I heard about Mujeres en Acción, and it was interesting to know that there were only women in this group. The first year, it was very confusing, even though I enjoyed attending the meetings in person, it was something different for me, and I liked to listen to other women that talked about their goals, getting their diploma, or taking English classes. I wanted to be like them, but I didn’t know how to do it or where to start. I was very afraid to speak in public, I felt silly when I gave my opinion, and I thought I didn’t fit into that group where so many women learn to follow their dreams and goals. It was a totally different world that did not exist for me, my world was just work and being a housewife.

I kept going because there was something that got my attention, I admired the coordinator, Mrs. Maria Elena Manzo, with her connections she knew how to connect us with informative workshops. All this caused me a lot of fear because it was something totally different from what I had done up to that moment, I had never had goals, I considered that it was not important that I learn to speak English. I only believed that women were meant to get married, to have children, obey and listen to their husband, but I have realized that this is not the case.

When looking at the womens’ struggle to move forward, I wanted to be like them. The conversations that I had with Maria Elena were confusing and a totally different world. She was a woman with goals, achievements, and dreams. This was something that did not exist in my world, she is a fighter and entrepreneur woman, but I understood that “willing is power.” I can undertake, follow my goals, dreams, I’m the one who has to make those changes, and I have to work for those goals. Now, I have learned that we all have qualities and talents, I just need to focus on myself. This life is full of opportunities, I just need to interact with people who want to exceed themselves. I’m so happy to be part of the Mujeres en Acción group, and for the support, understanding, and commitment to this group, I have been given the opportunity to work as a Community Health Worker for Monterey County. Thanks to Mujeres en Acción, I am now a financially self-sufficient woman and entrepreneur, and I have an income that helps me cover home expenses.

I have learned self-worth, to identify my virtues, and to know who I am. Today, I have the opportunity to motivate other women, feel identified with me and say to them: “you can do it”. Now, I can motivate my children, help them and motivate them to continue growing-up, continue their education, and let them know that they have the power to achieve anything in life; I learned that from Mujeres en Acción.

My name is Celsa Ortega, I am a mother of four children, I came to this country in January 2006. I am from Oaxaca a small town called San Luis Morelia, and here in this country, I had three of my children. I’m a farm worker. When I had my third child I did not work, I dedicated myself to my children’s education, and I began to attend all the school board meetings.
One day, a person came looking for women to join a pilot program called Mujeres en Acción, and it appeared interesting. I thought that perhaps they could give me some information on how to deal with stress, and how I can provide a better education for my children. I started to participate in the Mujeres en Acción group and realized that it offered much more information. The group provided information about the community resources on how to register for school. I thought that I could go to school to get my GED, how I could become independent, and how I would start my own business. Starting by getting my GED, but I couldn’t do it as I have four children and a job. I couldn’t do it; however, I took computer classes and managed to complete three levels, which were very important to me.

This program provided me with all the information, and I know that at some point I will have to achieve it because I know that it is possible. Thanks to this program, I began to be a positive person, and I have goals that I can achieve with effort. The women who were part of my group were very important in my life, and each of them contributed to improving my life: I began to have self-confidence, value my family much more, and respect my community. My community became part of my family. Currently, I am able to express myself in public, and I’m part of the Alisal Vibrancy Plan. Everything I’m doing is for my children, I want them to do what I do, as they grow up and mature, to value and learn from each person they encounter in their lives, and later down the road, they will figure out why this was important. Now, I know how to guide my children when they go to college and university.

In 2008 I began studying so I could start my own business and in 2019 I achieved my goal. I currently own a business in organic farming and I put into practice everything I learned in the group. At first, it was very difficult, but I attended several workshops to be a very successful businesswoman. Now, I am working with several organizations to create projects that benefit people in the community and farmer-owners like me to strengthen our businesses. I have found many people who have contributed to my development. I don’t know where this wonderful journey ends, but all I know is that I feel very fortunate to be in a group like MUJERES EN ACCION. Mujeres planted a seed in me and thanks to that I feel more confident. Mujeres taught me how important it is to participate in any event for my benefit and also for the benefit of my community. Despite the time that has transcurred I see them and I know that they continue to be my support and my strength. It is a joy to see my colleagues again and I am meeting more extraordinary people who have helped me along the way like MRS. MARIA ELENA MANZO who is an excellent person who trusts us and each hug is a gift of trust, strength, faith, and hope. and the strength to face the most difficult obstacles.

¡Gracias MUJERES en ACCIÓN

Hello my name is Alma Oliveros. I’m 26 years old, and I am a single mother of a 7-year-old daughter. I started my journey with Mujeres en Accion in 2015, so I was about 19 years old, and my daughter was only a couple months old. Before starting to be a part of Mujeres, I was not in a good place in life. I was insecure, shy, and lacked self-confidence. I believed all the doors were closing on me as I had just graduated from High School and started to work in the fields. My school culture had taught me that if I did not have a university diploma I would be a nobody. I thought to myself that this is all I could do in my circumstances as my parents worked in fields as well, I would live from paycheck to paycheck. I soon joined Mujeres en Acción, hearing stories from other women with similar obstacles inspired me to change my mindset. The Mujeres en Acción group gave me the opportunity to start school to become a medical assistant, they helped pay for child care until I was done with school. Soon, I became a medical assistant and worked for the Monterey County Health Department for 4 years. I had the opportunity to buy a new car, and this was huge for me as I have reliable transportation now. Later down the road, I was once again given an amazing opportunity to work as a CHW Coordinator for the VIDA project. I truly believed no one would have thought of me for this position because I did not have the degree to prove I was ready; however, I got trained on the job, and I had support from Mujeres en Acción that believed in me, and I had the willingness to learn. I will forever be grateful to Mujeres en Acción, I would not be who I am or where I am today without their support. I went from being in the most vulnerable state in my life to feeling accomplished and looking forward to keep growing. Now, I am able to speak in public, I have developed leadership skills, I am able to facilitate meetings, and I feel physically and mentally healthier. I see a brighter future for myself and my family. I’m even looking into buying a home in the future and that was not even in my dreams before!

When I got invited to join Mujeres en Acción, I was in need of a change in my life and I decided to be part of the group in 2015.

I started attending once a week in a group of about 15 women, all with the need to be part of the group and learn new things. I enjoyed participating in the group and little by little I was working on my fears, insecurities and my goals on which I focused because I had the support of Mujeres en Acción. I faced challenges, such as not knowing how to ask when I needed something, such as information at School and information on how to get the GED.

Another obstacle that I have to face was my own limiting thoughts and frustrations. In the group, I felt listened to and respected, my colleagues always supported me and lifted my spirits. The most difficult obstacle that I had to face was when I had to look for childcare because my children were very attached to me and I had to leave them with a babysitter without knowing her. I trusted her because she was certified but my children cried every day when I left them and picked them up. That situation broke my heart, when I was at school tears came out of my eyes. It was hard to concentrate at School. Fortunately, I found a babysitter that I knew and trusted. I felt confident to leave my children with her. When I felt that my children were safe, that motivated me to continue with my goals. Despite all the obstacles, I managed to get my High School diploma (GED), enroll in College and pass the U.S. citizenship test.

Every time I accomplished a goal I felt that I was capable of doing more and my decisions were so important, that it was worth it working on myself.

Afterwards I was in different leadership trainings and I took advantage of all the opportunities that were presented to me to support the community and develop my leadership.

Thanks to all that growth, I am now fulfilling the mission of Mujeres en Acción because I am financially self-sufficient with a living wage and I am a leader in my community. Mujeres en Acción inspired me to continue supporting more women like me who have the concern to do something different for themselves and their families, now I am part of the Mujeres en Acción team!