C&D LLC is a Place Where Everyone Involved Benefits

My name is Monica Hernandez, and I am 44 years old. I have been working in the fashion industry for the past 32 years. I am from Colombia, South America. I started making clothes at the age of ten, following in the footsteps of my mother, who used to make clothes for businesses. I learned this skill by observing my mother working long hours. As a child, I used to think that my mother loved my siblings more than me, and it was true; she did love them more than me. I worked hard to please her and earn her love. I wanted to feel closer to her, but she rejected me. As a result, I was neglected and did not receive nor pursue a formal education in the fashion industry. Everything I know, I learned hands-on.

Working in this industry has been a sad experience because many consumers fail to understand our hard work. We work long hours, often staying until 2 am and waking up again at 4 or 5 am, but we only receive the bare minimum wage that barely covers our rent and transportation expenses. It’s humiliating and degrading to know that we give our all to our work yet receive so little in return. As a business owner, I aim to create a secure and caring workplace for my employees to earn a living. However, this is quite challenging because customers want to buy products at meager prices, which often means we must underpay the people producing them.

My priority is to empower people. I have come to realize the value each individual possesses. Firstly, we must understand our importance and change our old thinking methods to build a new mentality. Secondly, we must acknowledge that we can impact the lives of others, and that is the mission of the Edúcame Foundation. It empowers us through financial credits and offers training so that we can continue moving forward and evolving.