VIII. Program of the Socio-Productive Projects

This program of socio-productive projects is proposed to be carried out in the 25 communities that are impacted by the Plan being that there are high levels of poverty and marginal living conditions and present basic necessities that require immediate solutions in spite if the micro-financial projects. Additionally, these communities are in areas with a high index of poverty and where the female population is not taken into account in participation in the work of the community.

These are called socio-productive projects because they also promote the social organization of the women who are involved in production.

1. Project Problem Statement

• The women do not possess a way to realize productive activities with which they have experience and that generate wages/earnings to support a family income. The activities to which they dedicate themselves are not recognized economically. Furthermore, the husband obtains payments of Q10 to Q20 (US $1.27 or US $2.54) daily with which to maintain an average family of eight members. This is only enough money to barely subsist.
• Dependence on the husband.
• Few opportunities in some communities, and in others there is no opportunity for training and technical assistance for the management of the productive activities.
• The women have no access to formal credit due to the lack of the collateral that the credit requires in the banking system; besides the fact that they charge high interest rates.
• Often in these areas, no recognition is given to organizations that carry out the promotion of or attend to women with socio-productive activities.
• lliteracy
• Lack of nutrition
• In-house organization
• Extreme poverty
• Marginal living conditions

2. Justification

In actuality, the participation of the women in the communities that are already benefited by CESSMAQ has been in addition to the efforts put forth by their husbands in the search for better living conditions. The work carried out with groups of women, La Cumbre and Chajabal, have demonstrated that the socio-productive projects are an important alternative for the completion of carrying out the objective: a dignified life for everyone.

These systematic experiences and applications primarily in rural areas that have high levels of poverty, marginal living conditions, and social exploitations have permitted/allowed changes in economic, social, and ecclesiastical levels and have promoted a major family integration and a community level to resolve problems and satisfy basic necessities.

Besides the financial help, and in addition to legitimate and accessible credit, these capabilities generate qualitative changes: a more integrated family, the community participation of women in the decision making process, and fundamentally open spaces/places which will generate new alternatives for the development of the community without favoritism.

3. Program Objectives

1. General
   Implement a system of production with 25 indigenous women from rural areas which permits the consolidation of their experiences, efforts, and abilities and which generate earnings to better their economic situation and assist the family wages and therefore elevate the level of life.
2. Specific
   
   • Bring financial assistance to the women for the productive activities
   • To train the women in administration, technical, social, commercialization and biblical-theological training, for an integrated development.
   • Assist the community's organization of women to open the place to participate and make decisions in the common development and the specific development of the project.
   • At the end of 5 years, it is projected that 25 groups (1 from each community) will be solidly organized with a certain degree of institutional independence in the areas of administration and finance and forming this group of women micro-managers with a vision of self-management and community participation.

4. Goals

• This project shall be executed during 5 years in the 25 communities of the present Plan. During this time, 1,250 women shall be assisted (50 women from each community) in 25 communities and who through financial support in loan quality will execute a productive activity.
• Each community shall be assisting 50 women in two groups with one solitary contribution:
  - Twenty-five women: 2 years 2001 to 2002
  - Twenty-five women: 2 years 2003 to 2004
  
  The year 2005 will be dedicated to the recovery of loans and final evaluation of the project.
  
  The fund shall be deposited in a bank account specifically in the name of CESSMAQ to be invested in other groups of the same communities or in new communities.
  
  
• The women will be organized and conformed in a directive meeting and the beneficiaries will participate in partners' quality.
• CESSMAQ shall portion out Q15,000 (US $1,908) to each women's organization and the Directing Council shall count it and will be in charge of turning the contribution over to the partners. Each woman shall receive the amount of Q600 in a loan amount for her productive activity and in guarantee and consistency will deliver a receipt. This money is a part of what is necessary for the productive activity, each woman shall contribute her own resources.
• Each woman and her family shall contribute their own resources for the completion and execution of her productive activity.
• The women will involve their families in the accomplishment of the productive activity to avoid that she should receive more work.
• Each productive activity will be done in the place of residence of each one of the partners and dedicating the necessary time that each one thinks convenient.
• The partners will participate in regular meetings of the group, in each community, every 15 days, where they will take advantage to receive training related to the execution of the project and resolve any problem that may be presented.
• Train the women in the following areas: animal management, administrating, organizing, leadership, and biblical-theological.
• CESSMAQ Directing Council and promoters shall accomplishment the constant monitoring that will permit the detection of errors and allow that they be corrected during the time that the work is done.
• The Directing Council in each community shall carry out supervisions of the destination of the capital, which will be carried out with the purpose of determining the correct investment of the granted resources and insuring the completion of the project.
• Carry out internal regulation in each group.
• Impress in the minds of the women the correct use of the earnings according to the project objectives.
• The women who dedicate themselves to the upbringing of pigs or chickens will establish family gardens of fruits and vegetables in order to better the nutrition of their families, which will also permit the adequate management of manure produced by the pigs or chickens and which will also avoid environmental contamination.
• At the end of the 2 years of the loan, each woman shall have her own capital in a base of monthly savings so that her business or productive activity may continue for an indefinite time after paying her debt.

5. Productive Activities

1. Raising of pigs
2. Raising of chickens
3. Traditional fabrics
4. Buying and selling of fruits and vegetables
5. Buying and selling of clothes

6. Places to Sell the Products

1. In the same village or neighboring villages
2. Markets of neighboring municipalities
3. Markets of the departmental capitals

7. Budget