Renamu or Mujeres Vigilante and COFIMICH have established with federal government has established at regional housing projects in Mazamitla ( 500 houses ) , Sahuyo de Morelos ( 250 houses) , Ocotlan (250 houses) and Morelia ( 3500 houses) . As we learned in Mexico City this will become a national program.

Secretary Felix Guerra of SEDESOL had visited Flor de Campo and Huereva to review FWOP projects , and thus wanted to meet representative from FWOP. Mujere Vigliantes had secured funds from SEDESOL to complete the electrification of Flor de Campo. Mujere Vigilantes has some 675,000 members nationally in Mexico and some 20,000 members in the states of Jalisco and Michoacan.

Equally important was our several meetings with national President of Renamu ( Lic Yvonne Solis Sandadoval ) , Regional President -Jalisco and Michoacan (Dra Mariana Contreras ) and Director of COFIMICH ( Lic. Ulises Reyes ) and our own FWOP representative in Mexico (Eduardo “Pato” Ochoa Contereras). Based upon our meeting we have establish a three for one program with SEDESOL to support a national housing program for low income citizens of Mexico. From its beginning in Michoacan and Jalisco , it is quickly to expand across Mexico. Some two hundred homes are planned to be built in the coming months in the State of Hidalgo linked to a cabanas or tourist development on a lake.

The Secretary of SEDESOL asked us to meet the Department of Agriculture and so on Friday afternoon we met Lic Beatriz Herrea del Rincon , Subsecretaria de Politica Sectorial , at the Secretaria de la Reforma Agraria. We secured their support for developing sustainable communities where ever the new houses are being built. We learned that some 50 women will travel to Israel soon to study sustainable agricultural practices. Two women from Flor de Campo and one women from Mazamitla will be part of the delegation.

What is impressive is that some houses are now complete. In Sahuyo de Morelos some 30 houses are complete and in Mazamitla the land is prepared for construction to begin . These three bedrooms houses also have some major ecological and energy saving features. Methane biodigestors using methane gas from toilets will be used for cooking, and a solar water heating system on the roof will heat the water for baths. Residents will secure some reduction of their monthly payments if they participate in recycling. The expertise and progress design of both the financial and the architecture plans done by Mr Ulises Reyes, of COFIMICH, was exceptional . We will explain in more details the design features of his banking model and his the house designs in a later note. Overall the organizational skills of the Mujeres Viligantes and the technical skills of COFIMICH organization were very impressive . FWOP is honored to join their team.

Power Point Presentation: proyecto cofimich productivo4

Help us to build an online store to support jobs to create a future without poverty for families around the world. This is a test page that is under construction and we need your comments on how to improve the store. We also need you to purchase some items to help us test the system. Every item is hand made and 90% of your purchase price is used to buy more items for the store. Please visit the store at:

https://www.futurewithoutpoverty.org/catalog

To share your ideas about the store please go to

https://www.futurewithoutpoverty.org/contact

Summary

Making Jewlery

This project will build a website to create market access for skilled crafters that will support jobs for 100 families (500 people) in poverty. The only solution to reducing poverty is to create jobs.

What is the issue, problem, or challenge?

Poverty can be found in every country and can be a life sentence of hunger, thirst, illness, illiteracy and premature death. Most handouts are only short term band aids to the problem and create a dependency. The only real solution to eliminating poverty is to create jobs that pay a livable wage based on the local economic conditions. Individuals that are very creative and hardworking are only asking for a chance to earn enough money to feed, cloth and house their families.

How will this project solve this problem?

Painting

This project will create a website that provides access to a global market for skilled crafters that tells their story, creates jobs, builds business knowledge, self respect and most importantly provides an opportunity for a future without poverty

Potential Long Term Impact

The “Breaking the Myth Market” will provide jobs to 100 families (impacting 500 individuals) and will successfully break the cycle of poverty in their lives and create a future without poverty for them.

Handicraft

Project Message

FWOP “Breaking the Myth Market” is creating jobs which is the long term and permanent solution to reducing poverty. “With the help of FWOP I am able to feed my family and help others in my town”
– Eduardo (Pato) Ochoa Contreras, Pato is a beneficiary and now a volunteer

Funding Information

To make a donation to help this project go to:

http://www.globalgiving.org

Or send a check to:
FWOP, 8733 Old Dumfries Road
Catlett, VA 20119

Or Donate Via PayPal:

Thank you for visiting our on line store which is creating jobs and an opportunity for a future with out poverty for individuals around the world.   If you would like to review the criteria we use to pick the items or if you know of an item that we should consider please take a look at the basic information on the store items form. We are always looking for individuals that produce unique items that have a limited market and are actively working to reduce their level of poverty. If you would like to nominate an individual please fill out the information on the form and e-mail it to tom@fwop.org

Click Here to See How we Select Items for the Store or to Nominate an Item to be Included in our Store.

News from Oaxaca and our visit to Duane Gustavus who has settled in Oaxaca.

My wife Veronique , Brett and Donna( my sister) Johnson and I visited Oaxaca from 15th to 22nd of June. Duane had set up two major trips.

First, we all visited Fundacion En Via (http://www.envia.org) in Teotitlan del Valle, some 20 minutes east of Oaxaca. This traditional village is known for its rug weaving. Rugs are shipped all around the world. Tourists pay $50 per person to take a trip and visit two competing groups applying for a loan. Tourists, like us, decide which group will receives the interest free loan. Both groups had already received their first loan and they were trying to secure a second loan. There were five in our party, so the loan was for $250.

We met six women in two groups and listened to them present their business plans. Group I was involved in making oversized tortillas and oversized pancake-like sweet tortillas. Group II was involved in weaving bags, selling corn on the cob and also, buying aprons and cloth for dresses wholesale and then selling retail. We voted 4-1 to give the loan to Group II. If a group is not selected after three tries, the organization typically gives them a loan. They collect payment back about every week from those that have loans and keep some 10% for expenses. The Fundacion En Via is operated by two staff working at the Instituto Cultural – a language and cultural learning center, in Oaxaca.

Second, Brett and I went to the Zapotec village of Capulalpam de Méndez

( 3000+ inhabitants) some two hours north of Oaxaca at 6,500 feet in the Sierras. This mountain village has trout farms, and offers trout fishing and horseback riding. We visited a traditional medical treatment center near the regular medical clinic. They seem to cooperate in taking care of families in the region together with experts from https://thedublinroofers.ie. The State of Oaxaca is building a new facility for traditional medicine treatment and research in Capulalpam de Méndez. The building is a wonderful project- a green or low ecological footprint facility. A solar water heating system and solar electric panels are to be installed on the roof. All waste water is treated before it goes back into the eco-system.

Both Teotitlan del Valle and Capulalpam de Méndez operate under Zapotec governance customs- or – under local native law. All citizens must serve the village each year in some way. The mayor and city council serve with no salary as I understand the system. For instance someone may be responsible for keeping fresh flowers in the church. Few taxes than in a typical Mexican village are collected from the residents. More research is needed to understand this great example of citizen empowerment and involvement.

( See Stephen, Zapotec Women: Gender, Class and Ethnicity in Globalized Oaxaca, 2005)

From Stan Ingman