Lesvia Fong and her husband emigrated from Guatemala to the United States in 1994, in search of a more promising future. Although Lesvia had led a productive life in Guatemala, studying accounting at the university at night and working days, opportunities for economic advancement in her country were scarce. After arriving in this country, however, Lesvia quickly discovered that her limited command of English meant that even many low-level jobs were out of reach. With two young children at home, the horizons of her day soon contracted to caring for children, performing household chores, and watching television. She grew increasingly dependent on her husband for even the simplest tasks: “I had to wait at home until my husband arrived to take me on errands, to go to the doctor, for example. It was like being a deaf-mute—because I could only listen, I couldn’t speak.”
Leticia Lara left Mexico City for the United States when she was 18. “I came, supposedly, to study,” she explains. But with little money and no English, her hopes for higher education gave way to a low-paying job, marriage, and children. “I wanted to learn more English, but I didn’t know how. I didn’t have any information on where to take courses.”
Today, thanks to the efforts of EDC’s Gabriela Canepa, Fong and Lara have joined 18 other Latina mothers from Waltham, Massachusetts, in a class that offers them not only English language instruction but also lessons in job readiness, social skills, community action, health, and self-esteem. “Most adult education program for immigrants in this country are vertical. They do English classes or job training or health, but they don’t try to deal with the whole person,” explains Canepa, the project director. “We have developed a comprehensive program that deals with their growth inside, not just with the world outside.”
The pilot project, Breaking Barriers, was conceived by Canepa, herself an immigrant from Peru, to address what she sees as a pressing need—not just in Waltham, but in many cities across the country. “The Latino population will soon be the largest minority population in this country, but our participation in politics, education, and the economy is rather limited,” she says. “And sadly, the poorest of the poor in this country are Latina women and their children.”
As both project director and classroom facilitator, Canepa is addressing head-on the complex web of issues contributing to high levels of poverty among Latina women: limited knowledge of English, low levels of education, unfamiliarity with local social and political systems, and traditional gender roles that encourage female passivity and limit women’s access to educational and professional opportunities. “I designed the program based on the needs of the participants, but with two overall objectives: to promote leadership and self-esteem in the participants and to provide them with access to all the different services in the community,” explains Canepa. “Also, I hope to stimulate their interest in further education and better economic opportunities.”
During the first 12-week phase of the pilot project, the group met four mornings a week, four hours per meeting, in the basement of the Waltham Head Start building. Daycare was provided for the students’ children during classtime, an expensive necessity for these mothers who would otherwise be required to stay home full time. “The child care was fundamental so that I could study,” explains Fong. “Without that I wouldn’t have been able to be part of the program.”
Half of the classtime was devoted to English language instruction, while the other half was spent investigating a broad array of topics. For instance, frequent guest speakers from the community led discussions on a host of issues important to the lives of the women, from female sexuality and domestic violence, to tenants’ rights, health care access for immigrant families, and job opportunities, both traditional and nontraditional: One week they spoke with a human resources manager from the Marriott Hotel, the next week a female carpenter. “This was a real discovery—that nontraditional jobs are open to them,” Canepa explains. “I like to bring in very progressive Latina speakers. I want to challenge these women’s ideas about who they are and who they can be.”
Canepa also believes that influential Latina women have something to teach her students about how to participate successfully in American public life—how to negotiate schools and workplaces, local government agencies, and even personal relationships. She hopes these lessons will enable them to become better advocates for themselves, their families, and their communities. For instance, Margarita Figueroa explains how the course has emboldened her to seek new learning experiences: “Because of the course, I dared to go to the Waltham Public Library and get a private English tutor. I didn’t know that something like that was available to me before.” Several other women have recently formed a Latino parents’ group at their children’s school. And Leticia Lara is planning a career in counseling women about domestic violence—in large part because of a guest speaker from Casa Myrna Vasquez, a shelter for battered women.
In the next two phases of Breaking Barriers, the women will have an opportunity to build on what they’ve learned while fulfilling the reciprocal premise of the project—the idea of giving back to the community. The women in the first group are now serving as mentors and tutors to a new group of students. As they’ve developed their self-confidence, knowledge, and communication skills, the women have become active in community organizations, significantly increasing the visibility of the Latino population in Waltham. For example, some members recently participated in a citywide health fair, and the whole group attended the Mayor’s Picnic, making them the first Latino group ever to participate in this annual fundraising event. “Latino women have a lot to offer this country that has offered us so much,” Canepa contends. “This project is a way to facilitate that process by providing women with better access to education and employment so they can contribute more. That philosophy of partnership and giving back is at the heart of this project.”
Originally published on May 1, 1999
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