How do “those who stay” stay?: Design and implementation of a community intervention workshop for women with relatives who have migrated from Michoacan to the United States

Abstract

Thousands of Mexican households are still facing migration of their relatives from Mexico to the United States. According to Moctezuma (2009) the state of Michoacan holds the second position in terms of the highest migration rates in the country. The earlier suggests that it is pertinent to further develop studies regarding the events that transnational families face when migration hits home. In many cases, homes become led by women, either wives, daughters or mothers of migrants who acquire the responsibility to maintain the family union between migrant an non migrant relatives, to educate the children, and manage sa­vings and the household (Salgado de Synder & Maldonado, 1993). This study presents some of the results of a larger research project and has been developed as an alternative of sup­port to help women who become leaders in their household when their relatives migrate. An intervention was designed and implemented through a Gestalt awareness workshop based on Gestalt techniques as the result of the fieldwork with groups of women who had relati­ves who had migrated. Some of the achievements derived from the community intervention are presented in the results of the study, including the self-exploration of needs, decision-making and the creation of support networks based on trust and solidarity.