Juan Francisco Paz Silva (JFPS), one of the smallholder co-operatives and member of our primary peanut partner, Del Campo, runs a programme to recognise the unpaid work of women in rural Nicaragua.
Aside from offering loans to support women-led businesses in the municipality of Achuapa, the programme runs a wide range of vocational courses for women across this farming region.
The free courses provide new opportunities for women living and working in the local area who, much like the experience for many women in rural settings around the world, face a complex web of gendered challenges, including exclusion from formal education, routes to economic autonomy and isolated social opportunities.
However, JFPS, whose peanuts we have purchased for almost 15 years, have been working hard to counter this. The most recent development in the programme has been the arrival of Sarah Young, a recent graduate from Guildhall School of Music with a Masters in music therapy.
Having arrived in January on a 6-month scholarship programme, Sarah has already set up a children’s music therapy group, a women’s choir and is helping at the local primary school with English lessons.
Sarah hopes the women involved in her programmes will feel empowered through learning new skills and building inter-generational solidarity, opening new doors for the future.
“Singing is so culturally important here, I’m impressed with how quickly they have learned and how invested they are. It’s been amazing to see them really take it on, wanting to share songs that are important to them. It seems to be unlocking a part of them. And I want to help build those skills and confidence.”
Whilst resources are limited, Sarah is planning to establish the choir and train somebody to continue her work after she has gone. On International Women’s Day plans are underway for an impromptu concert in the central square of the town to recruit more women to the choir (very fitting for this year's theme: Inspire Inclusion!). And there is the longer-term goal of establishing an ongoing link between Guildhall music therapy graduates and the women and children of Achuapa.
With our close links to the community of Achuapa and this initiative, for the next two weeks, Liberation will donate 25% of all purchases made through online sales to help build this music programme for local women and children.
