As part of IFMA & WMC’s new social initiative Female Empowerment through Muaythai (FEM) and in collaboration with UN Woman’s UNite campaign to Stop Violence against Woman and Girls, The Woman’s Project (TWP) has launched a new foundation in Mexico. TWP’s main objective is to ensure that women and men have equal opportunities of development, The Women’s Project (TWP) is a Mexican nonprofit organization created by Elisa and Francesca Salinas of Mexico. TWP has been a passion project of Elisa, a successful business woman, TV producer, and IFMA Female Commission member. Sue Glassy, IFMA Vice President and Female Commission Chairwoman is present at the launch to represent IFMA and will be a keynote speaker on the IFMA & WMC’s FEM Social Initiative Forum.
The programmes they will introduce to Mexico are varied and attack the issue of violence against women and women’s empowerment from a myriad of angles. TWP is making groundbreaking advances in empowering women by introducing programmes such as IFMA’s new initiative, FEM and the very successful Tanishka forums; while at the same time TWP will reach out to todays youth through IFMA’s very successful Sport is your Gang program. By teaching our youth the basic values that are ingrained in the sport of Muaythai: Honor, Respect, Tradition, Fairplay, and Integrity, TWP hope to teach the next generation to see women as people, as individuals that are worthy of respect not because they are women but because they are people. Sport is your Gang will giving the children and young adults a place to belong, a family where they have strong positive role models, adults to help teach and guide them along a pathway to a better tomorrow.
During the launch of the foundation, host Monica Garza announced that the objectives of the TWP are increasing their autonomy and dignity of women.
The aim of the foundations is to achieve a cultural change to promote non-violence against women, as well as create good practices in social development at national and international level.
The inclusion of famous male sporting figures and using these men as strategic partners for transformation they believe they can create change through the construction of new masculinities.
The vision of The Women’s Project is to be a leading global organization in the promotion of human rights in a secular and gender approach through strategies of social, political and cultural impact, highlighted Elisa Salinas.
“Empowerment of women will make our society more productive and balanced, we generate better opportunities for men and women. I think it can be a supplement, not a war of the sexes, because these ideas of the seventies and eighties has passed, “She said.
“It’s not that men give up their power, but they open spaces for sharing and have more balanced, happier children; more constructive and productive societies that progress forward and include women as equal partners not just because they are women, “She said.
The activities performed during this month by TWP, coordinated by her daughter Francesca, are: Campaigns “Breaking the Silence” and “Real men do not hit women.” The latter with the famous Mexican boxers: Jorge “El Travieso” Arce, Julio Cesar Chavez and Juan Manuel Marquez .
Through IFMA and WMC a partnership has been created between the UN Women and TWP. This will afford them greater effect and success with their social campaigns “Breaking the Silence”.
Further programmes being run this month include: The University Forum’s held at high schools and colleges throughout the city with the theme “Dating and Violence”.
Finally, They will launch IFMA’s internationally renowned “Sport is your gang” and “Female Empowerment through Muaythai, FEM” early next year as permanent programs.
The prestigious launch of The Women’s Project and it’s campaigns was attended by many famous Mexican celebrities including: Angelica Aragon, Victor Gonzalez, Raquel Bigorre, Basáñez Sergio Raul Sandoval, Fran Meric, Anette Michel and Poncho de Anda, among others.
