Meet Romilia from Tegucigalpa, Honduras. Romilia is one of my favorite people - she can make anyone laugh and is always up to some kind of mischief.I quickly learned that there is much more to her story than meets the eye though.
Romilia learned to sew from Mi Esperanza, an NGO in Tegucigalpa that empowers marginalized women with job skills and training to help them support their families.They operate with the mission of giving women hope by teaching them how to help themselves.After Romilia learned to sew from their program, she was then employed by their small sewing workshop to make bags in order to raise money for the program.This job provided her flexibility AND an income while taking care of a bedridden husband and sending five children to school.
Here is her story in her own words…
“I heard of Mi Esperanza back in 2006 when our preacher told us about the courses Mi Esperanza was offering to poor women. I took the reed weaving and piñata making course. After graduating I applied for a seamstress job at Mi Esperanza, and they were kind to give me a job in the maquila. I was doing very good making enough money to support my family, but my husband had an accident that left him physically incapacitated. I had to quit my job, to take care of my husband. During this difficult moment of my life, Mi Esperanza always helped me emotionally and they gave me a wheel chair and a handicapped bed for my husband to help me care for him better. After a year of taking care of my husband I returned to work at the Mi Esperanza maquila, I don’t know what life would be like without Mi Esperanza helping me and providing me a job. Because of this job I am able to support my family and give my kids the education they need.
I have been very busy working on several projects, I love making school uniforms for kids, and bags for the ladies that come visit us every summer, I am so happy to know that they love the product that we make in the maquila.
Because of this job I am able to support my family and give my kids the education they need.
I will always be grateful to God and to Mi Esperanza, I wish there were more organization like Mi Esperanza in Honduras!”