The Community of Saint Paul Accompanies and Guides an Association of Women Weavers in the Altiplano of Cochabamba
The Association of Women Weavers of Totora Pampa has been in existence for three years already. It was formed with the idea of creating a space for training illiterate peasant women; the association began with fifteen members and currently has sixty-five. There, the women learn to weave and make warm clothing, especially for the children of their families. The families live at more than 3,400 meters above sea level, and the cold there is intense. At the same time, the association is also a privileged meeting place where women share worries and learn to listen to one another. The topics of their conversations are varied: domestic violence, the economy of rural communities, the effects of climate change, food security, migration from the country to the city and gender inequality. The women would not use these terms to describe the subject of their discussions, but they do cover these topics. In simple terms, they chat about machismo, early pregnancies, married youth, the abandonment of single mothers and other topics that worry them and directly impact the conditions in which they live.
The team of Community of Saint Paul that works with the women of Totora Pampa uses the topics that surface in these meetings to then prepare formal talks, through which they support the women, analyze the situations and seek alternatives to alleviate the region’s problems. The women take the first step, offering each other mutually support. Then, the team helps by offering the talks.
We are convinced that giving support to these peasant women is the best guarantee we can offer to help the development of their communities.
The team of Community of Saint Paul that works with the women of Totora Pampa uses the topics that surface in these meetings to then prepare formal talks, through which they support the women, analyze the situations and seek alternatives to alleviate the region’s problems. The women take the first step, offering each other mutually support. Then, the team helps by offering the talks.
We are convinced that giving support to these peasant women is the best guarantee we can offer to help the development of their communities.
