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Weaving Strength and Well-Being

Crea Tu Espacio
12 hours ago
2 min read

Training program on personal and community empowerment for rural women and toquilla straw artisans.

Women from the Unión Cañari Cooperative, strengthening their community of weavers.

Twelve women from the Unión Cañari Cooperative have shared and strengthened their capacity for empathy at the individual and community levels. From November 2025 through March 2026, the women received support and guidance from exchange student Hajar Nouhi of University College Louven - Limburg (UCLL), as part of the Doble Vía program, through the Salesian Polytechnic University’s Cuenca campus.

These past few months have featured workshops focused on self-awareness, empathy, teamwork, family financial education, and recognizing the role of women within the family and community. These sessions were held at the Unión Cañari Cooperative’s facilities.

Workshop: Communication and Conflict Management.

The workshops helped empower each member and foster an understanding of women’s associative spaces—which are related to production, the home, and personal well-being. A total of 20 sessions, each lasting two hours, were held, during which the rural women of the cooperative came to understand their role not only within the organization but also in preserving the intangible cultural heritage of Toquilla straw hat weaving in southern Ecuador.

At the end of the sessions, two sales and clearance fairs for Toquilla Straw Hats were held, followed by a closing ceremony that included a self-care session. This session recognized rural women not only as workers but also as human beings with dreams, aspirations, and hope for their individual and family growth.