Social Policy From The Grassroots by unknow

Author:unknow
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Social Science, General, Sociology
ISBN: 9781000311792
Google: kqiaDwAAQBAJ
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 2019-05-28T04:55:31+00:00

What Is Changing?

There has been a change in the women's self-image, and in the interpersonal relations established in the process of working together. The shared experience of building an appropriate technology to improve working conditions and better utilize available resources has encouraged unity, a socialization of activities, and greater solidarity. To go from "I'm hungry" to "we make bread and food for the community" required a process of learning about both technical issues and human relations.

"Whenever I have a bit of time, I come to help, because there's always someone with a problem—their children may be ill, for example. . . . And if we don't help, the soup kitchen will end, and then what will we eat?" said Patty.

The soup kitchen is a meeting place, a place to share with others. "During the shift the women talk, we get to know each other, we discuss our problems, we give each other advice and support," said Bernarda. "My daughter says, you spend all day at that kitchen: do you think you'll get any thanks from the other women? I tell her, I'm not doing it for the other women. I just want to help, that's all."

"You're kept occupied here, you forget about your own problems. I'm always making jokes," said Patty.

"A group has started meeting to find out more about nutrition, and there we also talk about health, children, sexuality, domestic violence and violence elsewhere," said Karina.

"When we built the oven, that was really hard work. We had to prepare the clay, find bricks and iron rods. . . . And some of the women went to learn how to solder, so that they could make the top parts—it's good to learn new things," said Peta.

Learning involves observation, and the ability to perceive the world that lies beyond one's own house or community. Some of the most active women in the soup kitchen have taken part in meetings with other women, such as peasant women, women from Indian communities, and from other poblaciones. They've also participated in meetings organized by the Coordination of Community Soup Kitchens in the area. They have seen how people organize in other places, and others have come to tell about their work, give advice, and share ideas.

These exchanges (among women) have been positive and valuable for the organization. "We've realized that you have to have a leadership, because one person cannot take responsibility for all the work on their own," explained Gloria. "We all learn this way."

"And perhaps we'll organize ourselves better, because there is so much work to do, and we could be doing it better," added Esmeralda. "But it doesn't mean just ordering people about."

Contact with peasant women during a meeting in Santiago9 made the women realize that they could do other productive work to help the soup kitchen and their own families. They could do knitting, sewing, other crafts, or make jams and preserves. The idea of getting organized to produce and sell was novel and exciting; now they are looking at ways to do it.

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