I admit in the beginning it was difficult and challenging to start a business. I was afraid, I was uncertain. My paid traineeship at Most Jablanica Women’s Association was ending, and COVID-19 was hitting us.

I have a degree in agricultural engineering.  But my contract was expiring. I was worried for my future, just like everyone else, because it was a very uncertain time. I had two options left; to leave Bosnia and Herzegovina to start a new life and find a job abroad or to start my own business.

Entrepreneur turns problems into profit

Then I heard about an International Labour Organization (ILO) project to support start-ups. I was worried about how I would handle the application procedure for such a large project, which was called EU4Business and was financed by the European Union and the Federal Republic of Germany. But I knew this was the perfect opportunity to turn my disadvantages into advantages. 

Having my ideas heard for the first time and supported and guided by ILO experts was not to be missed, so I took the chance and applied. I was new to the world of entrepreneurship, and it took a lot of work, patience and research to get to where we are now.

The municipality of Jablanica is a major tourist destination in Bosnia and Herzegovina and is situated on the Neretva river.

Jablanica, my hometown, is an historic location in Bosnia & Herzegovina. The Battle on the Neretva took place here during the Second World War. The place attracts visitors from within and outside the country. 

By collaborating with tourism agencies, I am proud to promote my region, especially by producing authentic products which link tradition and my town. Naturally, it is more difficult to succeed in a small community, but when you are recognized in your small town, then the rest is easier. 

Due to the support I was granted, and awareness of the potential and rich local resources in agriculture, tourism, and services, I decided to attend entrepreneurship Start your Business training, also held by the ILO. 

Because the pandemic stopped everything, people couldn't buy products coming from other parts of the world. Shelves were empty. We realized that our products are considered to have medicinal value in helping to boost people's immune systems. So we took advantage of the moment when people wanted to benefit from domestic products and services to create a local and sustainable business.

We produce vegetable juices, fruit syrups, jams, marmalades, sweets and a whole range of traditional products. We stand out because we work according to original traditional recipes. Our most popular product is an apple jam without any additional sugar. It is produced by boiling only pure apple juice, as our ancestors did.

We source our fruit, like these blackberries, from local organic farmers.

Not only do I create agricultural products, but the company also offers all sort of local services, catering, production of souvenirs, textiles and cleaning services.

At Most Jablanica we strive to be socially responsible. We hire mostly women from rural areas and marginalized groups, so they’ll be able to increase their purchasing power and therefore help their families and relatives.

As well as employing four women in the company, we hire and recommend our women, who are members of Most Jablanica Women’s Association, for different activities such as cleaning and maintenance services.

Our company provides benefits to many local women as well as the community itself. All the fruits and vegetables that we use come from local organic suppliers.

Our company provides benefits to many local women as well as the community itself. It benefits everyone.

I believe I am an example of female entrepreneurship and I try to fight for women's equality and show that female entrepreneurs can succeed.

Usually most of the businesses are led by men, in industry, public services and elsewhere. We are breaking stereotypes. Today more and more women are taking the lead role and running successful businesses.

Merima and an employee carry a kitchen tray full of fresh, local blackberries.  

Despite the challenges, my business has actually grown during the pandemic and is managing to stand up to larger multi-national companies.

By producing healthy, local food, I can export our products throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina with online orders. It is a “Made in B&H” success.

A souvenir stall stocking the company’s products, which are made to traditional Jablanica designs. Merima wants to show her municipality in the best light to attract a large number of tourists.

The future may be uncertain, but this is what I would like to do, be recognized as an all-woman company.

During the process I have changed. I have seen that I am capable of running a successful business and helping fellow women in the community.

I would recommend to future entrepreneurs, above all to women entrepreneurs, to always take what is offered at a given moment. We should not be afraid, and we should take risks.  We should do what we love, because today there aren't many women doing the jobs they love.

I would recommend to future entrepreneurs, above all to women entrepreneurs, to always take what is offered at a given moment. We should not be afraid and we should take risks.  

EU4Business is a €16.1 million project supported by the European Union and the Federal Republic of Germany, jointly implemented by the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), ILO and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) between 2018 to 2022. The project, which has created more than 900 jobs, was designed to boost the economy of Bosnia and Herzegovina, strengthen exports and support employment.

The key achievement of the ILO component was to support the establishment of 123 new businesses, which have so far created 145 jobs. The ILO also trained and mentored new entrepreneurs and supported the best business plans with grants.

The EU4Business project continued to provide this assistance during the COVID-19 crisis. Not only did these start-ups survive but most of them managed to grow and create jobs.

ILO supports first entrepreneurial steps and contributes to the creation of more than 120 new businesses in Bosnia and Herzegovina

COVID-19 response: EU4Business recovery in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Start and Improve Your Business Programme (SIYB)

Global Call to Action for a human-centered recovery 

When COVID-19 hit, Merima Kukić Gego’s future looked bleak. Her traineeship had ended and her options in rural Bosnia and Herzegovina looked like unemployment or migration. But instead she found the drive to start a food and tourism business, employing and economically empowering other local women.

Cop27_edit_01.mp3

ILO launches just transition initiatives at COP27

COP27: ILO events at the Just Transition Pavilion

ILO message brief for COP27: 
Climate action with jobs and a just transition for all

Just Transition Finance Tool for banking and investing activities

ILO Report: Greening Enterprises - Transforming processes and workplaces

ILO topic portal on Climate change and jobs

As we transition to a greener economy, how do we ensure that workers are not left behind? What actions need to be taken to achieve a just transition? 

COP27, the UN’s annual climate change summit, has just wound up in Egypt. The ILO hosted over 40 events there at a Just Transition pavilion, looking at climate change issues related to the world of work. It included the launching of an ILO just transition finance tool on banking and investment. 

Moustapha Kamal Gueye headed up the ILO delegation to COP27.  Just back from Egypt, he discusses the issues at stake on the Future of Work podcast.

As we transition to a greener economy, how do we ensure that workers are not left behind? What actions need to be taken to achieve a just transition? 

COP27, the UN’s annual climate change summit, has wound up in Egypt. The ILO hosted over 40 events there at a Just Transition pavilion, looking at climate change issues related to the world of work. It included the launching of an ILO just transition finance tool on banking and investment. 

Moustapha Kamal Gueye headed up the ILO delegation to COP27.  Just back from Egypt, he discusses the issues at stake on the Future of Work podcast.

COP27 – What progress for the world of work?

When I got the chance to obtain a certificate and be formally recognized as a professional welder, I was eager to take up the opportunity. Before, I had no proof of the skills and experience I had gained from 25 years of learning informally on-the-job.

I never went to school or undertook training programmes to learn to weld. I also never finished high school. My father had to take me out of school because he had suffered a big financial loss and couldn’t afford to keep us all in school. You can imagine how depressing this was for me as a young boy, to miss out on an education while all my friends continued. But I had no one to blame really. It pained my father to remove me from school but there were younger siblings who had to start their education. 

Although my father could not enrol me in a training institute, he decided to take me to a small warehouse in Tanga Region on the mainland of Tanzania where I would apprentice as a welder. I left home for the first time and spent two years learning my trade in Tanga.

What I like most is welding work on trucks and tractors. 

After returning to Zanzibar I did not have enough skills to get a good job, but I had enough knowledge to work as an informal contract worker in small construction jobs. Once the contracts were finished I would go back to whatever I could find. 

I learned a lot over those next five years, working on a variety of projects from residential homes to construction sites and garages. I realised l liked to work with vehicles such as trucks and buses, and I managed to get a full-time job with a government-owned agricultural project as an irrigation truck and machine repairman and welder. I have been working there ever since.

I work in the welding and blacksmithing department. After reporting to my supervisor, I usually start working on about three different tractors. Currently we have more than 700 tractors and machines which need to be fixed, so we are very busy!

Then, in 2019, someone from the government told me about a new Recognition of Prior Learning programme. He urged me to send my application to the Vocational Training Authority (VTA) in Zanzibar so that I could obtain a certificate as a welder.

For me, it meant that I would finally be able to say that I am a professional welder. I knew I was a good welder and had learned from professionals from many countries such as Tanzania, Ghana and Canada. But I had no proof of the level of skills that I had.

I received my Recognition of Prior Learning certificate in April 2022. 

The assessment process took about three days. We all had to report to the VTA centre and were assigned an assessor. My assessor had many questions about my work history, my skills and my day-to-day work. He came to my workplace to watch me as I worked, he also spoke to my employer and my supervisor. I was happy to know that the assessor was a welding trainer himself so he really knew what he was looking for. 

I was then told to report back to the VTA centre with some other welders for a training course. This was the best part of the whole process for me. We were taught best practices and how to maintain good safety and health standards at work. This work can be very dangerous and some employers do not care about providing the right protective gear so it was very important for us to cover this information.

We were also taught basic bookkeeping, how to manage a team of workers and how to expand our businesses. I am not only employed but I also run my own small welding business, so I was very grateful for the business training we were given. After that, I was told that I would receive my certificate.

At the training course we were taught best practices and how to maintain good safety and health standards at work. Welding can be very dangerous so it was very important for us to cover this information.

Receiving the certificate changed my life in two big ways. My salary was increased for the first time by 30 per cent very soon after. This was very encouraging because my employer had been increasing my responsibilities and tasks over the years. It was good to see the monetary reward for this. 

Secondly, I started to really see the value of my skills. The questions that I was asked and the skills I had to show the assessor made me realise that I have over 25 years of experience in this field, and I have a lot to teach others as well, which is what I now want to do through my small business.

After work I usually go to my welding business to check on the progress of the work for the day. I have one young man whom I keep full time, while there are four others whom I employ on a short-term basis. My full-time employee has been with me for over six years now and I have taught him everything he knows about welding. 

Over the past two years life in Zanzibar has become more difficult. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic months go by with no tourists, and there is much less money in circulation. Prices have gone up drastically and it is becoming more difficult for people to support their families. I have been very lucky to still have a job and a small welding business to support my family during this time. 

I’m married and have six children. My wife stays at home and takes care of our family while I support us financially. I’m very lucky to have had a steady job particularly during the past two years of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the next five years I hope to retire from my employment. I love what I do and wish to continue welding, I hope to expand my welding business and have more time to provide training for young people in my community. 

There are so many young people who failed school and are just on the streets with no future plans. I believe learning a skill like welding or making things with their hands can improve their lives. 

Firstly, I would tell them failing in school is not failing in life. For young people like me who’ve had to drop out of school due to financial problems at home, I would tell them about my experience. There are many opportunities to learn proper skills and now we also have this Recognition of Prior Learning programme that allows us to become certified professionals. Most of all, I would urge young people to never stop learning. Look at me, I am in my 50s yet I’m still learning.

The International Labour Organization (ILO) defines Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) as the process of identifying, documenting, assessing, and certifying a person's knowledge, skills and competencies - regardless of how, when or where the learning occurred - against formal education and training standards. It provides an opportunity for informally or non-formally skilled workers to acquire qualifications that match their knowledge and skills without going through formal education or a training programme. 

RPL was launched in Mainland Tanzania in 2014 with the support of the ILO. In 2019 it was incorporated into Tanzania’s National Skills Development Strategy (NSDS). The Tanzanian government has set the target of reaching 10,000 RPL candidates per year.

RPL was piloted in Zanzibar in 2019 and is endorsed by the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar. 

The ILO provided technical assistance to help establish an RPL system in Zanzibar as part of the SKILL-UP programme, funded by the Government of Norway.

Tanzania has been identified as the benchmark for successful RPL programmes in Africa. In August 2022 it hosted delegates from the Government of Malawi on a special RPL study tour of Mainland Tanzania and Zanzibar.

Zanzibar collaborates with ILO to develop first Recognition of prior learning (RPL) programme

Recognition of prior learning in Tanzania 

Guidelines for Recognition of prior learning assessment in Tanzania

ILO topic portal on Recognition of prior learning 

Global Call to Action for a Human-centred Recovery

After 25 years of on-the-job experience as a welder in Zanzibar, Tanzania, 53-year-old Hussein Juma Hassan had his skills formally recognized.  The certification process has helped him realise the value of his skills and also increased his income. Now he wants to give back to his community and train young people to become welders.

Failing in school is not failing in life

Ever since I decided to train as an early childhood teacher I’ve been told a thousand unpleasant things.

My teachers welcomed me during my study and guided me along this path. In the workplace my female colleagues also welcomed me with open arms.

But society has not made things easy. Some people see me as a weirdo. They have looked down on me in so many ways. 

When I did my internship, I had to put on a smock of checked cloth. When I was out and about, walking down the streets, going to the kindergarten, people would look at me and say, "What's this madman doing wearing a smock, being a man?”

It is very unusual in our society to see a man in this kind of smock, which we wear in the classroom. It’s considered a women’s thing. 

I’ve had to put up with intimidating stares and being told all sorts of things like, "That's for women, that's for sissies," that all early childhood teachers do is cut paper, that this is what we're there for. At first this hurt and shocked me. It’s a lot for a human being to take. But today I say “Thank you” to these comments.

I am not a madman, I am an early childhood teacher

I chose this career out of interest. Years ago, I went with my little sister to kindergarten, and I saw a man teaching in the classroom. It seemed very crazy to me, and I became curious about this profession from then on.

I talked to my family, and they said there were also men pursuing this type of career, and that I should be free to pursue whatever I wanted. They encouraged me to keep moving forward in what I chose.

When I started studying I was the only man on the course. It was a bit strange for them to have a man in their study group. Teachers had a hard time remembering to say “girls and boy” instead of only “girls” when addressing the class.

When I did my teaching internship I had to wear the traditional checked cloth smock. People were shocked to see me in it. They associate it with something that women wear. 

I discovered that in Buenos Aires there are only seven male early childhood teachers working in the public education system. Many men study for this career but do not practice it. Instead, they keep studying to get into other positions. 

I think those colleagues who dare do it are then afraid to work. They don’t know how society and their family will react, how the school directors will react. It really depends on the neighbourhoods or the cities they live in. It is a fear that one always has.

I have met many men who don't want to choose or continue this profession because they are afraid of this social gaze.

I receive support from my parents, friends and colleagues but it is not always easy to do my work because of society’s prejudices and the poor salary.

I’ve had to put up with intimidating stares and being told all sorts of things like, "That's for women, that's for sissies," that all early childhood teachers do is cut paper, that this is what we're there for. At first this hurt and shocked me.

I teach and care for children who are between two and three years old. I love caring for them. 

When people think of childhood care they often think of material care in nurseries. But in fact, what we do is more than helping the child with hygiene, food and sleep. We also educate them through different classes and activities and by making sure a child’s education can be continued between kindergarten and home. 

After years of study I finally became an early childhood teacher. I love my job!

As an educator I am aware that I leave marks on the children I care for, and these marks will influence them in the future. I enjoy being with children. As a teacher I teach them and they also teach me at the same time.

You give them the best and the most that you can so that the child continues to learn and continues to be educated in primary and secondary school and later on in whatever they choose to follow.

I was able to overcome obstacles and prejudices with the strength and confidence to move forward, regardless of what society said.

I want to grow professionally as a teacher and work in different locations. 

I think that to change the view of society, we need to encourage more men to work in this field and improve working conditions. I no longer believe that it is a feminized career, even if there is a large percentage of female teachers. 

We need to recognize early childhood male teachers, encourage them, respect them, and also pay all teachers better salaries so that they won’t struggle financially.

We need to recognize early childhood male teachers, encourage them, respect them, and also pay all teachers better salaries so that they won’t struggle financially. We care about children but we also want to make sure we earn enough money for the basics. 

Our salary is always a struggle. We put a lot of effort into our work, we often use money out of our own pockets to prepare materials, to bring watercolour paint sets or other things that we don't have, which we ask for but sometimes we don't get.

It is always great to receive positive feedback: “Thanks, Fede, my son could not stop talking about all the work you did”. All of this nourishes my soul.

I continue to choose this beautiful profession because of the different groups of children that cross my path. Seeing them laugh, learning from them, and being able to teach them different topics is the most satisfying thing there is. Receiving their hugs every day, saying hello to them, or talking about something we discussed or worked on weeks or days before, all that means that I am doing a good job.

Persistent and significant gaps in care services have left hundreds of millions of workers with family responsibilities without adequate protection and support. Yet meeting these needs could create nearly 300 million jobs by 2035.

The ILO Country Office for Argentina developed the campaign #ProfesionalesDelCuidado with the aim of promoting paid care work, decent working conditions and greater representation of care professionals.

This initiative was carried out as part of the following three projects: 

"Early childhood and sustainable development: towards a comprehensive care system", funded by the Multi Partner Trust Fund Office; 

"Socio-economic recovery to the COVID-19 crisis from a gender perspective", funded by the Multi Partner Trust Fund Office; 

and "Economic policies to accelerate gender equality in Argentina", funded in partnership with Open Society Foundations (OSF).

ILO campaign “Care professionals” in Argentina (in Spanish)

"Someone takes care", a new ILO Argentina podcast on care work (in Spanish)

Care at work: Investing in care leave and services for a more gender equal world of work

Project: Early childhood and sustainable development: towards a comprehensive care system

Project: Socio-economic recovery to the COVID-19 crisis from a gender perspective

Project: Economic policies to accelerate gender equality in Argentina

ILO Policy Guidelines on the promotion of decent work for early childhood education personnel

Global Call to Action for a human-centred recovery 

Federico Trotta has overcome prejudice and stigma to become an early childhood teacher in Buenos Aires, Argentina – a profession that many believe is a “feminine” career.

My name is Myriam Raharilantosoa. About 25 years ago I started working as a domestic worker, more precisely as a nanny. I became a defender of Malagasy migrant domestic workers after discovering that my daughter was being abused by her employers in Lebanon.

Early on I was hired by a foreigner living in Madagascar, who worked at the French Embassy. I was treated particularly well and was even asked to accompany him and his family to France and later to Lebanon after he was posted there. 

I jumped at the chance to join my daughter, Naka who had a job in Lebanon as a domestic worker. 

But my daughter was not as lucky as me. I discovered that her employer was abusing her. She had gone to Lebanon with no training or information about the working conditions she would face. She lived in difficult conditions, with an employer who treated her badly. 

She told me that she worked every day without a break from five in the morning until midnight, looking after the children, cooking, cleaning, ironing – not only for her employer but also for her employers’ relatives, without extra payment.   

They didn’t allow her a day off and forbade her from going to church, which went against the terms of her contract. And her employers locked her in the house when they went out. She wasn’t even allowed to eat with the family. She ate their leftovers. 

When she tried to talk to her employers about these issues, they said she had no rights. She was afraid and did not know where to turn.

My daughter cried every night because of her situation and suffered mental trauma. Finally, she decided to run away and went to the agency that had hired her. They sent her to another family but, under the influence of her previous employer, this family also mistreated her. She was eating every other day and had lost a lot of weight. She was also losing her hair. 

When my daughter tried to talk to her employers about these issues, they said she had no rights.

Co-founder and president of the National Union of Malagasy Domestic Workers (SENAMAMA)

I was really sad and depressed when I discovered all this. I was frightened and anxious. I just cried and cried. 

I couldn’t stand by and do nothing, so I tried in every way to get my daughter out of the hell she was living in. Finally, I confided in my employer, and they helped me.

We went to a charity who helped us put in a complaint against the employer. It wasn’t easy but for the love I have for my daughter I dared to do it. 

I paid USD 2,300 so my daughter could leave this family. You need a guarantor for a new employment contract and there was a family from the French embassy that did the negotiation.

Through my meetings with other domestic workers in Lebanon, I learnt that when they arrive in the country the police often take their passports and then they have to wait in a room like a cell until their employers come to pick them up. Sometimes their mobile phones are confiscated so they really are alone.  

If they arrive through an agency, at least they can contact them if they have problems but if they’ve arrived through clandestine routes they are at the mercy of their employers.  

In addition, many Malagasy domestic workers who go to work in Lebanon do not speak Arabic, French or English, which makes communication with their employers difficult and leaves them vulnerable.

Through the different steps I took to help my daughter I got to know and work with different organizations that defend the rights of domestic workers in Lebanon, including the International Labour Organization (ILO).

From then on, I started to campaign for the rights of domestic workers, not only for the Malagasy in Lebanon, but for all workers who are victims of abuse and mistreatment.

My daughter and I when we were working in Lebanon. The struggle for my daughter's rights has now become a struggle for all domestic workers in Madagascar.

At the end of my contract in Lebanon, I decided to return to Madagascar. My experience in Lebanon taught me a lot about domestic workers’ rights and protections, especially migrant workers. 

With this knowledge and along with other returning domestic workers, we decided to set up the National Union of Domestic Workers of Madagascar (SENAMAMA). The union was formally founded in September 2019, and I served as interim president before being officially elected to the position at the first National Congress in July 2021.

Originally, we were eight active members, mainly ex-migrant workers returning from Lebanon, but we managed to mobilize other members through word of mouth and radio announcements.  Later, following different awareness-raising activities and with the help of the IFDW [International Domestic Workers Federation] and ILO, many members joined our organization and we now have almost 2000 members.

Our main objective is to protect domestic workers, prevent and deal with abuse, non-payment of wages, illegal wage deductions and lack of social protection. Many Malagasy domestic workers are still victims of violence and abuse, sexual and moral harassment or even rape. Moreover they have very low pay, which generally varies from 40,000 to 100,000 Malagasy Ariary (USD 10 to 25) per month.

Participants from Antsirabe, Fianarantsoa and Antananarivo at the first national congress of SENAMAMA held in Antananarivo on 1 and 2 July 2021, which included the participation of the Union of Autonomous Trade Unions of Madagascar.

Our main activities focus on advocacy, training and awareness-raising among workers. Our organization took part in the process of revising Madagascar’s Labour Code and aligning it with the ILO Domestic Workers Convention, 2011 (No. 189).  As part of this we helped define the term "domestic worker" and contributed to the introduction of a standard contract. Together with the ILO we also supported the Malagasy government in the repatriation of over 300 Malagasy migrant workers during the COVID-19 health crisis.

In the long term our aim is to help domestic workers advocate for the protection of their rights, both in Madagascar and abroad, and influence policy discussions in areas that directly affect them.

Our main objective is to protect domestic workers, prevent and deal with abuse, non-payment of wages, illegal wage deductions and lack of social protection.

Despite the many challenges, the SENAMAMA union remains optimistic that domestic workers in Madagascar will have a better future. This vision requires the participation and commitment of the various actors on the ground, including the State so that the legislation is implemented, workers' rights are monitored, employees are able to access social security and health coverage, and employees themselves unite their voices to fight against injustice in their work. 

My daughter is back in Madagascar now, working for a foreign family.  She is well and is a member of SENAAMAMA, helping domestic workers in distress. My struggle for her rights has now become a struggle for all domestic workers in Madagascar.

I will continue to speak out for the rights of domestic workers from Madagascar.

Eighty-one per cent of the world’s 75 million domestic workers are informally employed. They are not effectively protected by labour and social security laws which could protect them from abuse and exploitation. Migrants, particularly those with an irregular status, are particularly vulnerable. 

The ILO REFRAME project, funded by the European Union, with the support of the International Domestic Workers' Federation, has supported the creation and strengthening of the domestic workers' organization SENAMAMA in Madagascar.

Madagascar's ratification (in June 2019) of the ILO Domestic Workers Convention, 2011 (No. 189) was a significant step forward in promoting decent work in this sector.

SENAMAMA is lobbying for the alignment of national texts with the Domestic Workers Convention, 2011 (No. 189).

SENAMAMA’s aims to increase the number of domestic workers registered with the National Social Security Fund and to sensitize employers to provide health coverage for domestic workers.

The SENAMAMA union has helped to increase women's participation, representation and leadership in the process of revising the Labour Code.

Global Action to Improve the Framework for Labour Migration Recruitment - REFRAME Project (in French)

Convention 189 & Recommendation 201 on Decent Work for Domestic Workers

International Federation of Domestic Workers 

Myriam Raharilantosoa became a defender of Malagasy migrant domestic workers after finding out about the abuse suffered by her daughter at the hands of employers in Lebanon.

I am fighting against abusive domestic work

I am a child of Pachamama, Mother Earth. Earth is everything to us. It is life. We cannot conceive of ourselves without her.

My community dates back 14,000 years. On behalf of 60 families, I led a 20-year fight for the right to land, education and freedom.

We used to live under a rental system where we had a landlord who delineated the spaces for us to occupy and to live in, both for sowing crops and for raising cattle. It was a life very much governed by what the master said, by the space you had to occupy, and by what I saw my parents having to pay at the end of each year. These were very powerful moments for a teenager.  

Through the process of reclaiming our territory I began to think more about how to make my history and the history of my people known. I have always seen, and I continue to see in the media, the stigma that is placed on us indigenous peoples. I wanted to show and make the other side of the story known. That motivated me but I was thinking: "How do I do it, how do I show this?"

An indigenous entrepreneur in tune with Mother Earth

In 2003, our mountain valley, the Quebrada de Humahuaca, was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site. This marked a milestone in the history of our people. I saw that many people were talking about our mountains, our culture, our food. And I said to myself: "but we are that, we know how to do it, we are the guardians of our culture." 

Culture, for us, is part of our daily life, it is the knowledge and skills that have been transmitted from generation to generation. We learn it from the moment we are born. It’s in our medicinal herbs and in our food, in our crops.

So I thought, "Why not dare to do what I know, what I have learned?" That is how my tourism business, a tea house called the Casa de Celestina, was born.

I have always seen and I continue to see in the media the stigma that is placed on us indigenous peoples. I wanted to show and make the other side known.  

When tourists come to the Casa de Celestina, I welcome them, I introduce them to the use of medicinal herbs, such as mate, which we drink in the morning and in the afternoon to energize ourselves. I talk about which herb we take when we are sick, when to harvest it, how to dry it, how to preserve them. 

I talk about our diet. We have our different corns here and we make our own flour, so we have flour for soup, flour for tamales, flour to make cookies, flour to make our juices, our drinks, flour to make our pastries.

We want to give tourists the opportunity to get to know our herbs, how they are taken, rather than just buying them in a tea bag.

All that knowledge is there because it has been transmitted from generation to generation. Our mothers, our grandmothers, for me, are the real treasure troves of biodiversity. Our grandparents are those living libraries in our communities. Without them and without that knowledge, I could not be speaking today. 

I have learned, by observing, watching, sharing. You have to be there. You have to be contributing to the land, putting wood on the fire, lighting an oven and making your offering. You have to be there at sunset, when the goats are already back in the corral and the grandparents are sitting down. You have to be sharing Pachamama.

All that knowledge is there because it has been transmitted from generation to generation. Our mothers, our grandmothers, for me, are the real treasure troves of biodiversity. 

The tourists prepare a dish with me. It can be a culli corn flour pudding, with nuts, with chocolate chips. Or they can also prepare a delicious meal, quinoa croquettes stuffed with goat cheese, with sautéed potatoes, rosemary and herbs. Or we can also prepare a llama casserole.

Then we visit my town and our church, which dates back to 1789. We visit the path of herbs, where they also learn about other medicinal herbs such as Muna-Muna, which is for bruises, for muscle pains. 

They get to know our stories, our ceremonies, like the dispatch of souls or the story of how we reclaimed our territory.

An encounter with flavors and history is the motto of La Casa de Celestina.

I share what my day is like and what I do. And then we go down and we drink tea together and eat the pudding they have prepared. 

I renew their energies with the herbs that we have also brought from the path. They leave feeling renewed, they leave with a different view of us. They experience a living culture, the essence of culture.

That is what I like about tourism, about those who come to visit us. You see how inter-culturality comes to life, how this relationship of culture goes beyond sharing an experience. It is about looking at each other in a different way, to look at each other as human beings.

What I like about tourism is you see how inter-culturality comes to life. It is about looking at each other in a different way, to look at each other as human beings.

At the beginning of 2020, we started to hear a lot of talk in the media about COVID-19.  Watching the news what caught my attention the most was how the world was alarmed. Suddenly we were all wearing facemasks, we couldn’t leave our houses. We could no longer do what we did every day: get up, go to the orchards, come, talk, greet each other. We had to live locked up and we didn't understand why.

The pandemic hit my business very hard. The reservations I had were cancelled. The little savings I had went to feeding my family. I felt so impotent. The government said that there were subsidies for entrepreneurs but I did not qualify and had to continue to pay taxes.  Many small business entrepreneurs have had a very difficult time.  It was very hard.

My daughter and my son. Lockdown was very shocking for us and at the same time it  brought us closer. It made you be present, made you watch, feel those sensations, feel happiness, share with your family, realize what is going on next door, listen.

But I am a person who believes that every crisis gives rise to opportunities. And this  pandemic, although it affected us a lot emotionally and economically, also paved the way for something new. Since tourists could not enter our village, how could I reinvent myself? What could I do in the face of the pandemic? I started using Zoom and giving talks online at universities and for an NGO.  

I have a group which I always connect and work with, and one of the members of the group, Dr. Viviana Figueroa, invited me to take part in a virtual Start and Improve Your Business (SIYB) course, run by the International Labour Organization (ILO), that was going to take place between October and November 2021. I was very interested in improving my entrepreneurship and developing a business plan because it was one of the reasons why I could not access loans and subsidies. So I said yes right away.

I was very interested in improving my entrepreneurship and developing a business plan.

The ILO course provided me with tools to scale up my business. I am still using them today. They included how to make a business plan, estimate costs, prepare a budget and inventory and manage social media. Some of the people on the course had already started their own businesses, others were about to start. It was a chance to share and exchange our experiences. What I liked the most were the course manuals. They are very, very useful, very good.

When I share my culture with people who come to my house, who come to visit me, it makes me feel good. And you feel it as the experience unfolds, because it is like feedback, isn't it? I know that I feed their culture and they feed mine.

My business, la Casa de Celestina, is steadily improving. I am achieving my dream.  

I still remember a speech that I gave a long time ago to Argentina’s then President Néstor Kirchner. I told him: "we, the indigenous peoples, want an opportunity, the opportunity for development, the opportunity to improve our quality of life."

It is important for my community to see that it is possible, that we women, can carry out our businesses with the tools we have. We do not have to wait to have everything, but we can start with what we have now.

After successfully reclaiming her people’s territory in Quebrada de Humahuaca, Northern Argentina, Celestina Ábalos turned to tourism to share and promote her indigenous culture. ILO entrepreneurship training during the COVID-19 pandemic helped her business grow.

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