“I was exactly fifteen days without eating or drinking water. Being alone, hidden in the mountains I had an accident. My left leg was hurt and bleeding, it was difficult for me to make any move.”

These are the words of Francisca, from El Salvador, who at the age of 10 found herself alone, forced to hide in the mountains, to escape the armed conflicts and violence that affected her whole family. Francisca is one of the six women whose stories of resilience and change feature in the book ‘Vivir para Volar’ (Living to Fly), which was presented in a virtual event on March 9th, promoted by GSIF Latin America. These women from different countries of Latin America shared their experiences of empowerment to become women leaders and rights defenders to advocate for women’s rights in their communities.

All six women are participating in the GSIF-supported regional project aimed at empowering women towards transformative leadership. Francisca and the other empowered women are now able to contribute to positive change and solutions in the region by promoting gender equality and guaranteeing women’s and human rights in public policies in the region, in order to advance towards a more just and inclusive society in America Latina.

Download the e-book (Spanish / English) and read the experiences of these six Latin American women leaders who have chosen to live to fly