Last Class Day

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Wednesday I had virtual meetings with the founder and board back in the US. They still have a lot they need to figure out for the future of the organization. But I believe the time I have had on the ground with their organization has shown the board back in the US that there is truly a need for financial literacy and skills training.

Thursday was my last in person class with my two groups. For my morning group we discussed COGS vs COGM as this applies to several of their businesses. This class has been fun for me because in each session the students will ask me about a subject matter or a business topic and then I build the next lesson plan based on that. It has allowed me to present new topics and know they are relevant to the group. I did identify one man from my morning class that I think could take over as the group leader, even if it is just in the meantime while the organization looks for a staff member.

In my afternoon class, which is still primarily women, we had an interesting topic of conversation once we were done with the lesson for the day. They shared with me that if women have a 'real job / on the books' they are legally only allowed to work 7.5 hours a day. Any time after that has to be paid as overtime. The intention is so that she has enough time to care for her family. In addition to this, if the woman was to have a baby she has 3 months of paid maternity leave regardless of her time in the company or her position. Additionally, the company she works for has to pay $300 USD per month for one year to the government. This is so that each month the new mother receives food, supplies, formula etc. These polices are good in concept but what happens in reality is that women are frequently not hired for positions because the company does not want to have to abide by these rules. An alternative is that the company says they will hire her, but she must work as what we would call an independent contractor. So there are many benefits that her male counterparts will be offered that she will not receive. Also, because of these policies many women end up working in the unofficial economy which limits their opportunities to higher pay, consistent work, and programs offered by companies/the government.

After class I visited a few more spots around La Paz and had a final dinner with Betty at one of my favorite restaurants in town.

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