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Projecting futures

"Projecting Futures" empowers vulnerable mothers in Concordia through education, job training, and financial support to achieve social inclusion and formal employment.

Municipality

AR
Concordia, Entre Ríos,

Category / Sub-Category / Topic

Education, Literacy

Type of investment needed

Grant

Associated SDGs

The challenge

Over 59% of mothers in the community live in poverty and lack access to basic education and formal employment, perpetuating a cycle of socioeconomic exclusion. (National Institute of Statistics and Census, 2023); (Chequeado, 2024); (Center for the Implementation of Public Policies for Equity and Growth, 2020).

The project

The "Projecting Futures" initiative seeks to comprehensively transform the living conditions of low socioeconomic status (LSS) mothers from the La Bianca and Benito Legerén settlements in Concordia, Entre Ríos. Its main objective is to break intergenerational cycles of poverty through access to education, formal employment, and personal development. This systemic change aims to empower mothers both economically and emotionally, promoting their independence and active participation in society. By fostering a culture that values education and formal work, the initiative aspires to reduce social exclusion, strengthen community ties, and ensure a more equitable and sustainable future for participants and their families.

"Projecting Futures" is carried out through a comprehensive, three-year approach that combines education, job training, and emotional support. In its first stage, the program will focus on 200 mothers from the La Bianca and Benito Legerén settlements, with the vision of scaling the initiative to other neighborhoods in Concordia in future stages. The main activities include:

  • Formal education and technical training: Literacy programs and school completion courses to reduce illiteracy, along with training in specific trades aligned with the demands of the local labor market.
  • Personal and emotional skill development: Workshops on soft skills (such as communication and leadership) and emotional education to strengthen participants’ resilience, confidence, and adaptability in both work and family environments.
  • Job placement and financial support: Creation of a job board that connects trained mothers with local and regional employers, in coordination with municipal programs and other organizations to ensure economic support and stability during the training process.

"Projecting Futures" stands out for its holistic approach, addressing education, employment, and emotional well-being to meet the complex needs of vulnerable mothers. Its coordination with municipal and organizational programs creates a comprehensive support ecosystem, optimizing resources and maximizing impact. Additionally, the initiative is designed as a scalable model, allowing its benefits to be extended to other neighborhoods in Concordia, broadening its reach and contributing to a wider systemic change. This approach fosters support networks among participants, encouraging collaboration and a sense of community that reinforces long-term impact.

Know more...

Concordia, Entre Ríos is a city with significant tourism potential, based on its natural beauty and local attractions, as well as a vibrant commercial economy. However, poverty is concentrated on the outskirts of the city, where social inequality is pronounced and many families rely on informal employment, especially in agricultural sectors such as blueberry and citrus plantations. The lack of access to formal employment and educational opportunities limits these families’ chances of improving their living conditions, perpetuating cycles of intergenerational poverty.


In the outskirts of Concordia, Entre Ríos, more than 59% of mothers live in poverty and lack access to basic education and formal employment (Social Research Center (CIS), UADE Foundation, Voices! Research and Consultancy, 2023). The consequences of this situation include low educational levels, as the absence of literacy and schooling limits their development and employability; dependence on informal work, which offers neither social security nor economic stability—particularly in plantations—perpetuating precarious living conditions; the persistence of intergenerational poverty, where children grow up in environments marked by economic and educational deprivation, reducing their chances of upward mobility; and increasing social inequality, which widens the gap between peripheral areas and urban zones with better services and opportunities.

The root causes of poverty and socioeconomic exclusion in Concordia, particularly for mothers from low socioeconomic backgrounds, can be traced to various interconnected factors. These include low levels of education and high illiteracy rates, as many mothers have not completed basic education, which limits their access to well-paying formal employment and sustains dependence on poorly paid informal jobs. Limited access to formal employment opportunities, due to a lack of training in market-relevant skills and weak ties to the formal labor sector, prevents them from securing stable jobs that offer social security and benefits. Gender inequality also plays a key role, as the heavy burden of domestic and childcare responsibilities, combined with traditional gender roles, restricts women’s participation in economic and educational opportunities. The lack of support networks and community cohesion further reduces mothers’ access to resources and training or employment programs that could help them improve their economic situation. Additionally, the scarcity of educational infrastructure and resources, including the lack of accessible literacy programs, exacerbates the problem, making it more difficult for mothers to complete their education and acquire skills relevant to the labor market.

  • Life project workshop development: Through the workshop, mothers will be able to design their personal and professional life projects, allowing them to establish clear and achievable goals in key areas such as education, employment, personal and family development. Estimated duration: 2 months, 3 times per week.
  • Development of adaptive and flexible learning tools to help mothers complete their literacy process: Adapted and flexible literacy program for mothers, which includes in-person sessions and home study kits to support their literacy process. Estimated duration: 12 months, 3 times per week.
  • Enrollment in the “Take Care of Your Neighborhood” program: Generate additional income through the “Take Care of Your Neighborhood” program from the Municipality of Concordia. This program contributes to the maintenance and cleanliness of their communities, providing remuneration in return, which helps improve the economic stability of their households. Estimated duration: 12 months; 5 times per week.
  • Development of adaptive and flexible learning tools to help mothers complete their schooling process through the FinEs Plan: This program allows participants to complete primary and/or secondary education in a semi-presential format with the support of teaching tutors. Estimated duration: Depending on each person; frequency, 2 times per week.
  • Development of training in trades, soft skills, and emotional education: A training program offering courses in trades that are in demand in the labor market, as well as workshops in soft skills such as communication, leadership, and emotional education. Estimated duration: 6 months per cohort, 2 times per week.
  • Creation of a job bank with partner companies to connect trained mothers in the "Projecting the Future" initiative: The digital job bank platform is a tool designed to connect mothers trained in the "Projecting the Future" initiative with local, regional, and national employers. This platform facilitates the labor insertion of participants through an intuitive and accessible system that allows mothers to create detailed professional profiles and showcase their skills and certifications obtained. At the same time, it offers employers a reliable space to find personnel trained in specific, technical, and soft skills, promoting formal labor inclusion of mothers, as well as the ability to view references.

Direct results

  • 100 personal development plans created for each participant, detailing specific goals in education, employment, and personal development.
  • 90 women literate.
  • 90 women enrolled in the “Take Care of Your Neighborhood” program.
  • 80 women who completed their secondary education.
  • 90 women trained in trades, soft skills, and emotional education.
  • 1 Job bank created.

Expected impact

  • Increase the percentage of literate mothers by 90% in the communities of Benito Legeren and La Bianca within 12 months, through the implementation of a literacy program that creates an inclusive and flexible learning environment.
  • Increase household income by 40% compared to the level reported at the beginning of the program.
  • Increase by 40% the number of mothers completing their formal education in the next 36 months through an academic support and guidance program, aimed at boosting mothers’ confidence and motivation to access employment and higher education opportunities.
  • Finnegans S.A. (https://finneg.com/ar/; https://www.facebook.com/Finnegans.ARG; https://www.instagram.com/finnegans_sa/; https://www.linkedin.com/company/finnegans-s-a/posts/?feedView=all; https://www.youtube.com/FinnegansSA )
  • Haimovich (https://www.haimovichtoyota.com.ar/; https://www.facebook.com/HaimovichToyota/; https://www.instagram.com/haimovich.toyota/; https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpc1hBIub9UbsRu9VEg703A )
  • General Council of Education of Entre Ríos (https://cge.entrerios.gov.ar/; https://www.facebook.com/cge.entrerios; https://www.instagram.com/cge.entrerios/; https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQ2WxVCiIGoTNIGJVXDgpdw ) 
  • Florencia Martínez, Executive Director, Volando Alto (florenciadmartinez@gmail.com, informacion@volandoalto.com.ar)
  • Leandro Garbarino, Deputy Secretary, Special Unit for Strategic Projects, Municipality of Concordia (garbarinoleandro@gmail.com)
  • Ivonne Saleh, Coordinator, Advisory Council on the Knowledge Economy, Municipality of Concordia (nancysaleh2@gmail.com)
  • Ignacio Terenzano, Director of Strategic Planning and Financing, Municipality of Concordia (ignacioterenzano@gmail.com)

Investment

(*): In kind/pro bonus

(**): Financing

Goods and inputs
Funds
Needed
Covered
Solicited

Materiales de escritura, diarios de reflexión, y recursos visuales para la creación de mapas de vida (*) (**)

u$s 200.00

u$s 0.00

u$s 200.00

"Cuadernillos de alfabetización para adultos -Kit de estudio para el hogar" (*) (**)

u$s 200.00

u$s 0.00

u$s 200.00

Materiales de estudio y guías impresas para 100 personas (*) (**)

u$s 200.00

u$s 0.00

u$s 200.00

Materiales para los talleres de oficios, herramientas específicas (*) (**)

u$s 200.00

u$s 0.00

u$s 200.00

Combustible (*) (**)

u$s 1320.00

u$s 0.00

u$s 1320.00

Equipos de limpieza y mantenimiento proporcionados por la Municipalidad (*)

u$s 1200.00

u$s 1200.00

u$s 0.00

Services
Funds
Needed
Covered
Solicited

Facilitadores especializados en desarrollo personal y coaching de vida (x2). 8 horas mensuales por 4 meses (*) (**)

u$s 960.00

u$s 0.00

u$s 960.00

Psicopedagoga (*) (**)

u$s 2880.00

u$s 0.00

u$s 2880.00

Instructores especializados en cada oficio y orientadores para educación emocional (x4) (*) (**)

u$s 3840.00

u$s 0.00

u$s 3840.00

Infraestructura tecnológica para la plataforma, equipo de soporte técnico (*) (**)

u$s 2060.00

u$s 0.00

u$s 2060.00

Consultores en inserción laboral, seguimiento de empleadores(x3) (*) (**)

u$s 7200.00

u$s 0.00

u$s 7200.00

Personal de IT, coordinador de empleabilidad, mentores laborales (x2) (*) (**)

u$s 4800.00

u$s 0.00

u$s 4800.00

Servicios Internet (*) (**)

u$s 720.00

u$s 0.00

u$s 720.00

Human resources
Funds
Needed
Covered
Solicited

Tutores de acompañamiento y mentores para asesorar a las madres en su planificación personal y profesional (x2) (*) (**)

u$s 960.00

u$s 0.00

u$s 960.00

Coordinadora pedagógica (*) (**)

u$s 5760.00

u$s 0.00

u$s 5760.00

Maestras alfabetizadoras (x4) (*) (**)

u$s 11520.00

u$s 0.00

u$s 11520.00

Docentes tutores especializados en nivel primario y secundario, orientadores académicos (x4) (*) (**)

u$s 5760.00

u$s 0.00

u$s 5760.00

Coordinadores del programa FinEs, facilitadores de apoyo, personal administrativo para gestión de inscripciones y asistencia (x2) (*) (**)

u$s 5760.00

u$s 0.00

u$s 5760.00

Coordinadores de capacitación, personal administrativo (x2) (*) (**)

u$s 5760.00

u$s 0.00

u$s 5760.00

Asistentes de supervisión y personal de apoyo de la Municipalidad para guiar a las participantes en sus tareas (*)

u$s 1000.00

u$s 1000.00

u$s 0.00

TOTAL AMOUNTS:

u$s 62300.00

u$s 2200.00

u$s 60100.00

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