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Women are making more and more of an impact in projects. This has been revealed recently in Nicaragua when a carpentry graduate from Germany, integrated into the work of SofoNic. “The German lady carpenter” is working with the carpentry team that builds roofs in different rural communities. Hanja Frites has also has found time to give basic carpentry courses to the masonry apprentices, as well as to two groups of farmers.

“The Germany lady carpenter has arrived”, was the exclamation that resounded at SofoNic when Hanja Frites, a carpentry graduate from Germany, integrated into its work. She came with much enthusiasm to work and share her experiences. Hanja is working with the carpentry team that builds roofs in projects in different rural communities and teaching basic carpentry.

In a society such as Nicaragua where the trade of roof carpentry is almost exclusively a man´s field, the arrival of a female carpenter caused great surprise among the carpenters and masonry apprentices. More surprising was seeing a young 22-year-old of 1.6m height.

To the question “How can such a tiny person like this be a carpenter”, she simply commented that it was their jest. Nevertheless, Hania quickly set it straight and demonstrated that not only was she a female carpenter, but also a very good one. Without the builders eing aware of what was happening, Hania became part of the carpentry team, participating in the daily decisions taken upon the roofs of the houses being built. Not content with her carpentry tasks, she also found time to give basic carpentry courses to the masonry apprentices in a housing project, as wll as to two groups of farmers, one in Masatepe and another in El Yanque.