STORY
The women artisans who make these dog leashes tell us they are strong, creative, innovative, and EMPOWERED. They work every day to push back against the violence and poverty that exists within their neighborhoods and homes. They live in a “Red Zone” outside of Guatemala City that is plagued by gangs and violence. The 75+ member cooperative association behind this beautiful craft provides a place of sanctuary for these women through camaraderie, employment, and security. The association also financially supports a Children’s Center and a K-6 Montessori School. The community these women live in is called La Esperanza, which means, “hope”. Their work does more than keep them alive; it keeps their hopes alive.
As of late January (2022) we have heard that the La Esperanza community is getting used to dealing with a world with Covid. Fortunately, they have not been impacted by a lot of cases or serious illnesses. They have implemented many rules that seem to be quite effective in keeping them safe. Many of the seamstresses moved their sewing machines to their homes. The administrators still work at the offices but are required to wear masks (the offices are quite large and have many windows that are kept open all the time). Early on, they had access with their transport van to take people from the community to get vaccines. At this point, the government has done a good job at opening vaccination centers. The Board of Directors from the cooperative (selected from the members) decided to make it a rule that all members had to be vaccinated, which has resulted in 100% of the members having had at least one vaccine and most of them are currently getting their booster after they received the full two dose vaccine. There have been very few Omicron cases reported in Guatemala so there still may be a jump in cases once it starts spreading. Also, schools in Guatemala have not been in person since Covid started including. Teachers around the country are trying to do remote learning but the internet is limited and cell phone data is expensive, thus limiting the amount and quality of education the children are receiving. Having kids out of school puts additional burdens on women and the cooperative is allowing some admin staff to work remotely for this reason. Intergenerational living helps with this situation.
“You are always there for us and we are forever grateful for your support. We hope that you and yours stay safe and healthy through this global pandemic. This virus is taking its toll on everyone and we all need to stick together and help one another however we can. One act of kindness goes a long way.”
