Testimony by Maria Santana, entrepreneur assisted by the Consulado da Mulher (Women’s Consulate) in the city of Manaus.
Consulado da Mulher: your way of being
The Consulado da Mulher Institute is a Consul social action created so low-income women can find opportunities to generate resources and improve the quality of their and their families’ lives.
We believe the woman is the cornerstone of family sustenance and an agent for transforming her environment. When she understands the opportunities for increasing her income, she perceives a new way of life and of relating to the world, multiplying this knowledge with her children and other family members.
The enterprises assisted by Consulado da Mulher are comprised of a majority of low-income women, at least 16 years of age, and with difficulties in entering the job market and formal economy due to a lack of technical training. Generally responsible for household chores and their children, which makes any paid activity more difficult, many have difficulties in accessing basic resources like transportation and means of information.
Our History
This action began in 2000, when Consul noticed the need to direct its social responsibility actions. The Social Responsibility Board, created to think of these issues, based itself on goal three of the Millennium Development Goals, "Promote gender equality and empower women", to define its focus: improve quality of life for women, promote citizenship, exchange knowledge, improve self-esteem, and most especially, improve social and gender relations.
The strategy was to first begin activities in cities where the company has production facilities. The first units were inaugurated in 2002, in the cities of Rio Claro (SP) and Joinville (SC) and free workshops were offered in arts and crafts, cuisine, beauty and digital inclusion, always seeking socialization and improvements in relations and self-esteem. All of the workshops were conducted by volunteers and oriented by a team of social educators in a physical area belonging to the Consulado da Mulher. Over time, and after disclosure of their activities, both sites ended up becoming points of reference among the inhabitants of the two cities.
Consulado da Mulher has been a Civil Society Organization since 2005. This status has afforded the Consulado da Mulher greater autonomy and the possibility to develop and expand through partnerships and its own funding.
The Manaus (AM) unit was inaugurated in 2007, with differentiated actions, carried out in low-income communities and focused on assisting small popular enterprises. The same occurred the following year in São Paulo (SP),with the kicking off of activities in the city’s south and east zones.
Another important step in defining the focus on assisting income generation came in 2007 through the creation of the Usinas de Trabalho Program, which would benefit partner institutions responsible for assisting popular enterprises throughout Brazil.
After seven years of intense action, Consulado da Mulher understands that emancipation, improvements in gender relations and women’s self-esteem can and should be worked on through the acquisition of new skills and knowledge to generate income. With this objective, starting in 2009, all of our more significant actions for assisting in income generation will be carried out directly in the communities we intend to benefit.
The strategy was to first begin activities in cities where the company has production facilities. The first units were inaugurated in 2002, in the cities of 
