Dear Supporter of MuJER,

We hope this letter finds you well.  We would like to share with you some of MuJER’s accomplishments and successes, both of which have been made possible with your support of our efforts.

Establishment of our Community Empowerment Center in February 2009

In just over three years, MuJER went from offering literacy classes in the women’s work rooms at the La Linea red light district to opening a multi-service community center to serve female sex workers throughout Guatemala City.  MuJER’s Empowerment Center offers semester-long educational and vocational courses, as well as short-term self-esteem, leadership, and anti-violence workshops.  Our Center also provides a safe place for the women to meet, relax, and build constructive relationships with other sex workers.

Creation of Educational and Vocational Opportunities

MuJER has worked with more than 300 different women sex workers in Guatemala.  In the last two years alone, we have worked with six women in basic literacy and 17 women have participated in accelerated elementary school program (grades 1-6).  Six women have received their sixth grade diploma.  We have had 70 women participate in our vocational programs (computer classes, cosmetology school, jewelry-making, basic English, and embroidery).  We currently have waiting lists for vocational classes and are hoping to expand our capacity to meet demand.  We have begun a hand-made jewelry business to provide a source of alternative income for women sex workers.  In addition, we have provided scholarships to women from our community for vocational training and have subsequently hired these women to teach classes at the Empowerment Center.

Empowerment of Sex Workers through Personal Relationships

When we first arrived at La Linea, the women viewed us with skepticism.  Day after day, MuJER’s two staff members visited the red light district and earned the women’s trust.  As the relationships developed, the women opened up to us, revealing their real names and personal stories.  A MuJER staff member continues to meet weekly with the women of La Linea, and this year we expanded our services to include personal visits with women at a second red light district, El Trebol.

With the trust developed through these weekly visits, MuJER engages its participants to speak up for themselves, to develop positive relationships with other sex workers, and to organize as a community to advocate for their rights.  We have encouraged leadership development and have trained women to speak at forums and events that address violence against women, prostitution, and human trafficking.  It is often through MuJER that Guatemalan sex workers become active in promoting their rights for the first time.

Our Goals for 2010

In 2010 we are hoping to rent one more classroom for our community center, which would enable us to offer a wider variety of classes to the women.  We are also planning to double the number of anti-violence and self-esteem workshops we offer.  In addition, we are in the process of developing a lending library for the women so that they can borrow books and read to their children at home. This program will be accompanied by “Mommy and Me” Reading Workshops at the Empowerment Center. We also intend to increase the number and variety of handicraft classes we offer and to assist the women in developing small businesses.  We will continue to help Guatemalan sex workers organize on behalf of their rights and we are currently attempting to reform anti-prostitution legislation which has victimized, rather than assisted, the women of our community.

Please visit us at www.mujerguatemala.org to take a look at our new website, learn more about our programs, and become more involved in support of our cause.  Thank you again for your support.  We hope you agree that your donations have been put to good use and that you will continue to support us in the future.

Sincerely,

Jodi Finkel, Ana Moraga, Tania Torres

Founders, MuJER

In March, MuJER was awarded a $25,000 (20,000 Euro) grant from Cordaid, an ngo based in the Netherlands. The grant will enable us to expand our operations and work with sex workers in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala’s second largest city. It also provided us with funding to maintain our current programs in Guatemala City and to hire a new Program Facilitator, Paola Hernandez. Paola is a member of the sex worker community who completed sixth grade via MuJER’s services.

In addition, we were awarded a $1600 grant from the Open Meadows Foundation. The grant will provide funds to conduct three workshops on Guatemala’s Anti-Trafficking Law as well as to continue with our weekly “travelling workshops/personal visits” at three red light districts in Guatemala City. We use these workshops to go door-to-door at La Linea, El Trebol, and Parque Concordia. With these visits, we maintain trust with the women, are made aware of their immediate needs as well as their long-term aspirations, and can also educate them about their legal rights, emotional health issues, sex worker concerns.

Our past financial awards include:

Cordaid (2009) $13,000

Starbucks Innovation Fund (2009) $15,000

Latin American and Caribbean Women’s Health Network (2008) $500

Global Fund for Women (2008) $5000

Mama Cash (2007) 10,000 Euro

Urgent Action Fund (2007) $4627

Democracy Council (2007) $1000

Youth Action Net Award (2007) $500

Jesuit Community of Loyola Marymount University (2006) $1000

Dean’s Office, Belarmine Collge, Loyola Marymount University (2006) $1000

In just over four years, MuJER has gone from offering literacy classes in the women’s work rooms at the La Línea red light district to opening a full-service community center, known as the Empowerment Center , to serve female sex workers throughout Guatemala City . We now serve over 350 women and have begun to operate outside the city as well.

Much of our programming—including semester-long educational and vocational courses as well as short-term self-esteem and anti-violence workshops—takes places at our Empowerment Center . The Center, located in a colonial house in downtown Guatemala City (not far by bus from several red light districts), includes a communal area, a class room, a courtyard, and a small office. Our Center provides a safe place for the women to spend time, relax, discuss their needs, and build constructive relationships with other women sex workers. It also serves as a home-base from which we can educate women about their rights and help them organize to address their collective concerns.

While working with the women of our first red light district, La Línea , we noticed that although the women were bettering their skill sets through our programs, they were hesitant to consider alternative employment opportunities because they did not believe that they deserved a better life. Since low self-esteem also means that women are unable to stand up for themselves or to speak out against the discrimination, abuse, and violence they face every day, we realized that we needed to help women sex workers develop a sense of self-worth and a belief in their right to enjoy a better life. We see this happening at our center every day.  In fact, is often as a member of “MuJER” that Guatemalan sex workers become active in promoting their rights as well as the rights of others in the sex worker community.

In October 2009, MuJER welcomed its new Executive Director, Flor de Maria Peña Juarez.  Flor previously served as Project Coordinator for anti-trafficking programs with the Association  for Comprehensive Well-Being (Asociación de Salud Integral, ASI), a Guatemalan NGO.  While working for ASI, Flor conducted research, investigated police activities, and partnered with other NGOs assisting sex workers and trafficked persons. Flor holds a Master’s degree in Social Psychology and Political Violence from the University of San Carlos in Guatemala.

Me llamo Maya Paley y decidí de venir a MuJER para hacer la practica de mis estudios. Hace dos semanas que vine aquí a Guatemala. ¿Como puedo explicar todo de que aprendí solamente en una semana y media de mi practica aquí? Había trabajado con una organización que tiene los fines de ayudar a las mujeres con su autoestima en Los Ángeles, pero no trabajaba con las mujeres trabajadoras sexuales. Entonces, es nuevo para mi trabajar con ellas, y también, es nuevo trabajar en Guatemala.

El martes fue muy potente para mi. Fui con Wendy al Trébol y a La Línea. Entendí que MuJER solamente ha ido al Trébol para visitar a las trabajadoras allá por un mes o algo así. Pues, no conocen a las mujeres allá muy bien. Wendy y yo nos acercamos a las mujeres para distribuir nuestros volantes sobre mi clase de ingles y para presentarles la organización y nuestros programas. Algunas mujeres eran muy amables y querían hablar con nosotros y venir a nuestros programas, pero otras eran menos accesibles y no nos sentimos muy cómodas al acercárnosles. Había mucho silencio en el Trébol entonces fuimos a La Línea. En La Línea, había mas mujeres que Wendy conocía. Hablamos con ellas sobre mi clase pero no tuvimos que presentarles la organización. Las mujeres en La Lina conocían a Wendy y se sentían muy cómodas con ella. Unas de las mujeres nos invitaron a sentarnos en sus camas para platicar un poco con ellas.

En mi opinión, La Línea es diferente del Trébol ciertas cosas. Por ejemplo, El Trébol es un lugar con muchos bares y hoteles y habían unas mujeres con ropa indígena. Las mujeres esperaban con sus compañeras a los clientes. La Línea era menos discreta. Allá, hay líneas de tren y en los dos lados hay cuarto tras cuarto que cada mujer está alquilando. Las mujeres esperan atrás de las puertas de sus cuartos o en los cuartos de sus compañeras. Los cuartos están muy cerca uno del otro. También, había mucha policía en La Línea que se queda allá.

Estaba un poco asustada de ir a La Línea porque yo escuche que es muy peligroso pero no me sentí asustada cuando estábamos allá. Esta excursión me recordó por que vine aquí. Cuando decidí seguir esta practica con MuJER, quería saber si podía trabajar en los lugares y en las situaciones mas desafiantes para mi. Al principio, me sentí tonta al acercarme a las mujeres y tratar de convencerlas de venir a nuestros programas porque las mujeres pasaron por muchas cosas. Creo que voy a pensar sobre estas preguntas durante mi tiempo aquí y no se si voy a conseguir la respuesta, pero, en ultima instancia, no es muy importante. Lo que me importa es mejorar el respeto hacia estas mujeres y entender lo que pueda mejorar sus vidas un poco.