Indigenous women receive entrepreneurial training to generate income in communities

Manaus (AM) – Another step towards empowering indigenous women in Amazonas was taken last week. Organizations selected in the “Parentas que Fazem” call from the Sustainable Amazon Foundation (FAS) received entrepreneurial training through a workshop. The organizations that participated were selected to receive a contribution of R$250,000 each, and training is one of the items provided for in the notice.

The workshop is part of the call schedule, benefiting the first ten projects placed in “Parentas que Fazem”.

Indigenous entrepreneur Maria Nazaré Castro de Lima, 47 years old, coordinator of the Association of Indigenous Artisans of São Gabriel da Cachoeira – ASSAI, commented on the training aimed at indigenous women and how important learning will be in improving the work carried out in the community. The Association works with 40 women and has existed for 24 years.

“We work with handicrafts, with tucum fiber extracted in the forest, and we produce baskets, decorations, earrings, necklaces, etc. We registered our project in the call to obtain resources to improve infrastructure and also to learn about financial education. We need to improve our headquarters in terms of structure”,

said the entrepreneur.

The project is an initiative by FAS with support from Google.org, Google’s philanthropic institution, and in partnership with the Coordination of Indigenous Organizations of the Brazilian Amazon (Coiab) and Makira-E’ta – Network of Indigenous Women of Amazonas. The call selected five projects from indigenous women’s associations.

FAS Indigenous Agenda supervisor, Rosa dos Anjos, details that this was just the first of other trainings that will be carried out for the duration of the project. The idea is to guide “relatives” to organize how to sell their work, considering everything from investing in infrastructure to adding value, taking into account the entire manufacturing process of the products.

“These are indigenous organizations that work with crafts and we brought them here to exchange experiences, in addition to understanding the form of entrepreneurship they carry out in the communities. From there, we will help them understand what entrepreneurship is aimed at selling these products. We took them to visit some organizations here in Manaus that are involved in entrepreneurship so they can understand how these companies organize themselves, because this is still a very new term for them, since all their productions have meaning. For example, it’s not just about putting a price, as they are made based on the feeling they carry at the time they produce”,

says the supervisor.

Ten participants, representing their organizations, received classes and training in sustainable entrepreneurship, project design, sales and digital marketing. The training was provided by the Zagaia Amazônia Association, which operates in the Amazon region in the development of projects in the area of ​​creative economy, based on the ideals of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations (UN).

The indigenous Baré ethnic group, Marcia Gregório Alemã, 37 years old, vice-president of the Association of Indigenous Women of Alto Rio Negro (AMIARN), commented on the call.

“Half of the women who work at AMIARN produce handicrafts and the other with farm products, which are flour, starch, tapioca, beiju, tucupi, etc. The experiences here [desse workshop] What I’m going to take are about what entrepreneurship is, product prices, budget experience, finishing products to display to customers. Now, I’m going to take it to my associates so we can put it into practice and improve the quality of our products. One of the main things was learning to place value on our product, because it is a whole process [antes de fazer o artesanato] and we often set a price, but they think it’s expensive, there’s a lot of expense involved in making this product”,

he stated.

To learn more about the so-called “Relatives Who Do”, visit

About FAS

The Sustainable Amazon Foundation (FAS) is a non-profit civil society organization that works for the sustainable development of the Amazon. Its mission is to contribute to the conservation of the biome, to improve the quality of life of the populations of the Amazon and to enhance the standing forest and its biodiversity.

In 2023, the institution completes 15 years of operation with outstanding numbers, such as the 202% increase in the average income of thousands of benefited families and the 40% drop in deforestation in areas served between 2008 and 2021.

Coiab

The Coordination of Indigenous Organizations of the Brazilian Amazon (Coiab), is an indigenous organization with 34 years of experience in defending indigenous rights to land, health, education, culture and sustainability, considering the diversity of peoples, and aiming for their autonomy through political articulation and strengthening of indigenous organizations.

It is the largest regional indigenous organization in Brazil in terms of number of peoples included and area of ​​coverage. It operates in nine states in the Brazilian Amazon (Acre, Amapá, Amazonas, Maranhão, Mato Grosso, Pará, Rondônia, Roraima and Tocantins), and is linked to a network made up of local associations, regional federations, women’s organizations, teachers, indigenous students , and subdivided into 64 base regions.

Makira E’ta

Makira E’ta – Indigenous Women’s Network of the State of Amazonas is an independent, private Civil Society Organization (CSO) of public interest, without political-party ties, with non-economic purposes, founded on July 29, 2017 .

Its mission is to promote social, political and economic development, with priority given to indigenous women. Makira E’ta believes in a society with equal opportunities for all people and in this the leading role of indigenous women, especially in communities that are not reached by state and municipal public policies.

*With information from consultancy

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