The voices of rural women are heard in a podcast series, which highlights the challenges they face in their struggle for gender equality in Latin America. This production, carried out by Rimisp – Latin American Center for Rural Development, UN Women and Antifaz, with the support of the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS), is part of the project Women, Local Economy and Territories (MELYT).

Ellas, women with power in dynamic territories, is the name of this ten-episode series in which women leaders, academics, civil society representatives and decision-makers from Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Peru, among other Latin American territories, share their experiences and reflections on the search for autonomy and female economic empowerment.

This podcast was released in 2021, however, the validity of their testimonies and the strength of their messages, by capturing realities that continue to manifest themselves in the region, such as migration, the overload of domestic work for women, gender violence or limited access to financial products, motivates us to resume these conversations and the debate on the importance of advancing strategies to achieve gender equality from the field of public policy, the action of civil society and women in the territories of the region.

Interesting notes such as those of Magdalena Benítez, an expert in female entrepreneurship, who analyzes the barriers that limit the development of women as entrepreneurs. Experiences such as the one shared by Ileana Gómez, Salvadoran researcher, on territorial dynamics and the inclusion of women and young people in rural border areas. Testimonies such as the struggle for the political participation of indigenous women in Peru, narrated by activist Tania Pariona, are part of these dialogues, which provide extensive knowledge on the roles, potential and impact of women in rural areas.

Since 2018, with funding from AICS, UN Women has implemented the MELYT program that promotes the creation of new and better employment and income opportunities for rural and indigenous women entrepreneurs and businesswomen, in order to boost the local economy of the territories, in joint and coordinated action with government institutions, financial sector and local actors. This project provides technical assistance to the countries of the Central American Integration System (SICA) region that have shown interest in the territorialization of the women’s economic autonomy axis of the Regional Policy for Gender Equality and Equity of the Central American Integration System (PRIEG/SICA).

About UN Women

UN Women is the United Nations organization dedicated to promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment. As a global champion for women and girls, UN Women was established to accelerate progress to improve the lives of women and respond to the needs they face around the world. Join UN Women’s Equality Generation campaign to accelerate action on gender equality and celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, the world’s most visionary agenda for women’s rights and empowerment.

About the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation

The Italian Agency for Development Cooperation is a governmental institution that works to contribute to eradicating poverty, reducing inequalities, affirming human rights and the dignity of individuals, preventing conflicts and supporting sustainable development. To achieve its objectives it is based on four pillars: People, Planet, Prosperity and Peace.

About Rimisp – Latin American Center for Rural Development

Rimisp is a network of articulation and knowledge generation that works to understand the transformations of the rural world and contribute to the formulation of better strategies and policies for sustainable and inclusive development. It promotes transformation strategies for territorial equity, based on a better understanding of the challenges faced by rural territories in the region.

Listen to the complete series here