ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT
ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT
COLOMBIA How our program changed gender-equality attitudes
STORIES OF CHANGE Changing Lives
How we made it happen
The entrepreneurial training program is encouraging people living with HIV to take their medication. It is achieving that and much more.
BEFORE
AFTER
Women are better suited to perform domestic chores than men.
Youth participants established 300 businesses following their entrepreneurial training. To ensure that victims of armed conflict receive reparations and support, we provided training that focused on children’s rights and gender responsiveness to 3,685 teachers and public servants. We hosted 50 technical-assistance sessions with government institutions and 33 sessions with victims’-rights organizations so they can implement these reparation processes. We provided training and technical assistance to 52 representatives from government bodies and victim-support centres to develop and implement care plans for victims of armed conflict. These plans will be replicated across municipalities in schools and community programs.
42% 22%
The people who enrol in Plan International’s entrepreneurial training program in El Salvador are living with HIV, but that’s not the only bond they share. Each of them is driven to launch a business or grow one they already have. It’s a drive that keeps them looking to the future. “It’s given them all an incentive to live,” says Gerardo Lara, who managed the entrepreneurial training program, which is supported by The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. “They feel useful because they are able to make an income for themselves. This, in turn, improves their defences; they eat better, and they’re making a statement that they are human beings.” For Kiara, it’s given her an identity in the eyes of others. “I was known only as the trans girl from Villa Lourdes; now I’m Kiara,” she smiles. “I’ve been accepted.” Kiara’s business is designing custom clothes for her clients. Since participating in the entrepreneurial training program, Kiara says she’s more inspired and productive than ever.
That’s precisely what Maricela Herrera hopes will happen. Herrera, an HIV-prevention specialist with Plan International, says that going through the program can be a life-changing experience. Initially, the goal was to offer the training at health centres so that people living with HIV would receive their medication and attend follow-up appointments. But the real power came from them learning how to develop a business plan, pitch their ideas to a panel and then potentially receive seed money to buy equipment or materials to make it happen. “The most important thing is that when people develop their business ideas, they forget they have a diagnosis,” explains Herrera.
Women are responsible for the violence against them.
21%
12%
Men have better ideas and prospects for running a business.
31%
19%
Male youth who said they contribute to housecleaning.
37%
61%
Maricela Herrera, HIV-prevention specialist
Female youth who felt they could make decisions about their education
22%
48%
Impact Report Stories of Change July 2022
Female youth who felt they could make decisions about paid work opportunities.
READ THE 2022 IMPACT REPORT
25%
51%
HIV Prevention in El Salvador
64 | 2022 Annual Report
2022 Annual Report | 65
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