Adelante Mujer

Sumak kaWsay

SUMAK KAWSAY

Our recovery program

.7 out of every 10 women in Bolivia suffer from some form of violence, be it physical, psychological, economic or sexual. The reasons why women stay in violent relationships are complex, but two of the main factors are:

  1. Lack of skillset, leading to economic dependence.
  2. Lack of self-belief and self-worth.
  3. Lack of healthy community networks and support systems.

In our headquarters, the Warmi Wasi, we host programmes and activities that aim to address these factors. Throughout the years, our ‘Sumak Kawsay’ focus has evolved from being an 8 month structured programme with volunteer facilitators, to being a less structured series of events and activities that we run in the Warmi Wasi constantly throughout the year.

These are just some of our ‘Sumak Kawsay’ initiatives:

  • Ayni de Talentos (led by all the community).
  • Workshops (led by guest facilitators) designed to promote Self-Expression (e.g. Creative Arts Workshops including Theatre, Dance, Yoga, Creative Writing and Storytelling).
  • Weekly Women’s Circle (led by Melissa from MUMA).
  • Entrepreneurial Skills Workshops (led by Manq’a).
  • Visits to external organisations with a focus on ending gender violence (safe houses etc) to spread the message of home and womens’ empowerment.
  • Leadership Skills Workshops (led by various coaches/external facilitators).
  • Culinary Skills Workshops (led by Manq’a and Chef Pablo).
  • Health & Wellbeing Workshops (led by Doctor Jorge and others).
  • Free Therapy for our Members (in partnership with SYNAPSIS).

For more detail, you can visit our social media platforms. Our community-led cooking workshops and catering service are also designed to build self esteem and foster leadership skills, which also contribute to each women’s individual ‘Sumak Kawsay’.

Phase 1: Allinyay

'To heal' in Quechua

In this phase, we focus on emotional healing processes, getting in touch with our needs, and on how to let go of toxic internal beliefs that play out as behaviour patterns that keep us in negative relationships with self and others (often ‘victim’ mentality).

Phase 2: Muhuy

'To Sow a Seed'

Here, we focus on what we want, our dreams and our vision for our lives. We do dream boards and work with imagery to prepare us for taking action steps towards making these dreams a reality.

Phase 3: Kamay

'To create/build'

In this phase, we learn tools that we can use to make our visions come alive. Those of us who want to be small business owners start using business plans, get familiar with technology that helps us to use social media and digital marketing. We learn how to write a CV, how to show up for job interviews and how to manage our finances. All very important ‘know-how’.

Phase 4: Kashay

'To harvest in abundance'

This phase is a continual process of refreshing our knowledge and reaping the fruits of hard work. In this phase, we evaluate how well we have assimilated all we have learned and make an honest appraisal of what we have achieved in relation to our desires at the start of the process.

Alongside our Thursday workshops, the women also have weekly therapy sessions available to them to help them explore certain issues that require one to one attention. These are not obligatory but are highly recommended.

The women who have shown great commitment then go on to ‘graduate’ and become the ‘big sisters’ of the next generation of women, holding their hands through the process and inspiring them to keep going.

Our first ‘Sumak Kausay’ (which ended in May 2022), has had encouraging results, with 16 out of the 25 who started the process sticking with us until the end. 12 of these women graduated (meaning that they fit our criteria for being guides for the next generation of women).

Jhadira, one of our group has recently completed and graduated from a degree in life coaching. During her Sumak Kausay process, she discovered her calling was to help other women build their self esteem and rebuild their lives. After completing phases 1-3 of Sumak Kausay, she decided (with the generous financial support of one of our community) to get certified as a life coach and is now making strides towards forming her career. She will also be helping us with the next generation of Sumak Kausay, as a coach for the women.

Lourdes, after working in our healthy vegetarian food delivery service and loving experimenting with different methods in the kitchen, decided to launch her own vegan burger and veganaise (vegan mayo!) business. She now sells her products to various clients and has her own restaurant. Additionally, she has taken various cooking courses to gain more knowledge and skills, and imparts her experience with other women in the project. Lourdes’ dream was also to be given legal custody of her children who were taken from her when she left her violent partner. She has now been reunited with her children and is able to support herself and support them.

Alicia, after working as an apprentice with one of our Adelante Mujer community (a pastry chef who took Alicia under her wing), decided to start her business and now runs her own production in her house, has formed her own base of clients and sells her products independently.

Many of the other women have now started or improved their own initiatives, including production of artisan goods which Adelante Mujer sells, and some of the women have now taken over the organisation of events in the Warmi Wasi, or fairs in which the women sell their products. The women are also now ready to give talks in schools and safe houses, to inspire and be living proof that recovery from episodes of violence IS possible.

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