What in the world would ever bring these 3 groups of people together into the same room? Well, let me tell you. The Self-Employment workshop, that's what. Yes, that's right, our 2nd week of teaching, we were enlisted to teach in the mornings to this eclectic group, as well as in the evenings at a stake in Guayaquil. Here's the story: Apparently the nuns put on street clothes and go to the sector of the city where the prostitutes are working and then say something along the lines of "Why are you doing this? Don't you want something better? Come with me and we'll put your life back together" or something along those lines. The prostitutes then make the decision to change their life and follow the nuns to the convent where they go through some sort of rehabilitation and faith building program. The nuns contacted LDS Employment Services, wanting to put these ex-prostitutes through the workshop to help them get on their feet and start their own small businesses. I think the idea is to open a hair cutting salon, and the church has agreed to work with them and is even donating something like $5,000 to the cause to buy the lot space for the salon.
So, we taught the group, 2 nuns, something like 4 Mormons, and the rest ex-prostitutes. I hate labeling them like that, but that's what they were. However, they took the workshop and it was a lot of fun teaching them and helping them learn. Some were more enthusiastic than others, but it was definitely an overall success. We recently received news that those participants have since started up their own small business (small business in Ecuador can be anything from a lemonade stand to a mechanical shop), and are now working rather than continuing their previous practices. This is exciting and we hope to receive more details in the future of their successes. I really admire what the nuns are doing, and think it is a wonderful cause to help these women, who have so much potential, realize that they do have other options and they can have happier and more meaningful lives.
That's way cool, Tausha! If you me and Maria weren't on different continents and I were reading this next to the two of you, I would hit Maria based on the subject of your blog. But then again, if we were in the same place this blog wouldn't have been written, I imagine. That's super exciting that you get to hear about how they are doing after you teach them a class. It's nice to know what you are doing really is helping someone.
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