Early this summer, on a crisp Andean morning, a group of six girls travelled from their community of San Miguel, Ecuador, to a nearby community for a day of learning. The San Miguel Girls’ Club took a major step toward learning about economic independence when they had a chance to visit, and learn from, the Sumak Ahuana women’s group.

The purpose of the trip was for the girls to learn about how the women’s group functions, to see the store they have opened and to watch the women in action as they presented and sold items from the store. Members of the women’s group also gave a presentation that included details about the group and how it was started, how it has benefitted all its members and the type of goods and crafts they sell at the store.

Though much younger, the Girls’ Club members also got their chance at being in the spotlight. They too had brought items to be sold at the event, and to demonstrate how hard they’ve been working at their leadership and communication skills, the youngest member of the club, Mirian, presented the goods to the audience. She spoke in English, as there were some members of a Me to We volunteer trip visiting at that time too, and led the session as her peers successfully sold all the crafts they had brought!

Carmen, one of the members of the San Miguel Girls’ Club couldn’t contain her excitement. “The store here is so beautiful, and they have so many things they can sell! I wasn’t sure if we would sell our things, but we sold it all!” she said.

The day was a wonderful introduction to the world of micro-enterprises for the San Miguel Girls’ Club! Free The Children is very excited about their progress and looks forward to seeing what’s next for this talented group of young women.