Livelihoods that Work for Women in Guatemala's Red Zones: Evelyn’s Story

In Guatemala City’s “Red Zones” or government no-go zones, many women face significant challenges as they navigate the complexities of urban poverty and gender-based discrimination. In Zones 3 and 7, women's experiences are further complicated by the 40-acre semi-formalized dumpsite around which their neighborhoods are situated. While the landfill is the main economic engine of these communities, it is simultaneously a significant source of physical danger, health issues, exploitation, informal work, external discrimination, and gang activity. 

Within this context, Project Olas works with women—most often mothers—seeking a better future for themselves and their families, equipping them with the skills to become conversational Spanish tutors. We recently sat down with Evelyn Elias, an "Olas mom" for the past 4 years, and a recent addition to our staff team as a part-time Olas mom trainer, to hear her perspective on work in Zones 3 and 7. 

A Personal Testimony

Evelyn was one of the first women to join Project Olas when it was established during the pandemic out of a collaboration between Georgetown University students and women in the community. With the onset of COVID-19, many women found themselves out of work, struggling to provide for their families. With the shutdown of the landfill due to public health concerns, those reliant on the informal recycling economy were especially impacted. For Evelyn, who had spent years working in the local market selling used clothes recovered from the landfill, the opportunity to work with Project Olas felt like a lifeline.

Evelyn, October 2024

“When I started in Olas, I could see that it was of great benefit to my life because it was during the pandemic and I could no longer continue in the market. I had my mother and father who were under my direct care,” Evelyn shared. “I felt very happy, like a girl given a new toy and not wanting to let it go, that's how I felt when they gave me the opportunity... Olas also gave me the opportunity to study and work at the same time. I could also go to the appointments my mother had at the hospital, something that no company in Guatemala gives you the opportunity to do.”

The Livelihood Challenges of Women in Guatemala’s Red Zones

Evelyn’s story is not unique within Zones 3 and 7, or for women in Guatemala’s Red Zones more generally. 

The landfill economy itself is a challenging environment, with many women working long hours in dangerous conditions. They often engage in activities such as breaking glass for recycling or sorting through waste for valuable materials. These jobs expose them to severe health risks, including respiratory issues and injuries. For many, their workdays range from 9 to 14 hours. Evelyn recalls her mother’s struggles in this environment:

“For a long time, my mother was a guajera [informal recycler], but then she gradually stopped working at the garbage dump and began to dedicate herself to selling used clothes from the landfill. I also remember that my mother scavenged for firewood because we did not have a propane gas stove. My mother was of limited resources; she also scavenged for food that many companies threw away because they were about to expire, such as jars of beans, seafood, juices, and chewing gum.”

These challenges unfortunately only compound for women from Zones 3 and 7 when attempting to enter the formal workforce outside of the community. Hiring discrimination is common against individuals from Red Zones due to associations with violence, poverty and the landfill, further exacerbated by probing questions about motherhood and household responsibilities. Further, in a community where 43% of mothers are single mothers and gang recruitment can occur with unsupervised children as young as 7, many women in diverse caretaker roles prioritize livelihoods where they can work from home. This often excludes them from higher-paying but inflexible formal sector work, as women opt for informal livelihoods that offer flexibility but lack security, benefits, growth potential, and good wages. For Evelyn, this was the reason that after the birth of her first child, she was forced to leave her factory job and take up informal work at the market. 

Project Olas addresses these challenges in a contextualized way, offering a flexible but formal income-generating model built for women in Guatemala’s Red Zones to succeed on their own terms. Olas moms set their own schedules while developing transformational skills through personalized support from the Olas team, like high-level reading, English proficiency, and technology use. This model helps women build their resumes and fosters professional and personal growth.

“One of my challenges when I started working at Project Olas was technology,” Evelyn recalled. “At the beginning, I had a phone but I didn't know how to use it much. When I started with Olas, I learned more about how to use WhatsApp and email and that sparked my interest in learning how to use a computer.”

Now Evelyn has set up a home office, with her desk, computer, and scheduling tools just within reach of her baby grandson’s crib so she can tend to him between sessions, providing care as her son and daughter-in-law work outside the home. Evelyn now not only teaches Spanish to diverse students from across the world at Olas’ highest levels of difficulty, but she also leads Zoom seminars teaching technology, professional etiquette, and her pedagogical approach to new Olas moms. 

Transformative Impact

Many Olas moms whose work history involved vending clothing from the dumpsite or were facing unemployment have experienced similar personal successes. They have graduated high school and learned English. Some have even gone on to pursue higher education and careers, all while enjoying the flexibility to tend to the complex dimensions of their lives that would normally limit them to unfulfilling, even dangerous work.

Part of the Olas team, October 2024

Reflecting on her journey, Evelyn shared, “I feel so proud and fulfilled as a woman, a professional, and a mother. It makes me feel good when my children tell me they are proud of me—that despite everything I went through, I was able to keep going, and that they will follow my example.”

Evelyn’s story and those like hers reflect not only individual triumphs but the collective strength of women working toward a future that works for us.