For Martha Orsell Adeis, president of the Gonzalo Falcón Credit and Services Cooperative (CCS) in Dumañuecos, Manatí, two things are clear: to promote food production and to strengthen the economic independence of women through different initiatives.
Las Tunas, Cuba.- Coincidentally, these are two of the lines of the Agricultural Intercooperation Support Project (APOCOOP in Spanish), which has this unit among the most outstanding, especially because of the leadership capacity of this woman, who works in the fields, attends meetings, and adorns her hair with a flower.
"I have always worked, since before I came to the project and started the initiatives, and that is why I have been independent. I tell my husband that work matters have nothing to do with personal things and that they should not be mixed."
"For APOCOOP and the Revolution, I go wherever it is necessary. I am away from home for a week and more and life goes on. He cooks and does the chores without protest, and I feel empowered. Of course, the training helped, because he was a bit of a fence sitter, as we peasant women say."
"But I have been teaching him. And I can dedicate myself more to the cooperative and the project. Thanks to that, production and the economic performance of the unit have improved. Also my salary and living conditions at home."
In Dumañuecos there is a strong male chauvinism, and this is one of the issues frequently discussed by community members. Recently, a gender workshop was held at the school and was attended by professors from the University of Las Tunas.
"From the cooperative, we work in favor of women in the surrounding area. We made a survey of the women here and in other surrounding neighborhoods, such as Jagüey. We talk to them and give them talks to motivate them to work."
"We explain to them that we have a new initiative, which is a livestock module and we want to incorporate more women, that they need to become independent and in this way, they do not have to depend on anyone for their domestic activities, as well as to have a better quality of life.
"From here, we work with the Federation of Cuban Women (FMC) and the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution, (CDR), and we are already seeing some results. We are recruiting a 19-year-old girl, a mid-level veterinary technician, who is already familiarizing herself with the project and the initiative."
Most of the women in the area are unstable at work and everything goes well for them until they hear about a workshop outside of Dumañuecos. That's when the problems start with their husbands because they don't want to let them go. And that's the end of the job!
"I don't get tired. I insist that we should do many gender workshops and invite men to learn and understand the project, the initiatives, and the respect that women deserve. Here we have an Apocoop circle of interest with more females than males, and that is hope."
CANDELARIA, A GOOD EXAMPLE
Candelaria Aldana Del loves her job as a worker in the seedling house and the CCS organoponic. She arrived there a little over a year ago and intends to stay for a long time because she feels useful in what she does and likes to be independent.
"I worked some time ago in Picanes, in a sugarcane cooperative. I also worked in an organoponic and as a cook in a platoon of combined teams. I know women who wait for their husbands to give them the things they need. But I'm not like that."
"I came to work at the cooperative because the economy is difficult and it's a way to help me and him. We have a son and we want to take good care of him, we want him to have breakfast, lunch, and dinner. My husband couldn't do it alone and now I am taking on part of that care."
"To the other women, I tell them to work so they can fend for themselves. Some have three and four children and can't give them what they need."
