We are so excited about what’s coming up on Tuesday, March 11th 2025, and we’d love for you to be part of it! Mary’s Pence is honored to present at a CSW69 Parallel Event during the 69th UN Commission on the Status of Women, our ‘Accessing Economic and Civic Power: Women in the Global South’ talk.
Date: Tuesday, March 11th 2025
Time: 4:00 – 6:00 p.m. EDT
Location: St. Jude’s Parish, 439 W 204th St, New York or Online.
(Spanish interpretation will be available online).
Please note: Venue is not ADA accessible. For any questions, please contact Tiffany at [email protected]
(Entrance has a few steps).
This intergenerational collaboration between Mary’s Pence, and Loretto at the UN, generously hosted by Altagracia: Faith & Justice Works in the Inwood neighborhood of Manhattan, lifts up the work of ESPERA, a unique program focused on economic autonomy and civic engagement of rural women in Central America and Mexico.
ESPERA’s unique model is based on working long term in solidarity with women’s organizations who have a strong commitment to their families and communities. Local leadership is key to sustainability. We have a focus on strengthening the women’s leadership skills related to strategizing and planning, and we encourage developing strong networks with others locally, nationally and regionally.
ESPERA partners with 14 women’s organizations, mostly rural, across Central America and Mexico, some as small as a dozen members, others as large as 350 women. This session will provide a platform for an intergenerational exchange, where attendees will gain valuable insights into the strategies that have empowered ESPERA women to drive economic and social change.
The work is possible because we have a long-term relationship with the women based on trust and mutual respect, and shared learning – and that work focuses on four areas: increasing women’s economic autonomy, sustaining and strengthening the local leadership of women, increasing family agriculture with a focus on increasing food security, and emotional and mental health.
Rural women in Central America and Mexico are particularly vulnerable, they have less access to personal financial resources, more difficulty accessing funding for community organizations, and they are being and will continue to be impacted by climate change. All this leads to food insecurity, less access to education, medical and mental health care, etc.
Key Takeaways
- The Power of Collective Action
- The Importance of Long-Term Commitment
- Feminist Leadership in Practice
Program
Welcome: Beth Blissman, Ph.D., Moderator (Loretto at the UN)
Setting the Scene: Overview of Mary’s Pence Katherine Wojtan (Executive Director)
Keynote: The Power of the ESPERA Program Mabel Martinez (ESPERA Program Lead)
Panel Discussion:
Intergenerational Perspectives on Accessing Economic and Civic Power
Speakers:
L=(Bahai’a International Community)
Teen Representative based in NYC (Academy of Mt. St. Ursula)
Teen Representative based in the US Midwest (TBD)
Teen Representative based in the US Midwest (TBD)
Question & Answer Time
Summary and Report on key take-aways
Brief Bio of Keynote Speaker: Mabel Martinez (ESPERA Program Lead, Mary’s Pence):
Mabel has more than 15 years of experience at international cooperation organizations in advisory roles and coordination of gender programs and projects, especially programs for the political, social and economic empowerment of women in Honduras and Latin America. Mabel is committed and linked to the struggles for social justice in Latin America. Mabel has a degree in Legal Sciences from the National Autonomous University of Honduras. She is convinced that changes towards freedom, equity and justice are urgent and possible.