MiniGrant: An association of over 50 housewives will organize an all-day women’s circle and a WenDo workshop for women.

 

About the group

Although we live in the 21st century, it is not easy to be an independent, wise and free-thinking woman in the Polish countryside. Some of us read „Chłopki– opowieść o naszych babkach” [“Chłopki – a story about our grandmothers”] with sadness, regret, tears, anger, a sense of injustice and with clenched fists. We experience the same emotions every day. We stand against centuries of tradition, fixed patterns and imprinted attitudes, which lead to women being unable to decide for themselves. With our project, we want to escape the perception of us as “rural women meant to do the hard work”.

The Village Housewives’ Association in Bystrzyca was established in 2023 to improve the situation of women in the countryside – to combat the established order of men in power and women in “service” roles. They focus on self-organization, self-help, raising their sense of security and strengthening self-esteem. They put their feminist values into practice – sometimes organizing help for a single mother, and sometimes bringing a mammography bus to Bystrzyca. The members of the Association want to support the women who need it the most in the rural community, strengthen their sense of agency and organize help when something bad happens.

Thanks to the knowledge and skills from the workshop, we will defend our rights together, not fearing for our safety. We want to initiate a change in the minds of women and give them the courage needed for self-determination and self-fulfillment. After the workshop, it will be easier for us to stand up for the victims, speak out about injustice or violence and, above all, act!

 

 

About the action

The Association will organize a women’s circle to work on weakening beliefs about themselves, tame uncertainty and fear, open up, stay together, talk and be heard, with the help of a trainer. They also plan to strengthen their sense of security and experience their own power by organizing two days of WenDo workshops. Thanks to them, they will work on assertiveness and learn to set boundaries without remorse, shame or guilt.

 

Grant amount: 5300 PLN

Photograph from the group’s own materials