Why international development cooperation Griselda Huallata

Griselda belongs to an Indigenous People, the Tsimané, and she combines her people’s knowledge of the natural world with modern technology. Without electricity, Griselda would be very limited in the amount of soap she could produce and at what time of day. But with the help of international development cooperation she and her women’s cooperative, SHAN, have been able to buy a solar-powered system. It provides round-the-clock light and electricity for cooling the soaps they make and operating the machines used for extracting the essential oils. Now Griselda can produce more bars of soap and her income has increased. That has been good for her family. And Griselda also passes on her knowledge to other women in her community so that they, too, can become financially independent.

When women like Griselda earn their own money, there is a much broader impact. Because gender-equal societies also have demonstrably more successful economies. And that ultimately also impacts us in Germany: we are a major exporting nation and are dependent on selling to foreign markets – like Bolivia. What is more, solar energy means less use of fossil fuels in the long run, which means less CO₂. Every ton of CO₂ that can be avoided – anywhere in the world – is a step towards slowing down climate change. And, in the end, that benefits people across the world, including Germany.