Taking baby steps to achieve a life plan

By Children Believe Nicaragua

Flor Avendaño is a young woman from Masaya, Nicaragua who after 4 years of working in a free trade zone, one day decided to change her lifestyle, because her health was deteriorating due to the level of stress and the rotating schedules she was exposed to, which was the only way to cover the costs of the clinical psychology degree she was studying at the time.

By January 2022 Flor after leaving the company, she began to consider ideas on how to generate income that could help her household economy, because she had identified that she has their own skills such as the ability to communicate and organization to implement in the creation of her business. With her liquidation she began to offer personalized t-shirts through her personal profile on Facebook and she stayed that way for a few months, with the demand of its customers, and later, she incorporated the sale of sports shoes and that is what has kept her stable in the last 4 months.

“The positive thing about owning my own business is that I am calm, I manage my whole schedule how to work, and I organize myself in communicating with my clients,” says Flor. With the entrepreneurship workshops of the EMPUJE Project, Flor has been acquiring new knowledge, in which she has been linked with other young people’s stories, who have helped her to build the brand of her business that today bears the name “Calza Cool, leave your mark with style” on Facebook.

Assuming the challenge for Flor of entrepreneurship accompanied by the Empuje project has helped her to strengthen her abilities, to know how to negotiate with her clients and suppliers, recognizing the importance of giving added value to her brand and the ability to believe in her dreams and goals to achieve them “What I have realized being young Empuje is that I can always achieve my goals and move forward with everything I propose, I have always said that I can overcome the challenges that come, I cannot wait to be an adult to move forward” emphasizes Flor Avendaño.

On the other hand, being a young woman for Flor means facing continuous criticism about the role imposed on women in society, facing destructive criticism for dedicating time to her business, to continue studying and not prioritizing the issue of having children. So, despite the criticism she receives, she is focused on growing her business to maintain her economic independence and is confident that within the EMPUJE Project she will continue acquiring more knowledge.

“Today I see myself differently, I see myself better and happy with all the projects that are coming and what the Empuje project platform offers me where the gender gap is closed” adds Flor, who visualizes herself telling her story to other youth, to encourage them to build their life projects, to question violent work environments and to make decisions to improve their lifestyles, she fully believes in the creative capacity and resilience that youth have and the contribution to build a better society.

Currently Flor Avendaño continues to venture, in addition to continuing with her entrepreneurship, she is collaborating for a company in the commercial field, she found employment through a Job Fair promoted by the EMPUJE Project, where she demonstrated all her skills and knowledge acquired in Life Skills and Business Skills, Flor’s goal is to continue working hand in hand with her entrepreneurship and her formal employment.

About Children Believe

Children Believe works globally to empower children to dream fearlessly, stand up for what they believe in — and be heard. For 60+ years, we’ve brought together brave young dreamers, caring supporters and partners, and unabashed idealists. Together, we’re driven by a common belief: creating access to education — inside and outside of classrooms — is the most powerful tool children can use to change their world.

About Childfund Alliance

A member of ChildFund Alliance, Children Believe is part of a global network of child-focused development organizations working to create opportunities for children and youth, their families and communities. ChildFund helps nearly 23-million children and their families in 70 countries overcome poverty and underlying conditions that prevent children from achieving their full potential. We work to end violence against children; provide expertise in emergencies and disasters to ease the harmful impact on children and their communities; and engage children and youth to create lasting change and elevate their voices in decisions that affect their lives.

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Taking baby steps to achieve a life plan

Flor Avendaño from Masaya, Nicaragua, left her stressful job to start "Calza Cool," selling personalized t-shirts and sports shoes. With EMPUJE’s support, she improved her business skills and gained confidence in achieving her goals