b'DOING: WOMENS JUSTICE INITIATIVEWJI encourages girls to continue their education to gain access to better opportunities in the future. Due to machismo culture, many girls in rural Guatemala end their education in elementary school. Significantly, some workshops are also open to parents to help them discuss things like violence and early marriage with their daughters. Many women who experience WJIs programs are inspired to further support the girls and women in their own communities. WJI has a program for that, toothe Community Advocates Program. In this two-year initiative, women are trained as facilitators, mentors and leaders. When they return to their communities, they become go-to sources for women wondering how to report a case of sexual violence, or what to do if theyre in a dangerous situation. Women reach out to them because they feel confidence and trust. They become human rights defenders, interrupting the status quo, and they end up becoming leaders and mentors and very important in their communities, says Raquec. They also facilitate workshops in our other programs, especially the Adolescent Girls Program. They are the ones that make our work sustainable because they live in the community. With all their accomplishments, what is WJI most proud of? This year, WJI celebrates its 10 th anniversary and successfully reachingWere proud to know whats really going on in the communities over 50,000 people over the last decade. Yet challenges remain,because our team has been part of it. We have grown up in these especially when it involves including men in their programs. Wecommunities and with these beliefs, shares Raquec. Thats very still havent found the right approach to involve husbands, sons andimportant because many organizations arent representative of brothers in our work. Often, women want to make changes in theirIndigenous people.home, [but] their husbands dont want to change the way theirWhile it may only be one organization, the Womens Justice family works. It has to be a collective change, notes Raquec. ManyInitiative is playing a critical role in Guatemala. It is paving the men dont allow their wives to attend our workshops because theyway for Indigenous women to carve their own futureone that is dont know what were talking about. Thats a big challenge. safe, happy, and free from violence. Supporting Aboriginal Prosperitywww.nadf.org |1-800-465-6821Ontario Native Womens Association41'