Empowerment and Community: Aldea’s First Year

A group of women at a fundraising event take a selfie for the camera

Seeing my dream become a reality in the past year has been thrilling. Meeting our first program participants, our Aldeanas, and hearing their stories, their dreams, and their struggles, reminds us why we created Aldea in the first place and inspires us to keep going.

Today I’ll share what we’ve accomplished so far this year as an organization, what we’ve learned, and our plan to continue to grow this program in the future.

The Journey Begins: Fundraising Launch Event

Four formally-dressed people at a fundraising event at a restaurant — The Aldea team at our very first event

We hit the ground running in July 2024 when we shared our dreams and plans for Aldea with the world for the first time. Friends, family, mentors, sponsors and partners gathered at Mexta Restaurant for a formal introduction of our proposal and to meet the team. We shared what we were designing for Aldea and raised the initial funds we needed to officially launch.

Well-dressed Latina woman with a microphone giving a speech at fundraising event — Founder Dr. Daniela Martinez Valenzuela telling guests about the mission and vision of Aldea

Nicely dressed people sitting at a fundraising event at a restaurant listening to a speech — Family and friends joined us at our launch event to support and learn about Aldea

Bazar Navideño “La Thriftstore”

At the end of 2024 with our “Christmas Bazar” we raise money to fund our programs and scholarships. The pop-up thrift store was also a great opportunity for community members to find gently-used, affordable gifts to give for Christmas. Customers purchased a bag for $10, and could take home whatever they could fit into the bag. We had 87 community members show up for the event, a great turnout!

People shop at a Christmas secondhand clothing sale to raise funds for Aldea — Donations of gently-used clothes and other items were on sale at our Christmas event

These kinds of events may not bring in a huge amount of money for Aldea, but they do help us connect with our community and get the word out about our work. Many of the women who attended the Bazar Navideño signed up for our mailing list and ended up attending subsequent events or telling their friends and family about Aldea.

A table of secondhand baby items for sale at a Christmas fundraiser — We were happy to provide a great selection of gifts and toys for community Christmas shopping

We also made a great connection with a jewelry company called Share the Blossom, which donates up to 30% of all their proceeds to non-profits. They heard about the work we were doing, and chose Aldea to be one of their recipients.

Latin Dance Master Class

Our second fundraising event of the year was a fun collaboration with some of our community partners and supporters. Monica Lorenzato, a passionate Latin Dance teacher and a friend of Aldea, donated her services to fund scholarships for low-income women so they could attend our kickoff event in April. Another friend of Aldea and Austin area realtor, Angie Gonzalez, sponsored the food for the event.

A group of women in athletic clothes takes a Latin dance class to raise money for nonprofit Aldea Austin — A wonderful community of women showed up to raise money for scholarships to our kickoff event

We had 47 people sign up for the master class, and we also had several vendors (Themester Design, Skin Clique, Makes Turke Sense) who donated their proceeds to Aldea. There was even a pop-up skincare booth by Hanna Coyle, PA, providing skincare consultations and treatments with special event pricing and a portion of the proceeds going towards Aldea.

Two smiling local businesswomen stand behind their table at a fundraising event in Austin Texas — Local vendors participated in our event and donated part of the proceeds to Aldea

I was there, of course, to promote Aldea and encourage people to sign up for our kick-off event. A great time was had by all and we’re so grateful to our community for stepping up.

The Main Event – Encuentra tu Aldea, Transforma tu Vida

We made things official with the kick-off event for our program. “Find Your Aldea, Transform Your Life,” which took place on April 6th, 2025, from 9 am to 1 pm at the Asian American Resource Center in Austin. Our goal was to recruit Aldeanas to participate in our full program and educate potential participants, community members, and our ally organizations about what makes Aldea unique.

Over 60 Spanish-speaking women participated in the half-day session, along with over 18 sponsors and long-term program partners. In addition to filling out vulnerability assessments, and my keynote speech, “Towards a New Definition of Well-Being,” our Aldeanas participated in the following:

Comprehensive health screening
Vision board session
Healthy Lunch
Guided meditation session
Raffle

Seeing all those women gathered together, building community and taking their first steps towards personal transformation was inspiring

I felt a sense of solidarity and community among the women who participated in our first program and it was even more beautiful than what I imagined when Aldea was still just a dream.

Vulnerability Assessment

One of the goals of the event was to collect data about vulnerabilities from potential Aldeanas. This data collection served two purposes 1) The vulnerability assessment helps our coaches and mentors understand each individual participant’s situation and what resources and services are most relevant for their case, and 2) Gather real-life evidence that Spanish-speaking women in Austin need the services that Aldea is offering.

Women sitting around tables during an event looking at a powerpoint presentation at the front of the room — We collected 71 vulnerability assessments that will help us apply for more funding and improve our program for women in Austin

At the event, we were able to collect 57 assessments, and we also made the assessment available online after the event for those who couldn’t attend. With the additional 14 assessments, we had a total of 71 assessments! The information we compiled will help us apply for much needed funding as well as continue to fine-tune our program to the needs of our community.

Getting to the Heart of the Matter: In-Person Workshop Series

After our kick-off event, we executed the first part of our program, the in-person workshops. Our goal was for all the women who attended our kick-off event to enroll in our full program, but the numbers were not as high as we expected.

We believe that one reason for low participation is the current political situation and anti-immigrant rhetoric that is running rampant in our country. In Texas many immigrants, especially Spanish-speaking immigrants, are living with the constant fear of being harassed by authorities or deported, regardless of actual immigration status.

This fear makes people less likely to attend events or do other non-essential activities outside the home.

In spite of the difficult moment we’re living in Texas, we were able to recruit 15 Spanish-speaking women from Austin to participate in our in-person workshop series.

A group of Latina women at an empowerment workshop doing a yoga class — At Aldea we understand the importance of the mind/body connection, which is why every workshop included a movement session

Over four Saturdays in June, the workshops covered the following topics:

From Victim to Heroine
Getting a Job/Starting a Business
Legal Rights
Finance and Budgeting

A Latina woman giving a powerpoint presentation about owning a business. On the screen are the words “Your business will only grow as much as your mind grows.” — Professional Latina women from the Austin community gave workshops on everything from personal finance to mental health to running your own business

We brought in Spanish-speaking experts in the field to lead these workshops, which included breakout community building sessions, yoga and meditation, and delicious meals.

A group of Latina women sitting around a table listening to a Dress for Success presentation — We invited the organization Dress for Success to participate in our workshop series

Personal Coaching Sessions

The next step in the program is for each Aldeana to meet with her personal coach and mentor to create a concrete actionable plan to achieve her goals. Coaches are there to provide guidance, information, resources and accountability to make sure women are able to achieve their goals.

We’re in the midst of coaching sessions right now, and we can’t wait to share our results when they’re ready.

What’s Next?

As we wrap up our 2025 program, we are working hard to prepare for next year’s group of Aldeanas. We’re so grateful for the experiences that we’ve had this year that have helped us fine-tune our program to best meet the needs of our participants.

We’re also continuing to get creative with our fundraising efforts so we can provide as many scholarships as possible to women who want to participate in our program but can’t pay their own way. Stay tuned for more events and opportunities to get involved as a participant, a volunteer, or a partner organization. Together we can empower Spanish-speaking women in Austin to transform their lives.

A group of Latina women who are staff and volunteers for the nonprofit Aldea take a photo at an event — Our enthusiastic team of staff and volunteers is motivated and ready to make a difference in the community in 2026

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