ADRA helps Chilean women escape poverty, illiteracy

Skills training, reading part of goal to make indigenous women self-reliant November 17, 2008 Silver Spring, Maryland, United States Nadia McGill/ANN

ADRA will provide education to 200 of the indigenous Mapuche Chilean women who face a life of illiteracy and poverty. [photo: courtesy ADRA]

The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) is partnering with local organizations in Chile to provide basic education and skills training for 200 low-income women living in rural communities in the southern part of the country. The project targets women belonging to Chile's indigenous people group, the Mapuche. 

The one-year project focuses on an area of Chile with a large Mapuche population, who have lived in Central and Southern Chile and Argentina since pre-Columbian times. The Mapuche have higher rates of poverty, infant mortality, unemployment and illiteracy than the majority of the Chilean population.

ADRA Chile is assisting women in the communities of Chol Chol, Vilcun, and Ercilla in the Araucania Region by teaching reading and basic math, livelihood skills in wool production, poultry raising, horticulture and cooking, and also women's rights. The participants will learn ways to improve their self-esteem and receive education on domestic and gender violence, gender equality and women's empowerment.

"By the end, these women will have gained the skills necessary to increase their household incomes, creating opportunities for a better future both for themselves and their families," said Milton Alaña, country director for ADRA Chile."It will also give them a sense of dignity."

To help participants reach their educational and vocational goals, ADRA has signed an agreement with five entities, including the Ministry of Education, the National Service of Training and Employment , the National Corporation for Indigenous Development, the National Service for Women, and Forestal Mininco, one of Chile's largest producers of wood and paper products.

Through this partnership, targeted beneficiaries will receive educational materials, free certification, and academic scholarships. ADRA's partners will also provide financial support and help women find employment.

For more information, visit adra.org.