In the beginning, all Edileuza Guimarães wanted was a memorable sweet-sixteen party. Now, she’s an accomplished caterer who co-founded and leads a 1200-member collective of home-based workers in Osasco, Brazil. The journey is less surprising considering her heritage. “I’m the daughter of a trade unionist and a working-class woman,” she said. “I grew up never thinking only of myself, always thinking of us … of joining forces and working collectively.”
Edileuza’s eyes well with tears as she recalls her mom’s efforts to learn how to make the food for her daughter’s 16 th birthday. Edileuza helped and both found their calling in cooking. By 2005, they had an informal collective of five neighbours each with a specialty: baked goods, sweets, finger food, etc. which they cooked at home.
When her mother Yvone Santos became depressed, Edileuza, who practices African-Brazilian Umbanda, began praying. “I believe faith can move mountains.” Soon after, Edileuza learned about a new City of Osasco Act fostering the solidarity economy and inviting participation.
“What really attracted my attention was the word ‘cooperative’, because we were already working as a collective,” said Edileuza, a life-long resident of Osasco. She and Yvone joined efforts to help set policies in action. By 2007, a workers’ education centre opened. This activity “rescued” her mom from her depression and launched Edileuza into the world of solidarity.
“After I helped my mom, I realized that helping people makes you feel good about yourself too. I knew I could never turn my back on people.”
By 2009, at the age of 28, she was a professional caterer immersed in the city’s collective action efforts. With assistance from the UK-based Women in Informal Employment: Globalizing and Organizing (WIEGO), she began mapping out the needs of low-income home-based workers. “I started to encourage women to join with us and get training.”
Edileuza and her friend Patricia Coñoman were elected coordinators with COTRADO ALAC a network fostering unity among homeworkers in Latin America and the Caribbean and attended regional and international meetings. “I brought so much information back with me.”
Gradually, she realized that Brazilians needed more than training, they needed to organize themselves as workers. A colleague said that sounded like a labour union. Edileuza shrugs. “I just wanted to put it into practice.”
In 2019, she and Edna Simão launched the Association of Home-Based Workers of Osasco (ATEMDO), an affiliate of HomeNet International (HNI). They had 20 members. Edileuza wanted to hold elections, but members called on her and Edna to take the lead. Edileuza is still president though there are now 1200 members in seven Brazilian states. This phenomenal growth is due to their increasing online presence during COVID, educational programs and many successes. The latter includes helping members in the State of Minas Gerais launch a social solidarity economy law in 2021. A year later, ATEMDO partnered with Osasco City Hall to provide access to local markets and started a sales App for members to showcase and sell their products and services. Last year, they launched a parliamentary effort to support informal workers at the national level. Funding from HomeNet allows them to hire expertise as needed.
Edileuza’s advocacy and leadership skills have continued to grow. As a member of HNI’s Executive Committee, she represented her organization on the global stage at events such as the International Labour Conference in Geneva. “When I walked into that meeting, I felt that my father was there…it really moved me,” she said
These days Edileuza, 44, is one of seven women in MAESOL, a food-making collective that recently rented a kitchen and sales space for preparing and selling ready-made and frozen meals. When her colleagues went on vacation in mid January, Edileuza took a short-term gig cooking at a care home. Nonetheless, the evening we visited she had prepared delicious finger foods and graciously welcomed us into her collective’s kitchen.
In addition to her catering work, she has a busy home life with her husband of 16 years, a logistics manager, her 10-year-old son and 25-year-old daughter. And then there’s the considerable time taken up by her leadership roles.
