40 Women Improving Income through a Sweet Business

After the confirmation of the first cases of COVID19, the Argentine government immediately imposed "preventive and compulsory social isolation". Most of the cases, that are still increasing, are registered in the Province of Buenos Aires. Other outbreaks in the provincial capitals of Cordoba and Santa Fe (Rosario). The beginning of winter season accompanies the progressive worsening of health situation, while argentine economy couldn´t stand pressing creditors. On may 22 the country was declared in technical default for the 9^th time in 30 years.

Poverty and basic needs are increasing in every province and the lockdown hasn’t permitted women to carry on their enterprise. Since a week the situation has change and they managed to start working again. Its been a very hard time, President Alberto Fernández declared the total closure of the incoming borders, closure of the schools, cancellation of all public and private events, closure of public offices, saving lives but leavening hundreds of thousands people without work, starting for informal workers that represent almost the 50% of the workforce.

The group decide to respond to this emergency by producing new foodstuffs, like bread and cookies. They received new equipment, and they also decide to start to sew protective antivirus masks to sell them at an affordable price to their neighbors and communities, since the few local distributors take advantage of the closure of the village and to raise up prices.

To make a special Christmas, the protagonists of our project decide to diversificate their production in order to prepare typical Xmas sweets to sell to their neighbours and community.

They spent a lot of time together, cooking alfajores, panes, panes dulces and jams that were lately sold door to door in the small rural villages where they live.

It was not so easy, because it's been a very hot summer and temperatures often reach over 40 C. That makes cooking and baking a quite hard task!

But this wasn't the only initiative they undertook for Xmas. Women also decide to make a Christmas tree for their community and sponsors to give thanks for their year. So, they asked local authorities to permit them to place a tree in the main entrance of the village and, together with their kids, they recycled and paint bottles and staff they don’t use any more and they made the tree.

Take a look of our pics!

Best

Links:

• Read more about our initiative and projects
• To know better how this project has born, you can watch the foll