Abstract

This article examines the organizational experience of a group of rural women in Ecuador who engaged in a sustained process of collective action that challenged entrenched conditions of poverty. Drawing on an ethnomethodological approach, the study systematically reconstructs their organizational trajectory, enabling a critical analysis of the practices, interactions, and learning processes through which social transformation was produced. The findings show that popular education, the social and solidarity economy, and a gender perspective constitute key pillars in improving the women's living conditions. These approaches fostered the construction of women's autonomy not only in economic terms, but also through their recognition as social subjects with the capacity to exercise agency and influence within their communities. The article argues that social transformation is made possible through collective action, shared responsibility, and sustained commitment, emphasizing that processes of change do not depend exclusively on external interventions, but rather on the organization, agency, and leadership of the social actors themselves.

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