Advancing Women Leaders in the Spanish-speaking World

Oct. 4, 2007—“One of my ‘aha moments’ during the CEDPA workshop was the realization that there are different styles of learning,” said Antonia Domingos Monteiro De Sousa.

“Understanding that people absorb information in different ways will help me to get my ideas across,” explained Antonia, who works with youth in Angola.

This “aha moment” is one of many that Antonia and her peers experienced during CEDPA's Global Women in Management Workshop held recently in Houston, Texas. The workshop brought together 26 women from 10 diverse Spanish and Portuguese-speaking countries such as Angola and Panama.

For most, it was the first time they had been in a group that brought together women leaders from Latin America and Africa.

The differences between their countries were obvious at the beginning of the workshop. Some came from conflict-ridden countries where day-to-day life for all is a struggle. Others work to reach remote regions within their countries to improve the lives of indigenous populations, far away from cities where the standard of living for many has advanced.

By the workshop's end, the participants realized that their similarities were more numerous than their differences. They are all women who want to make a change in their communities and leave their mark on the world.

CEDPA's Global Women in Management workshops recognize that participants learn from each other's differences and use that gained knowledge to become better agents of change with in their communities. The workshops create a participatory learning environment that strengthens leadership, management, communications and advocacy skills.

GWIM workshops are participatory learning environments in which women learn from each other.

Beyond the skill building sessions, participants also learned through meetings with major donors and leading non-profit organizations, providing insights into how to strengthen their organizations.

“Once we complete our training, we expect to go back full of new ideas and new energy acquired from long hours of hard work,” expressed Esther Caro, executive director of the Asociación Mayagüezana de Personas con Impedimentos, Inc. (Mayagüez Association for People with Disabilities). “Furthermore we will go back to our countries with the wonderful experience of having known each other’s work and commitments.”

Participants in the Houston workshop were funded through special support by the ExxonMobil Foundation’s Educating Women and Girls Initiative. Graduates will join the growing network of over 5,000 CEDPA alumni in more than 150 countries, forming a powerful network of women and men leading the development of their communities and nations.

Read what CEDPA alumni have accomplished post training.

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