Sicredi Women's Committee Celebrates 10 Years With Over 500 Participants in Ponta Grossa

The Women’s Committee of Sicredi celebrated, on the evening of Tuesday (10), a decade of performance with a special event held at the regional headquarters of the cooperative, in the New Russia neighborhood, in Ponta Grossa. The celebration brought together leaders, members of the program and guests to recognize the advances made over ten years of encouraging female protagonism. The movement, which started with only 60 women, now has more than 500 participants.

The celebration was promoted by Sicredi Campos Gerais, Grande Curitiba, Vale do Ribeira and Força dos Ventos PR/SP and featured tributes, presentations and reflections on the role of women in the development of cooperativism and communities.

One of the highlights of the program was the participation of Heloísa Helena Lopes, president of the Cooperative House, of Nova Petrópolis, recognized internationally by the World Council of Credit Cooperatives (WOCCU) as one of the five women leaders with the greatest impact on world cooperativeism.

Female participation grows within the cooperative

Over the last ten years, the Women’s Committee has consolidated itself as an initiative to train, empower and encourage women’s leadership. The results already appear in the occupation of decision spaces within the cooperative itself.

According to Cooperative and Sustainability Manager Alyne Lemes, when the program began, women represented approximately 40% of the associates’ staff, but held less than 10% of the leadership positions.

"Today, with 10 years of work, a work that aims to train these women, to empower them, we already have 40% of these women occupying leadership positions only within the cooperative, as core coordinators and advisors," she said.

Alyne also pointed out that the results go beyond the limits of the financial institution, as many participants began to exercise leadership roles in the communities where they live.

From 60 to more than 500 women

The Director of Operations of Sicredi, Tilene Moerschbacher Farina, who has been working in the cooperative for 20 years, has accompanied the creation and growth of the Women’s Committee.

“At the time, 10 years ago, we had 60 women. Today there are more than 500, which have been developing during these 10 years. - Why, why? Because the cooperative supported their development,” he said.

According to Tilene, the program offers training focused on leadership, entrepreneurship and personal and professional development.

The investment in training also paved the way for participants of the Women’s Committee to become members of the Cooperative’s Fiscal and Administrative Councils, expanding women’s representation in institutional decisions.

Women's leadership transforms communities

During the celebration, Heloísa Helena Lopes highlighted the impact of women’s development on society and the importance of expanding opportunities for women.

“There’s a phrase that I really like: when a woman grows, society grows,” she said.

For Heloísa, the formation of female leaders has reflexes that go far beyond individual achievements.

"Because when a woman develops, she develops her family, her family nucleus, develops her social nucleus and also develops cooperatives," she explained.

The president of Casa Cooperativa also emphasized that women have a key role in family organization, education and economic decisions, and it is necessary to continuously expand the spaces for their growth.

Transformation, protagonism and legacy

Executive Director Leila Rejeane Dobis Grik highlighted three elements that represent the trajectory of the Women’s Committee: transformation, protagonism and legacy.

According to her, the initiative provides opportunities for learning, networking and qualification, strengthening the confidence of the participants to face personal and professional challenges.

"Each has the protagonism that her courage, her will determines. And the legacy we are leaving for every woman who adds to these 10 years of history.”

The president of Siemaco of Ponta Grossa, Maria Donizete Teixeira Alves, also participated in the celebration and reinforced the importance of the female presence in different spaces of society.

"My message to women is that we can be where we want to be. We are at work, we are there in the companies, running the companies,” he said.

Cooperativeism strengthens inclusion and development

The president of Sicredi Campos Gerais, Márcio Zwierewicz, evaluated the results achieved by the program and highlighted the contribution of women to the strengthening of the cooperative.

"In these 10 years we have already seen several fruits, which are fundamental in the development of cooperativism, especially in equity, in their inclusion, in their development as leaders, as protagonists in our actions of the communities," he said.

According to the president, the performance of the participants is perceived both in economic development, through business and the expansion of the membership, and in the social field, with participation in educational and community programs.

Legacy Coop 2027 also gets highlighted

The presence of Heloísa Helena Lopes at Ponta Grossa also highlighted the Legacy Coop 2027, an event dedicated to strengthening cooperativism that will be held between May 12 and 14, 2027, at Nova Petrópolis, in Rio Grande do Sul.

The initiative aims to bring together leaders and representatives of the sector to share experiences, discuss the challenges of cooperativism and value practices that promote economic and social development.

With ten years of history, the Women’s Committee of Sicredi reaches a new stage with the challenge of expanding leadership formation, strengthening the female presence in decisions and continuing to promote transformations in communities.

Read also: https://bntonline.com.br/prefeitos-aprovam-orcamento-de-r-88-milhoes-para-saude-nos-campos-gerais/

 

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