Border Partners attendees at International Women’s Day Dinner and Awards. Pictured (L-R): Aylin Vega, Victoria Ibarra, Blanca Maturino and Reyna Garcia.
On March 8th, Border Partners staff in Puerto Palomas celebrated International Women’s Day by attending a banquet in honor of local women’s contributions to their communities. The event was held in the municipality of Asención, hosted by the municipality’s mayor and attended by Border Partners’ staff Victoria Ibarra, Blanca Maturino, Reyna Garcia, and Aylin Vega.
The banquet featured a talk about Mexico’s most influential women. Outstanding women from the municipality of Asención received awards. Last year, Border Partners’ own Victoria Ibarra received one such award. Recognizing the importance of the event, Victoria remarked that “it is a day to recognize women for their achievements, regardless of national, ethnic, linguistic, cultural, economic, or political divisions.”
Our Focus on Women
From our beginnings in 2008, Border Partners has championed the cause of women in Puerto Palomas. We’ve offered support of single women, for women head of households, for working women and for women seeking employment. Our first project was to create a women’s cooperative allowing them to earn income for their households by designing and producing products from Mexican oilcloth.
As a matter of fact, the majority of Border Partners staff in Puerto Palomas are women. Supporting women, according to the United Nations, is an effective way to accelerate economic growth, reduce poverty, and improve health and education outcomes. By supporting women, we’re even more effectively boosting Puerto Palomas.
Why is that true?
Supporting women supports development
Closing gender gaps in the workforce and agriculture can significantly boost Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and productivity.
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- Women often reinvest up to 90% of their earnings into their families. They cover nutrition, healthcare, and education for the people they care for. Men, however, invest only 30–40%. Women’s significant investment directly breaks cycles of poverty.
- Educated women tend to have healthier, better-educated children. This improves the well-being of their communities and reduces child mortality.
- Empowering women contributes to better community decision-making and sustainable development. Women often champion positive changes in environmental and social areas.
- Enhanced Innovation: Companies with higher gender diversity in leadership roles show improved performance, innovation, and organizational effectiveness.
- Supporting women’s access to education, financial resources, and leadership roles is more than a matter of rights. It also very effectively advances society.
International Women’s Day recognizes the long road women have walked, and continue to walk, to gain equal rights. It’s a day honoring the societal contributions, achievements, and struggles of women around the world. In Mexico, marches, protests, banquets, and other events took place across the country, with Puerto Palomas being no exception.
We’re grateful for the many contributions and dedication of the hardworking women at Border Partners. Without them, we would not be the organization we are. We’re thankful for all women around the world fighting for a more just and equitable future for women and men alike.