An itinerant project in the municipality of Barcarena has been giving several women opportunities to enter the job market and achieve financial autonomy, by taking courses in Labtruck. It is the Mulheres do Nosso Bairro project, supported by the Hydro Sustainability Fund (FSH, in portuguese) with the support of the Partners for the Amazon Platform (PPA, in portuguese), the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Bioversity & CIAT Alliance, with execution by Talento HR.

More than 150 women have already graduated from the project, developing skills that helped them achieve the job they dreamed of. This was the case of Mayara Barbosa, who joined Hydro Alunorte's Jovem Talento program. “The course came as a gateway to a new world for us, women with different life stories, with a purpose to develop. The skills I learned helped me get a job as a young apprentice and dream of a future full of achievements”, says the student.

“It was a spectacular change in my life and that of my family. The public speaking course helped me overcome my shyness and express myself better, helping me get the job I have today”, says Claudine Menezes, one of the standout students in the training.

The project was selected for the Structural Base of the Sustainable Connections Platform, in the line of inclusive infrastructure and promotion of innovation, and began its activities in March last year. The initiative has allowed women to take advantage of all the opportunities in the digital world through access to the internet and other tools, in addition to training focused on innovation. “It was born from the observation that women need to act on several fronts and be prepared for it. Based on conversations with various social groups at IBS, the Hydro Sustainability Fund saw this need. The acceptance was enormous and exceeded our expectations. We had great achievements such as hiring, improvements in the workplace, in academic life and in the family nucleus. They realized how important information and knowledge are in all aspects of life”, highlights Daiane Costa, director of the project.

This year, the project will have another class, in Vila do Conde, starting this March. The project also entered into a partnership with the Municipal Secretariat of Youth, Sports and Leisure of Barcarena, which provided space at the Antônio Dias dos Anjos Poliesportiva Court, for the installation of the LabTruck, with itinerant computer classes.

“The Hydro Sustainability Fund was sensitive enough to see that the project would be important to bring information and knowledge to these women. The action mainly aims to insert these women into the context of local entrepreneurship, and help them to have more participation in generating income for the family nucleus and to become independent, empowered and valued women”, highlights Milene Maués, FSH partnerships manager.