Support Indigenous Women Weavers in Guatemala!

Through our artisan weavers co-operative, WELLKIND Guatemala helps indigenous women in Guatemala earn living wages. Founded in 2019, the cooperative has grown rapidly from 15 members in 2020 to over 100 members in 2021.

 

Next year, the women are hoping to expand their co-operative to 130 weavers and deeper the connection with each artisan. You can support these women by donating to help us:


- Build a small open-air meeting space for artisan meetups.
- Purchase supplies for the cooperative.
- Train and recruit more weavers.
- Offer scholarships for crochet and weaving classes.

Many of the women in the co-op learned to weave as a family tradition. WELLKIND preserves important design techniques that have been passed down through generations of Kaqchikel Maya. On top of this cultural preservation, some women are offered scholarships to learn how to crochet and join the cooperative. All women are paid a living, fair-trade wage for creating crochet products and receive free trainings from WELLKIND in producing the most marketable objects for sale.

 

WELLKIND Guatemala is working with Buena Onda Games to distribute and sell the products to United States retailers. By doing so, WELLKIND is helping women find a market for their products. The women weave for 10 hours per week on average, earning above the national minimum wage. This work lets them cover food and clothes for their families and send their children to school.

 

Investing in women’s economic empowerment is key to building a better economy for Guatemala. Especially when only one in ten indigenous women do paid work, and at a time when almost 80 percent of indigenous Guatemalans live in poverty. Women represent only eight percent of those who are in an occupation or actively searching for one in the municipality of Santa Cruz La Laguna, in a large part because women, especially indigenous women, have much less access to education (Mendez et al., 2008). Our cooperative offers a powerful opportunity for them to learn professional skills and support their families.

 

Meet two of our weavers:

 

 

Marcela Perez Sipac is the eighteen-year-old leader of our women artisan cooperative. She told us, “My father passed away when I was young and my mother became an alcoholic. As a result, my siblings and I had to provide for the household. I am very thankful to WELLKIND for helping us start this cooperative because it has empowered many indigenous women here in Tzununȧ like myself. It has allowed me to buy food for my little brothers and sisters, and my aunts also work making handicrafts with us. I am proud to be a leader to these women and help them become financially independent and have safe and dignified work.”

 

 

 

Julia Sosa, a long-term member, finds that she is able to work from her own home to make a decent living. According to Sosa, “My husband and I have had trouble finding enough work to put our kids through school, but now I'm slowly saving more money. The artisan cooperative has become my second home and I feel it's an open space for local women to work and share ideas. It's very tough supporting a big family when all you have for work is cutting firewood and weaving. I was not given an education as a kid because my parents had no money. I hope to be able to provide for my kids and give them a better future through this work.”

 

Donate today to help these women secure a future for themselves and their families!

 

Learn more about our program below: