Box of Empowerment:
My Personal Connection to Challenge and Opportunity through Girls in Honduras
Say there is a box given to you at birth. The hands used to hold that box convey the nature of a person and the characteristics they are born with, inherited through the hands of generations before. Hands also represent the ability to utilise skills and tools. Inside the box are the tools you carry with you. In this case, tools are inherited based on an individual’s position within society. Some may have more in their box, whereas some may have an empty box.
Teach A Man To Fish empowers young people by nurturing the skills to build, add, and wield the tools they need to succeed in school, work, and life. The box in hand mirrors the active mind, meaning mindset determines decision-making.
The box, symbolising inherited potential and opportunity, transforms through the empowered growth and change offered by Girls' EMPOWER Clubs in Honduras. These clubs help young girls remove barriers and reshape the trajectory of their lives.
Whether societal or familial, individuals are deeply impacted by the evolving cultural transitions of each generation. It is a human experience to be boxed into a set of social norms and potentially stereotypes, based on age, race, gender, and beyond. Challenges are unique to a society's conditions, and additional stress weighs on marginalised groups, who face more obstacles than others.
Growing up with barriers can make it difficult to see beyond them. As a Vietnamese American girl with parents who came from a war-torn, poverty-stricken background, I know what it is to navigate cultural shifts shaped by family values. Though I didn’t grow up in poverty, I faced limitations based on my parents’ traditional Vietnamese beliefs, which were shaped during wartime. Listening to the experiences of girls in Honduras through the context of the EMPOWER Clubs, I see difficulties that come with cultural and societal shifts, particularly when poverty plays a role in shaping beliefs about what’s possible.
In this context, I want to emphasise the unique challenges faced by Honduran girls that Teach A Man To Fish tackles which I now understand more deeply as I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Alejandra Soleno, the Central America Regional Coordinator in Honduras.
Alejandra explained to me what life is like for girls in Honduras and shared different stories. She began by saying there is a limitation of dreams, as some girls face economic hardships, cultural expectations, lack of jobs and resources, high rates of gender-based violence, teen pregnancies, and early unions, which all lead to high dropout rates for girls ages 12-18. High dropout rates are often assumed to be caused by a lack of motivation.
However, as the conversation unfolds, Alejandra offers the concept of a "dream gap", conveying the reality between the perception of growth and where a person stands.
Teach A Man To Fish EMPOWER Clubs for girls aim to tackle both sides of this deep-seated longer-term challenge.
Role Models
Firstly, negative role models discourage the dreaming potential of an individual. People tend to follow a cycle of what they know, so if a girl has primarily seen women performing housewife duties, it presents a challenge for them to believe they can be different from what they’ve seen. Alejandra shared the story of one young girl who was negatively labelled by an older woman in her neighbourhood. The woman told her that she would amount to nothing and that school was a waste of time. Although she had the support of her mother in this case, the girl still felt weighed down by these interactions. In many cases, girls have a lack of knowledge about the opportunities available to them and the rights they have. Note: available does not mean accessible.
Limiting Beliefs
Representation through positive role models encourages individuals to see themselves in a position once seemingly unattainable. Representation demonstrates that you can overcome limiting beliefs, which may once have dictated your actions. Our consultations found that the boys did not view the girls as inferior to them but that girls placed limiting beliefs on themselves. Over time, when boys grow up, negative beliefs could solidify without positive role models, as they grow to assume their gender role.
Cultural perspectives
During one session, when questioned about career aspirations, only one girl raised her hand to share her dream of becoming a civil engineer. Afterward, the majority of the girls said the same. However, when asked about their understanding of the role, none of the girls knew what this job entailed. In another consultation, mothers said they would not allow their daughters to pursue technical high school careers since these fields were “for men." In a programme for younger girls, Teach A Man To Fish focuses on personal development, building confidence and knowledge as a foundational precursor to empowering girls to expand their dreams.
Alejandra also explained that some girls will get pregnant in high school, and these girls will stop attending school. Many schools deem them unfit to receive an education once they have a child. However, an alternative education system accepts these young girls back into education if they want to go. Teach a Man To Fish’s programme for high school girls is also delivered in these alternative schools.
Teach A Man To Fish in Honduras
In two programmes, one for young girls and one for High School girls, Teach A Man To Fish focuses on girls from marginalised communities in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and teachers. The EMPOWER programme also hosts sessions and consultations for mothers in addition to girls in school.
Many mothers say they do support their daughters but as one mother admitted:
“We want to educate our daughters as we were educated, but they’re growing up in a different time.”
This mother's statement indicates a culture shift, as she recognises she doesn't have the necessary tools and knowledge to help her daughter succeed in the 21st century or understand the extent of her daughter's experiences. Training students in 21st-century skills, such as leadership, teamwork, and communication, is crucial. These young women are catalysts for change for themselves and in their communities.
The Role of Entrepreneurship in Empowerment
EMPOWER Clubs teach High School girls entrepreneurship and financial independence. Through webinars, they learn how to start and run businesses, gaining skills for income generation. The Clubs also nurture life skills like self-confidence, self-esteem, bullying prevention, and drug/alcohol awareness. Many young people in Honduras struggle to find jobs. Entrepreneurship helps create self-sufficiency by offering young people the chance to build their own opportunities.
TAMTF empowers girls in Honduras through:
• Inclusion of diverse actors: the Ministry of Education, teachers, parents, women mentors, girls, and boys
• Providing safe spaces for dialogue and trust building
• Nurturing entrepreneurship and 21st-century skills
The power of EMPOWER Clubs
The power of the EMPOWER clubs is evident as we witness girls becoming more confident after their experience. Sindy Nayeli Mejía is a computer science student . She was extremely shy upon joining the programme in her school, but being part of the t-shirt tailoring school business allowed her to gain comfort in communication, teamwork, and leadership skills. These are skills that will last her a lifetime.
Sindy was recently congratulated for her outstanding participation in the mini competition, "Young Entrepreneurial Leader," as part of the EMPOWER Clubs 2024 project. Two awards highlighted Sindy as an inspiration to others. Sindy is now a role model for other girls, especially those with a similar background, demonstrating that fear is not a limitation to capability. Aspiration is a dream, whereas inspiration conveys the want or drive to act on fulfilling an aspiration. Inspiration answers the “why” (should I) or “how” (can I) that the EMPOWER Clubs confront, developing the “what” through a can-do attitude.
Alejandra also told me an impactful story of a girl with Downs Syndrome who thrived in the programme and inspired change in her community:
“She said that being involved in the school business changed her life because she began to see herself differently. Others started to see her differently too. They began to respect her as a leader, and she felt empowered in her role. The School Enterprise Challenge allowed her to shine in ways she wouldn’t have experienced otherwise. That year, three more girls with disabilities enrolled in the same high school career. Her experience created a ripple effect, changing the perspective from more than just a gender standpoint and positively influencing others".
"Every girl deserves the right to dream and access the tools necessary to turn those dreams into reality"
What keeps Alejandra Going
"Every girl deserves the right to dream and access the tools necessary to turn those dreams into reality."
Growing up in Honduras with parents in education, Alejandra had the opportunity to dream big. She recognises that many girls in Honduras lack that same support and encouragement, which can be overwhelming. For Alejandra, the EMPOWER Clubs are a way to break the cycle of poverty and use education to change the mindsets of individuals, helping them see their potential and the possibility of a better future.
Why It Matters To Me
I found this interview particularly relatable, and I challenge others to find their point of relation through these stories. By deepening our understanding, we can become a more interconnected world that uplifts those who are increasingly close to us.
