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Background
Cristina Zepeda was the CEO of SEMILLAS (Sociedad Mexicana Pro Derechos de la Mujer, A.C.) for 5 years, prior to founding SIEMBRA. In this previous work, she detected that the Otom� women entrepreneurs funded by SEMILLAS had additional necessities not completely met by the first organization.Before initiating the program, SIEMBRA carried out extensive field visits and meetings with the people of these Otom� communities in 1999. Specifically, we learned more about the women who required work and income to stabilize their households. Income is especially important to these Otom� women because the Otom� men often migrate to nearby large cities or to the United States to search for work, leaving the women to provide for their household.
While working with the Otom� people in 23 communities for five years, we demonstrated that we are a reliable NGO, genuinely wanting to support the Otom�s. We can proudly say SIEMBRA has excellent relationships with community leaders, and our strategic plan is built from these relationships. The women with whom we work tell us that we are the only institution who has not left them, referring to several initiatives that have come and gone in their community that are politically motivated by an up-coming election. In contrast, SIEMBRA has always been very respectfull of the Otom� people's traditions and way of life, their language, cosmogony and their ways of governing. SIEMBRA has worked with them to preserve their pre-hispanic knowledge and crafts for more than five years, and will continue doing so in the future.
Based on our field investigation, we identified the needs, demands, and characteristics of the Otom� people:
- The Otom� indigenous population lives in 47 large communities
- There was an enthusiastic reception from both community members and leaders to the idea of SIEMBRA developing its educational project with and for these communities
- Local unemployment and regular self-employment exists among women and men
- The community has a rich pre-hispanic heritage and a great deal creativity for handicraft production. They have the skills to create beautiful and famous wool-loomed rugs (similar to Persian rugs) with pre-hispanic designs, wall hangings, embroidery, unravel work, and knitting
- Livestock (cows, pigs, hens, lambs, and goats) is an asset base for assuring income security
- There is an existing land base for agricultural activities headed by women (on sustenance level). Some also have green houses to grow and sell decorative plants and flowers
- There has been no previous access to methodological business tools to train micro entrepreneurs in rural areas
- There is a pressing need for entrepreneurial education and a demand for supplementary information and training to upgrade their leadership and business skills
- There has been no previous access to micro credit and great demand for working capital
- There is a need for technical advice to increase the efficiency and sustainability of their micro enterprises
- In addition to having an existing marketable skill base, there is a demand for their products in the market
- Finally, there is great demand for information on marketing, designing promoting and selling high quality finished goods