Follow up committee going over evaluations in 2023.
Guadalupe (also known as Lupita by her colleagues) loves to take advantage of any karaoke sessions as the rest of the follow up committee leaders rally her along. The women sit, with big smiles, admiring Lupita as she sways back and forth to the rhythm. Another song has just started to play, and before even singing the first note, they all roar into cheering. As much as this team loves to sing and dance, their meetings are focused, productive, and educational. There is a balance, an ebb and flow, among these dedicated women who equally work hard and have built a sisterhood in which they encourage and support each other.
The follow up committee meetings began after an ESPERA program evaluation in 2019. It serves as a steering committee for the ESPERA partners in El Salvador, following up on the recommendations of the evaluation. Since then, representatives–group leaders–of each of the 7 ESPERA partner organizations in El Salvador have met to not only collaborate, but strengthen their own understandings of various topics; such as emotional wellness, finance, national policy changes, money management, administration, etc. The intention is to not only educate and strengthen group leaders, but that they, in return, do the same with the hundreds of ESPERA women throughout all organizations. Yanira, group leader for AMOS in San Julian, said, “Something significant that I have seen is every woman–every leader–comes from their groups, departments, and travels long distances. Each leader is part of a chain that strengthens what follows and connects them to the next. The leaders represent each of their women and speak on behalf of them. They speak with leadership, and there is respect within the follow up committee. We listen to each other and this means so much to me.”
Group photo of leaders of ESPERA program.In 2024, all 16 group leaders met 5 times. The first meeting of the year is always in February to go over budgeting for the next year and conduct an evaluation of the previous year. In 2023, an Annual Plan of Action (POA) was created to give a baseline for all meetings, activities, and events for each organization. The POAs break down ESPERA’s four strategy lines – strengthening organizations, economic initiatives, family agriculture, and emotional wellness. This ensures that each leader programs activities and meetings on each line–although not all groups participate in agriculture–and creates a budget for that current fiscal year.
POA’s have not only helped strengthen organizations through their discipline of annual planning and budgeting, but have encouraged collaboration between multiple organizations. Juana, group leader for CEDROS, says, “The follow-up meetings are important because they provide a space for participants to share their opinions and discover the needs that each organization has. This helps to prioritize and do better work.” Activities and collaborations are yet to be planned for 2025. However, in 2024 there were multiple collaborative workshops on emotional wellness. In September, women from San Rafael CEDROS and La Parroquia met in Ichanqueso, a small community with natural pools, to relax and learn self-care techniques from professional Matí. Likewise, in August, women from CESPPO, AMOS, and La Concerta participated in a class that informed them about electronic receipts. This was an important workshop because currently there are no women within the ESPERA program that work or track transactions electronically. Needs such as these are discussions brought up within committee meetings so that collaborations, workshops, and resources can be coordinated for individual groups or collectively.
Although program planning is necessary, follow up meetings additionally create a space for women to grow in relationship with one another and gain skills and self confidence. ESPERA believes that women cannot be successful in their professional roles if their personal well being is not being taken care of. Overall, ESPERA views women’s lives holistically, not just focusing on their ability to generate income. Juana mentions, “Through these meetings I have become less afraid to speak up. I have learned my rights as a woman and strengthened my values. Before, I was afraid to express myself, but now I have the confidence. We have gained trust and respect within the group, and I too can share the knowledge that I have learned.” With that value in mind, follow up meetings have included workshops such as emotional wellness, ecofeminism, and women’s rights. After each work day, women are given the opportunity to unwind with their colleagues. The group has taken ferry tours on Lake Suchitlan, hiked to the waterfall Los Tercios, sang karaoke, danced, gone out for pupusas, and taken some necessary R&R in a hammock. Mancia remarked that some of her memories came from visiting the waterfall with the group– “we were all laughing and enjoying each other’s company. These memories I will never forget.”
The follow up committee has become a cornerstone to the continued success of ESPERA. A group of women that can be considered a sisterhood, chain, representative, network– is undoubtedly the voice of all women and the experiences that they bring. From growing successful businesses, going through difficult situations, national policy changes, etc., one can rest assured that there are strong willed women–leaders–willing to collaborate, plan, and assure the continuation for all.
