sus alrededores. Calidad ratificada en esta emergencia y que nos proponemos fortalecer producto de nuestro trabajo con las mujeres.
• Nuestra idea es priorizar a las usurias/beneficiarias de ambos programas y a mujeres solas las cuales se encuentran dispersas tanto en la zona rural como urbana del municipio. Los proyectos van en la siguiente linea :
  • Construccion de aproximadamente 30 casas en todo el municipio. Nos referimos a todo el proceso de construccion: Trabajo de albanileria, electricidad, fontaneria y carpinteria . En ello estarian involucradas las beneficiarias con sus familias.
  • Ya finalizada la obra, tramitar la legalizacion de las casas apareciendo como propietarias las mujeres.
  • La asociacion colectivo de mujeres constructoras ofrece entre otros, cursos basicos de carpinteria; como se trata de una situacion de excepcion, hemos pensado preparar un curso especial para que 8 mujeres aprendan a elaborar puertas y ventanas. Posteriormente puedan ser empleadas para la produccion que demanden minimanente las casas que nosotras vamos hacer. Las mujeres serian seleccionadas de los barrios y comunidades mas afectadas.
  • Creacion de un fondo revolvente. Hemos pensado en dos cosas en particular:
    • Nuestro grupo cuenta con dos maquinas manuales para hacer bloques. La idea es recabar informacion de los costos para producir bloques, los precios en el mercado y la capacidad nuestra para producirlos generando un ingreso digno para quienes los elaboran. Las participantes se involucrarian en este proceso y ademas deberan pasar una capacitacion. Es obvio que los bloques producidos serian para la elaboracion de las 30 casas ya que el gobierno municipal tiene su propia empresa donde producira para las casas que van a construir ellos, que son la mayoria de viviendas.
    • Creacion de un fondo revolvente para la construccion de un vivero para la reforestacion de las zonas desbastadas, en base al plan que la comision del medio ambiente elabore, dicho sea de paso esa es una de las comisiones en las que estamos involucradas, al igual que en la comision de infraestructura.

Estamos haciendo un diagnostico en base a formato para recabar informacion mas especifica sobre la situacion de las mujeres. Ya estamos avanzando en la seleccion de mujeres para los cursos de carpinteria especializados.

Hemos conseguido un presupuesto que la alcaldia ha elaborado sobre el valor de cada casa lo cual no incluye la compra del terreno ya que se supone el gobierno municipal debera hacerlo. Nosotras conocemos el diseno en el terreno, estamos consiguiendo una copia para enviarselos.

Costo de cada casa: $ 3,575 dolares (Tres mil quinientos setenta y cinco dolares netos.) Como no tenemos idea de la capacidad de financiamiento, solo enviamos costo por unidad. Ya ustedes veran las posibilidades.

El costo del fondo revolvente para la fabricacion de bloques lo enviaremos posteriormente.

Costo aproximado del proyecto de vivero $ 3,520.

Gracias y nos mantendremos en contacto.

On Monday, November 9, 1998, the Network of Women against Violence of Condega and the Collective Association of Women Builders of Condega had a meeting. In this timely meeting we talked about:

• Both organizations, along with the majority of NGOs in the town, have responded to one of the most basic feelings that rational human beings experience: that of solidarity. We spontaneously formed the Emergency Committee, whose end was to persuade/evacuate the people who were in risk situations due to the natural disaster, and to relocate them to a safe place. Afterwards, we organized a [collection in the city limits] of Condega so that those who did not directly suffer the consequences of the hurricane might join in solidarity with the refugees.
• Having overcome this moment, it was necessary to think about the reconstruction, how to restructure. We want to formulate a response to deal with the new situation without changing the contour of our organizations, not to remain in the margin of the economic and socio-policical problematic, in which the major actors are for the most part women.

  In our years of work, both organizations have earned the respect and the recognition of the town and its neighboring regions. [We propose that the gravity of this emergency will strengthen the product of our work with women.]

  • Our idea is to prioritize the recipients/beneficiaries of both programs and to give only to women which we encounter dispersed throughout rural areas as well as urban areas of the town. The projects are as follows:
  • Construction of approximately 30 houses throughout the town. We refer to all phases of construction: masonry, electricity, plumbing, and carpentry. The beneficiaries and their families would be involved in this work.
  • After the work is finished, to make the property the legal property of women.
  • The Collective Association of Women Builders offers basic courses of carpentry; how they manage an exceptional situation, were thinking about preparing a special course for 8 women to learn to make doors and windows. [Afterwards they could be employed to perform minimal tasks on the houses we are going to build.] The women would be selected from the neighborhoods and communities most affected.
  • Creation of a revolving fund. We were thinking about two things in particular:
    • Our group has two machines for manually making cinder blocks. The idea is to collect information on about the costs of producing blocks, what they will sell for, and our capacity to produce them, generating an appropriate income for those who make them. The participants would be involved in this process and moreover would have to pass a test. It is evident that the cinder blocks produced would be for the construction of the 30 houses [since the town government has its own undertaking to decide where to produce the houses which they are going to construct (which are the majority).]
    • Creation of a revolving fund for the construction of a botanical nusery for the reforestation of the devastated areas, [based on the plan which the commission of the surrounding environment in which we are involved, to equal that in the commission of infrastructure.]

We are making a report [based on a format] to collect very specific information about the situation of women. We are going forward in the selection of women for courses in specialized carpentry.

[We have received a proposal which the authorities have created concerning the cost of every house which doesn't include the purchase of land since government is supposed to do it.] We know the topography of the land; we are creating a copy to send them.

Cost of each house: $3,575 (three thousand five hundred seventy five dollars net). Since we do not have an idea of the [capacity] of financing, we are only sending the cost for one. You would know the possibilities.

The cost of the revolving fund for the production of cinder blocks we will send afterward.

The approximate cost of the botanical nursery is $3,520.

Thanks, and we will stay in contact.

Last updated: Wednesday, 12-Jan-2000 21:28:22 EST
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