Bárbara Velázquez Núñez has always lived in Cerro de Caisimú, a rural community of Manatí; however, for some time now she has found more sense in living in that place, so far from the municipal capital and the city of Las Tunas.

Her life was mostly spent doing household chores because there were few employment options for women. But the Agricultural Intercooperation Support Project (APOCOOP, by its acronym in Spanish) came to the Sabino Pupo Credit and Service Cooperative (CCS, by its acronym in Spanish), and then everything changed.

"Now I am more useful, I am very satisfied with what I do and I like it very much."

Those words are enough to understand how much she identifies with the opportunity that came to her suddenly and she knew how to take advantage of it very well; for she immediately said yes to the call from the production unit and the Federation of Cuban Women to train as a hairdresser.

"In the course, I learned many new things that one can implement in the workplace. The most important thing is that we are useful, not only for the women of the community but also for those of other nearby places."

"We have clients from several nearby places, even from La Guinea, Meriño, Manatí, and Las Tunas come to have their hair done with me. There used to be a hairdresser's shop here, but it stopped working many years ago and, luckily, APOCOOP came in."

This is one of the many initiatives of the project in the territory of Manatí, the only municipality of Tunas that joined it in 2015, which contributes to food security with benefits in production and for women.

Maricela Peña Palmero is also very happy, she is the president of the CCS, who reported that, previously, the cooperative sustained its economy in livestock and various crops and that in 2021, for services in the hairdressing saloon; it entered more than 75 thousand pesos.

"In the community, it has been a great impact, because an idea like this has never come before. Now young women, housewives, and workers have a place to beautify themselves, in addition to guaranteeing employment for two women."

"Likewise, the barber benefited, who was previously disconnected from study and work. They entered without any preparation, but they were trained and now have their degrees."

Thanks to APOCOOP, they received nail polish of various colors, two hair straighteners, hair dryers, peeling machines, dyes, and other resources. This, the quality of the services and the good treatment ensure that it is a must-visit establishment.

The supplies are wearing out, but the women keep coming back," says Barbara, "and we created a fund to take care of them. We buy products and guarantee the sustainability of the project. We pay a part of our salary and buy what we need."

It seems little, but it is a lot for the CCS and the women of the area, because APOCOOP trains, transforms, collaborates, and improves the quality of life of the population of the rural settlements and, consequently, has an impact on food production.