Anyra Honors Christian Latina Leadership Institute Graduation
By Anyra Cano
On August 23, I was honored to join the Christian Latina Leadership Institute (CLLI) in Barranquilla, Colombia, to celebrate and preach at the graduation of their first cohort of students in Colombia. Eighteen women proudly marched down the aisle, walking taller after two years of learning and growth.
Right before graduation, CLLI holds its final class, “Capstone,” where students reflect and share what they have learned. In the Colombia cohort, one student who works with an American nonprofit serving Colombian migrants affirmed how the program has strengthened her work. Another, a very young woman, shared how the program helped her realize she needed to care for her health in order to continue leading and serving God in ministry for many years to come. A third woman voiced a reflection that is common among many graduates: “I learned God is for me as a woman, and God has a purpose for me.”
One of the joys of working with Fellowship Southwest (FSW) is the opportunity to continue serving as a faculty member with CLLI. When I first joined FSW three years ago, I was working part-time at CLLI. Stephen, our executive director, assured me that, as a partner organization, it was our hope and commitment to continue supporting CLLI in whatever ways we could.
CLLI empowers and equips women in leadership from a Christian Latina perspective. This year they celebrate 20 years of ministry, impacting women in the U.S., Mexico, and now Colombia. Women of all socio-economic and educational backgrounds have benefited from this work. Some women without a high school diploma have gone on to earn graduate degrees. Others have launched nonprofits serving marginalized communities, while many have heard God’s call to ministry and received affirmation for that call. Countless women testify to the transformation this training has brought to their families. In the U.S., many immigrant women have started businesses, pursued higher education, and stepped into new leadership roles.
CLLI has also welcomed women who are not Latinas but consider themselves “Latinas-at-heart.” Together, these women have found a place where they see themselves reflected in others: leaders, educators, entrepreneurs, pastors, executives, and strong leaders in their homes. They share common stories, experiences, and dreams that affirm their identity and inspire new possibilities.
I too attribute much of my own leadership to being a graduate of this wonderful program.
Fellowship Southwest is grateful to be part of this ongoing transformation of empowering women in Latin America and in the U.S. Dr. Nora Lozano, CLLI’s executive director, says: “We are so grateful for Fellowship Southwest, and the different ways you make it possible to support our mission. Thank you for joining us in our goal of transforming women’s lives in the name of Christ.” She also reminds us that “empowering and equipping women is not only leadership development, but also the work of justice.”
