Conexion GUA - Resilient Ecosystems Supporting Women and Youth Livelihoods Conexion GUA - Resilient ekosystem som stödjer kvinnors och ungas försörjning Den önskade effekten av Conexion Guatemalas ingripande är att ge människor, främst ungdomar och kvinnor från landsbygdens etniska ursprungsbefolkning, möjlighet att bygga hållbara och motståndskraftiga försörjningar i ett samhälle som respekterar deras rättigheter. De föreslagna tre effekterna i var och en av utvecklingsmodellerna är:

1) Ungdom/sysselsättning/entreprenörskap: Ungdomar på landsbygden och i stadsnära områden och kvinnor i situationer med socioekonomisk utsatthet får omfattande utbildning och förbättrar sina sysselsättnings- och entreprenörskapsmöjligheter, samtidigt som de är förändringsagenter som till fullo utövar sina rättigheter.

2) Resilient Forest Communities: Agroskogsproducenter, särskilt unga människor och kvinnor från skogssamhällen, förbättrar sin inkomst efter att ha stärkt och diversifierat sina aktiviteter och produktiva företag från hållbar skogsförvaltning och begränsning av klimatförändringar.

3) Ledarskap och kommunikationsförmåga hos unga kvinnliga och manliga ledare: Ungdomsgrupper leder och främjar processer för socialt och politiskt inflytande för att deras rättigheter ska kunna genomdrivas (inklusive rätten till ett liv fritt från våld) och synliggör möjligheterna, behoven och möjligheterna för deras territorier.

Bidraget implementeras i Alta Verapaz och Peten avdelningar där Conexion redan har etablerat lokala partners och meritlista. The desired impact of Conexion Guatemala intervention is to empower people, mainly rural ethnic indigenous youth and women, to build sustainable and resilient livelihoods in a society which respects their rights. The proposed 3 effects in each of the development models are:

1) Youth/Employment/Entrepreneurship: Rural and peri-urban youth and women in situations of socioeconomic vulnerability are comprehensively trained and improve their employment and entrepreneurship opportunities, while being agents of change who fully exercise their rights.

2) Resilient Forest Communities: Agroforestry producers, especially young people and women from forest communities, improve their income after strengthening and diversifying their activities and productive enterprises from sustainable forest management and climate change mitigation.

3) Leadership and Communication Skills of Young Female and Male Leaders: Youth groups lead and promote processes of social and political influence for the enforceability of their rights (including the right to life free of violence) and make visible the possibilities, needs and opportunities of their territories.

The contribution is implemented in Alta Verapaz and Peten departments where Conexion has already established local partners and track record. The mission of Conexion Guatemala is to support rural and peri-urban youth and women access sustainable agri-food and forestry systems, processes of adaptation to climate change, and economic empowerment/income generation, through capacity building and training while contributing to increased respect for their human rights, including prevention of gender based violence.

Conexion's interventions consider the following development issues which respond to Multidimensional Poverty Analysis:

1) Resilience to climate change by supporting sustainable agrifood systems, community management of agroforestry systems, and forest product value chains to strengthen climate resilience. It addresses dimensions of Resources and Opportunities of the Multidimensional Poverty Analysis.

2) Promotion of socioeconomic empowerment of youth, including prevention of gender based violence, preparing young people to develop alternatives that contribute to their empowerment as citizens and entrepreneurs, contributing to dimensions of Opportunity, Power and Voice, and Security in the framework of multidimensional poverty analysis.

3) Circular economy: In the field of organic farming and gastronomy, Conexion interventions seek innovations and economic opportunities in the context of food waste. They support generation of employment and green enterprises, sustainable consumption, reduction of carbon footprint and ecological impact, emphasizing the dimension of Opportunity.

4) Inclusive businesses: Interventions seek to contribute to creation of sustainable private sector that incorporates fight against poverty and promotion of equality as part of its business. Agricultural product enterprises are supported to contribute to sustainable livelihoods for producers, workers and suppliers involved, contributing to Opportunities of the Multidimensional Poverty Analysis. 

Conexion characterises itself as innovating visionary organization which promotes development of initiatives that are committed to exploring new paths and methods for addressing structural problems to which it seeks to respond through its interventions. This approach to innovation is defined as "Connections" by the organization:

1) Connect sectors through promotion of alliances in order to develop innovative responses to structural, economic, social or cultural problems that are difficult or impossible to solve from a unilateral perspective.

2) Connect vulnerable situations and people with opportunities for integration and greater socioeconomic empowerment.

3) Seek solutions through emotional well-being, and promoting solution-oriented creativity. The idea of Connecting intervenes in three different levels: a) personal, focused on processes of individual empowerment and development of life plans/projects, and soft skills); b) the group, from consolidation and strengthening of social actors for knowledge and appropriation of rights; and c) that of movement, which supposes an integration of all social groups that identify possible situations of socio-economic vulnerability and that organize themselves to propose and demand concrete and effective responses from public authorities that must guarantee full exercise of these basic rights.

Based on lessons learned and previous experience, "Connections" is the principal intervention strategy, which addresses multidimensional poverty by exploring rural-urban Connections to generate integration and economic opportunities, both for young people and for small producers, whereby consumers receive healthy and sustainably produced agricultural produce.

Examples of intersectoral and programmatic Connections are programs such as MANQA/MISKA and Vuela Libre which coordinate efforts to provide training to survivors of commercial sexual violence, for them to recover their self-esteem and build new life projects towards personal and economic empowerment.

Connections between private sector businesses and values have been developed contributing to transformation and strengthening of businesses to incorporate social and environmental values and action, while generating profit. Connections between traditions and use of modern technologies, such as using digital solutions for education, employment and entrepreneurship, satellite monitoring to generate economic incentives, use of drones to identify emergencies in the forests (fires, illegal activities), development of training platforms and intelligent agriculture are  challenges to be considered in the intervention.

The main objective of the current proposal, constructed on the basis of the above mentioned principles, is to implement a 12-month demonstrative pilot project that operationalizes Conexion models in the departments of Alta Verapaz and Peten so that empowered people, with an emphasis on rural and peri-urban youth and women  mainly indigenous Mayans, build their sustainable and resilient livelihoods in a society that recognizes their rights. The Swedish contribution to the project is 6 000 000 SEK. The project aims to support 6,630 participants, mainly rural youth and women in rural communities, based on strategic support in the field of employment and entrepreurship, economic empowerment and enforceability of rights.

The intervention strategy includes 1) strengthening of technical and soft skills to improve employability and entrepreneurship opportunities through comprehensive training (technical, life, entrepreneurial and digital skills, including gender focus) in gastronomy, tourism, food processing, agriculture, and technology for 5,000 youth; 2) Economic and digital empowerment of agroforestry producers through sustainable community forest management, by supporting 80 young agroforestry entrepreneurs, 40 enterprises in gastronomy and tourism, and 10 community based organizations; and 3) social and political advocacy training for specific target groups, including 320 rural youth trained in leadership and communication, and 10 technical proposals presented for public subsidies.