"Women in Agriculture" includes programs like Obstetric Psycoprofilaxis and Prenatal Stimulation for pregnant employees, career growth training and opportunities, the “Sunshine” WawaWasi (nursery), summer education programs for children of employees, health care and entrepreneurship programs in communities with Camposol presence, among others.
According to figures from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), of the total economically active population in Peru (about 16 million), 24% work in agriculture. Of this percentage, one-third are women engaged in this sector.
Peru’s indicators of poverty are the highest in the country’s rural areas. However, this situation is slowly changing thanks to Peru’s recent sustained economic growth. In this framework, the agribusiness sector generates extensive employment, permitting thousands of men and women to gain formal employment in conditions of decent work and pay according to law, which enables the improvement of their quality of life.
Camposol generates more than 13,000 jobs at peak production times, of which approximately 40% are held by women, thus creating an opportunity to improve the quality of life of thousands of women and their families.
"Women in Agriculture" is a program that promotes Camposol in order to provide better working conditions and opportunities for personal and professional development for its employees and for the women of the community, which it hopes will be replicated by other companies in the industry. Camposol develops strategic alliances with public and private institutions to ensure that the program has an important impact.
The program focuses on the regions of La Libertad and Piura, located in northern Peru, benefiting employees from the company’s fields and plants as well as the community’s female population. It should be noted that, in addition to these two regions, Camposol also receives workers from various regions of Peru, mainly from the northeastern part of the country, as a result of the strong demand for labor in the agribusiness sector.
The social responsibility programs within "Women in Agriculture" seek to benefit all the company’s female employees. For example, the program for pregnant mothers includes all pregnant employees, who now exceed one hundred (100), in order that future mothers have the best working conditions and the necessary preparation for a healthy pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum.
The training program is geared to all employees, male and female, who seek to develop their professional and operational capabilities by promoting their career development within the organization. Likewise, the summer education program for children of employees aims to strengthen their educational, artistic and sporting abilities.
In the case of the Wawa Wasi “Rayito de Sol” daycare center for the children of employees, the capacity is limited by the infrastructure needed to give them the best care, and so it gives priority to cases whose mothers have the greatest need to benefit from the program, which thus cares for more than 200 children.
In the community, Camposol built the Health Center in the town of Nuevo Chao (La Libertad), which provides comprehensive care, with priority given to maternal - prenatal care and to children under five years old.
Some testimonies by beneficiaries of the program:
Casilda Calsina Yunganina began working as a line worker at the piquillo pepper plant, currently holds the position of Camposol’s Head of Pepper Production and is studying industrial engineering at the Northern Trujillo Private University. "I feel happy working in Camposol because it has helped me to progress as a worker and a professional, and is now supporting me in my university studies."
Nilsa Paredes Rugel, an employee working in the area of canned products, benefits from the program for pregnant mothers, saying: "This program is good because we relax during the sessions and we are preparing for our baby’s birth; it’s especially good for those having their first baby. It’s my first baby, and so I love it because I want to be prepared for my baby and also assure that I will be well."
Margarita Gabriel Sanchez, worker benefitting from the “Sunshine” WawaWasi says: "My boy Jefferson has been in the WawaWasi since he was ten months old. He is well cared for and has gained weight because he is well fed. I feel calm and happy to leave my son here while I am working because he is well cared for."
For the future, Camposol hopes that more companies will be able to replicate this program that provides greater opportunities for women and generates greater commitment to social responsibility throughout the Peruvian agricultural export sector. There are already some companies that are developing programs similar to those of Camposol, which encourages Camposol to continue improving. It hopes to strengthen this program and to continue developing new initiatives for the benefit of women workers, the company's employees in general as well as the members of the community.
For more information please visit www.camposol.com.pe