Tuesday, July 18, 2006
Learning about SIEMENTE
Gloria Wheeler's sister, Norma and her colleague, Teresa, teachers with SIEMENTE women's cooperative in Langue, introduced us to their program and briefed us about Sebastian, the gentleman who passed on the heifer at Conception de Maria. He was the first man included in the SIEMENTE group. He had been left to care for four children - the youngest one was 9 months old. He was having trouble making ends meet and the women included him in the project to help him do better for his family. One problem - Sebastian was grateful to the women and did everything the women told him to. He was NOT showing the traditional "machismo" from Latin culture and the women started hen pecking him. They were given gender equity training to help them treat Sebastian with respect!
