The Diplomat
The Ambassador of the Dominican Republic, Juan Bolívar Díaz, headed the acts of recognition From Woman to Woman, held during the month of March, as part of the programme of activities commemorating Women’s Month, with the aim of highlighting the extraordinary contributions of migrant women to the development of both Spanish and Dominican society.
In order to keep the meeting limitations imposed by the covid-19 pandemic, the awards were made in two events, the first on 8 March, International Women’s Day, and the second on 30 March, International Domestic Workers’ Day.
Another activity held during Women’s Month was the virtual conference Contribution of Dominican working women to the development of the Dominican economy and Spanish society, held on 16 March. More information on these three activities can be found on the website of the Dominican Embassy.
The discussion, moderated by the prominent ABC journalist Carmen de Carlos, was attended by Dr. Bernarda Jiménez, the first immigrant to form part of the PSOE’s Federal Executive as Executive Secretary for Integration and Coexistence; the lawyer Neyvi Tolentino, the social leader Rafaela Pimentel and the businessman Ernesto López.
In the first presentation of the “From Woman to Woman” awards, Juana Figuereo, stylist and trainer of thousands of Dominican hairdressers; Sheila Mota, doctor in aesthetic medicine and researcher, and Yesenia Andrea Valle, courageous mother dedicated to making rare diseases visible, were recognised.
In the second, the winners were Juliana Guerrero, Alejandrina Mateo, Altagracia Valdez and Maileni Francisco (in the photo with the ambassador), awarded as unsung heroines of the Dominican community in Spain for being an example of courage, determination and spirit of overcoming the great challenges and personal sacrifices they have overcome as women, mothers and immigrants dedicated to domestic service abroad. The awards ceremony was attended by the Dominican-Spanish dentist Stephanie Álvarez, the theologian Pepa Torres, a nun and prominent activist in social movements linked to feminism and the defence of the rights of migrants, and Rafaela Pimentel, a domestic worker, social activist and member of the Territorio Doméstico collective, who presented the winners and handed out the awards.
In both activities, Ambassador Juan Bolívar Díaz highlighted the important contributions of Dominican immigrants. In the second, he pointed out that domestic workers have been key to the incorporation of Spanish women into the labour market, replacing them in household chores and the care of their children and the elderly. She stressed that Dominican women living in Spain “are women who give their all in their jobs, in work that is underestimated, but of great responsibility, such as caring for dependents. Many times they have double jobs to expand their income and send remittances to the Dominican Republic, collaborating with the economic stability of the country and improving the living conditions of their families.
