The Colectiva Feminista para el Desarrollo Local (Feminist Collective for Local Development) was created in 2003. Its mission is to bring together local women’s organisations from around El Salvador (currently more than 30) and to strengthen their capacities to promote the participation of women in all public arenas.
The Colectiva is a One World Action partner in the Regional Gender and Governance Programme and advises four municipal governments on the implementation of gender equity policies in their municipalities. It also runs campaigns and mobilises for greater participation of women in politics.
One World Action also supports the Unión Salvadoreña de Organizaciones Locales de Mujeres por la Democracia, la Justicia Social y el Desarrollo Local con Equidad de Género (Salvadorian Union of Local Women’s Organisations), the association of women’s organisations which the Colectiva Feminista is actively promoting. The aim of this livelihoods project is to increase the income levels of 74 women and their families living in extreme poverty in three rural areas of El Salvador (Tenancingo, Victoria and Tejutepeque).
Las Mélidas was founded in 1992 and works to promote women’s rights through education, health, and no-to-violence programmes, as well as through political participation initiatives and income generation and labour rights work. Las Melidas is short for Asociación Movimiento de Mujeres “Mélida Anaya Montes”, or the Association of the Movement of Women “Mélida Anaya Montes”. Melida Anaya Montes was a professor and an icon of revolutionary women in Latin America.
As part of the Regional Gender and Governance Programme, Las Mélidas runs workshops for local women’s organisations and monitors municipal plans and budgets. For councillors and officials (men and women), it carries out workshops on public administration with a gender perspective.
One World Action also supports Las Mélidas’ work in a cancer prevention programme for women living in extreme poverty in San Nicolás Lempa. This project aims to reduce the incidence of cervical and breast cancer and genito-urinary infections of 2,144 women through education, prevention, detection and post-diagnostic support.
Las Dignas (Asociación de Mujeres por la Dignidad y la Vida “Las Dignas” orAssociation for Women for Dignity in Life) was established in 1990 and works on anti-sexist education, the eradication of gender-based violence, and the political participation of women and health rights.
One World Action supports Las Dignas for its work on campaigning for morality in public life, specifically through lobbying and public campaigning for male candidates standing for public office to prove that they have not been convicted of any sexual or violent offence.
One World Action also supports Las Dignas’ work in a cancer prevention programme in Ilopongo.
You can visit the Las Dignas website (in Spanish) here.
ASCES (Asociación de Ciegos de El Salvador, Salvadorian Association of Blind People) was established in 1995. It is a membership organisation of blind and visually impaired people largely based in the capital San Salvador. They work on advocacy, education, cultural activities and run a Braille translation service.
As part of the Regional Disability Rights Programme, ASCES works to promote changes to the national women’s policy so that it explicitly includes blind women. They are also organising blind people in rural areas, training blind people on advocacy techniques and translating school educational materials into Braille. They are lobbying the national governmental body overseeing disability policy.
COMUS (Asociación Coordinadora de Comunidades de Usulután (or Coordinating Association for Communities of Usulután) was established in 1996 following the civil war. They have an integrated rural development programme, as well as a community based programme for disabled people.
One World Action supports COMUS through the Regional Disability Programme for its work on community-based therapeutic work, awareness-raising work on gender issues, especially those for disabled women, and for advocacy work to promote disability rights issues with local governments and in government health policies.
You can visit the COMUS website (in Spanish) here.
The Regional Gender and Governance Programme
The Regional Gender and Governance Programme unites five feminist organisations in El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Guatemala. The programme aims to strengthen the political participation of marginalised women so that public policies, services and legislation reflect women’s rights. Work is being carried out in four Central American countries in 61 rural and urban municipalities: Nicaragua (17 municipalities), El Salvador (24 municipalities), Honduras (7 municipalities) and Guatemala (13 municipalities) and is benefitting approximately 1,500 grassroots women from 27 women's organisations and 155 women councillors and mayors.
The Regional Disability Rights Programme
The Regional Disability Rights Programme focuses on transforming legislation & policy from the national to the local level in favour of disabled women, and training & organisational support to enable disabled women to propose and negotiate in regulatory bodies and state bodies. Through regional and national exchanges, the disability movement in Central America will be challenged to approach issues in a gender-sensitive manner, whilst campaigning and strategic alliance- building to demand that the rights of disabled people are upheld. Four One World Action partners are involved: ASCES, COMUS, Fundación Solidez and FEMUCADI.
You can visit the programme’s website (in Spanish) here.