popular education: women & migration

A central part of the work of the Red de Mujeres Familiares de Migrantes (Network of Women Family Members of Migrants, one of the two NGOs I’m actively collaborating with during my fieldwork) includes popular education. Through a "comunidad de aprendizaje", or learning community, women who otherwise wouldn’t have access to higher or ongoing education act as trainers or educators on topics that they have personal experience with or affinity towards. The group of women who form part of the Red have completed several trainings on the general topic of women and migration, and now a smaller group of women is replicating this educational experience for other women family members of migrants. Friday Jan. 22 (i know, i’m a bit delayed in this post!) I attended the first "replica" workshop, along with about 30 women, where topics related to migration, the feminization of migration, nicaraguan migration to costa rica, and its impacts on families were discussed. This photo shows one of the posters made by a small group during the workshop, and lists questions and responses such as: "Why do we think our family members migrate?" - due to poverty, scare resources, the need for a better quality of life, and to offer our children a better future; "How have our lives changed as a result of migration?" - distance/separation of the family, more responsibility for the children of those who leave, abandonment. Needless to say, working with this group of women is an enriching experience, it not only provides additional information for my study, but more importantly provides me a way of feeling part of a larger project of empowerment and self-help that goes beyond my research project. paz.