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Nora
Castañeda on tour in the US:
"Creating a caring economy
in Venezuela"
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"Micro credit is an excuse to
empower women. We believe that the economy must be at the service
of human beings, not human beings at the service of the economy.
We want to create an economy based on cooperation and mutual
support, a caring economy. We are not building a bank. We are
building a different way of life."
"We women won our rights in
the constitution. We won Article 88, which recognizes that
housewives create added value and must be compensated with social
security."
April 2003
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Nora Castañeda
is the President of the Women’s Development Bank
in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela
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San
Francisco – Thurs
Jan 29
7pm, St. Boniface Church,
133 Golden Gate Avenue.
Los
Angeles – Sat January
31
5pm,
Immanuel Presbyterian Church
3300
Wilshire Blvd.
Chicago
– Sun Feb 1
5pm
Decima Musa Restaurant. 1901 S. Loomis;
Mon
Feb 2,
7pm
Univ of Chicago, 5801 S. Eillis Ave.
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Washington
DC – Tues Feb 3,
7pm
Fleming Center, 1426 9th St NW near Mt Vernon Sq
metro.
Philadelphia
PA –
Fri Feb 6, 7pm Friends Center, 15th & Cherry Sts.
Also appearing at: Thurs Feb 5 2pm West Chester Univ; 8pm Haverford College; Fri
Feb 6 2pm St Jo’s Univ.
New
York City – Sat
Feb 7
2pm,
15th St. Quaker Meetinghouse,
15 Rutherford Place
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Ms
Castañeda’s tour is coordinated by the Bolivarian Circle of the
Global Women’s Strike with the support of the Venezuelan Embassy. Sponsors include: Vanguard Foundation, KPFK, KPFA & WBAI
Radio, Danny Glover, Ed Asner, Harry Belafonte, Dolores Huerta, Greg
Palast
Donation
for most events $5-$25. No one turned away.
All
proceeds will go to grassroots women in Venezuela who are building
cooperation and mutual support.
Nora Castañeda, an
economist committed to grassroots women, was appointed by
Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez to head the Women’s
Development Bank when he agreed to women’s demand for a bank
as a way of funding reforms to benefit the poorest families
& communities.
Of African and Indigenous descent and the daughter
of a low-income single mother, Ms. Castañeda is a remarkable
woman in a remarkable time – one of great economic and social
change.
Venezuela is the world’s 5th largest
oil exporter, yet 80% of its people, mainly people of color,
live in poverty. In 1998 they elected President Chávez to get
the oil revenue back so they could tackle poverty and
corruption. In 1999 they passed one of the most advanced
constitutions in the world. In 2002 they defeated a coup carried
out by the racist Venezuelan elite with the support of the US
administration. Literacy, healthcare, housing, land rights . . .
have all leapt forward.
Selma James, GWS international coordinator, and Nina López
of the GWS Bolivarian Circle/UK will accompany Ms. Castañeda,
providing introductory remarks and translation.
The Global Women’s Strike demands that society Invests
in Caring Not Killing – a change in economic priorities and
the return of military budgets to the community, beginning with
women the first carers. Women in over 60 countries, and men who
support our goals, take Strike action every March 8
(International Women’s Day). |
For
further information and for the GWS video “Venezuela - A 21st
Century Revolution,” in which Ms. Castañeda is a featured speaker:
www.globalwomenstrike.net
East
Coast/Midwest: philly@crossroadswomen.net
215-848-1120 in Philadelphia
West Coast: la@crossroadswomen.net
323-292-7405 in Los Angeles
and sf@lcrossroadswomen.net
415-626-4114 in
San Francisco
home |