When all you have left is hope…

Equipo de Creaciones was a group of women that worked from 8-5 Mondays through Fridays for 6 years. More than 100 women were trained to be efficient producers of beaded products. They loved their job at Equipo because they had the opportunity to work together in a nourishing environment and at the same time earn a fair wage that sustained their families. Most of the women were single mothers, so working was not an option for them; it was a serious responsibility that could not be taken for granted because their family depended on it.

I remember my first trip to Nicaragua when I met many of these hard working women living hard lives. I visited their homes and was greeted by their economic need that until this day, I have not forgotten. There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think about them.

On May 31, 2011 all the women of Equipo de Creaciones were let go. When I spoke with the Administrative Manager, she said “It is like a funeral over here…everyone is crying”. I replied “I wish there was something I could do”. I knew of no solution and all I could do was join them in their crying.

Equipo was no longer capable of sustaining a 5k per month operation and its only customer was gone. All that was left were great production skills and hope that another customer would be interested in using their potential. I also hope… even though I know that finding someone that wants to invest in their potential and story is like finding a needle in a hay stack.

In the mean time all I can do is pray for a miracle.

Michelle StOnge helps women in Nicaragua

Michelle St.Onge is an incredibly talented Canadian designer who has been in the screen printing industry for many years. She is partnering with me to help women in Nicaragua who are struggling to make a living for them and their families.

Since last year, we have been communicating back and forth about employing women in the 3rd world to make her awesome purses. Next sunday, Nov. 21st, we are finally meeting up in Nicaragua to set up a screen printing studio and teach women how to make her purses. Today we shipped 200 kilos worth of screen printing equipment to Nicaragua and we are praying that everything goes smoothly.

It will be an adventure for both of us! We are going to be in Nicaragua for 12 days sleeping in a production house on a bunk bed, celebrating thanksgiving with rice and beans, and collaborating with wonderful women 8 hours per day.

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Next Project: Helping Single Mothers in Nicaragua

Right after my trip to Honduras and working with the Lencan Artisans, I went to Managua, Nicaragua. I trained ladies from Equipo de Creaciones, a women’s workshop that currently produce beaded products and export them to the USA. I have been working with these ladies for the past 3 years and I have visited them 6 times. It wasn’t until this last trip that I realized that most of the women working there are single mothers. I heard some of their stories and was so touched, that I felt the need to record them through my lap top’s video camera. It is not a professional video, but it will touch your heart.

Community Art Project with Artisans from Honduras

A month ago, Natalie Boyett, Jeff Thompson, Megan Miller, Aaron Wood and myself flew down to Honduras to train artisans on jewelry making and to unveil the art piece that Natalie had been working on with 51 artisans from Lempira, Honduras.

As I look back and remember that week, I am filled with different emotions. I started the week with enthusiasm and joy because I looked forward to being with the artisans. By the middle of the week I was exhausted, hot, and frustrated. Why was I thinking that everything would go as I planned? My inability to adjust and be flexible made things worse. By the end of the week, before the unveiling of the art piece, I wanted to run and hide; I was afraid of failure.

On the “Big” day, I woke up early to help Natalie with some last minute things. We both went to the location where the art piece would be unveiled. It was at a High School gym that was very nicely decorated to seat the entire Congress of Honduras. When we got there and reality began to sink in, my stomach began to make weird noises, my mind was suddenly bombarded with hundreds of thoughts, and my heart started to pound really fast. Natalie and I completely changed our plan for the unveiling of the piece at the last minute (of course) and when we were ready to leave so that we could get ready, our ride was no where to be found. We waited for about 30 minutes but he still didn’t show up, so we decided to take a motorcycle taxi. On the way to the hotel, a truck with a huge tank of water decided to spray the dirt roads. Natalie and I just looked at each other and covered ourselves as much as we could, but we still got soaked! At least we hadn’t gotten ready yet.

We (the 51 artisans, Natalie, Jeff, Megan, Aaron and myself) were invited by FUNDEIMH to a really nice lunch were the artisans would get to see the art piece before unveiling it at the Congress. By this time, although I had gotten nicely dressed, I was a total mess inside. I went into the kitchen, shut the door and prayed (why hadn’t I done this before!). I came out of that room with peace.

After lunch, we all headed to the High School. The artisans were taken to a class room and the President of the Congress, his wife, the Director of FUNDEIMH and myself were there to recognize each one of them for the hard work they had given towards the project. As we presented their diplomas, I felt so proud of them.

A few of the artisans were selected to present the art piece with Natalie to the Congress. When the time came to unveil the piece, the President of the Congress introduced me and asked me to come forward. At that moment, the video “Mujer Lenca” produced by LENUME played on 10 plasma TVs. I was thankful that this opportunity had been given to us by the Congress of Honduras.

When the video ended, I walked towards the microphone and gave my speech. I don’t remember what I said, but I do remember Jeff (my boss) smiling at me from the crowd and giving me his thumbs up. I wasn’t nervous, I was instead very confident and passionate about what I was saying.

I asked Natalie and the artisans to come forward and the Congress of Honduras stood up and gave them an applause. The artisans slowly unveiled the art piece…THEIR art piece. Then I asked Jeff to come forward and he presented his oil painting of a Lenca woman to the President of the Congress and FUNDEIMH. We were recognized and given words of gratitude on behalf of Honduras. I felt honored.

When the event was over, an artisan came to me and said “We felt so important” and with those words the community art project was concluded. This project was not about me, it was not about the NGO, and it was not about the Government, it was about the artisans and making them feel valued.

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LENUME gives us a sneak peak of Honduran Artisans

photo taken by Andy Patch

(guy with goofy face on the right: Sam Sanchez; guy showing his “guns” on the left: Zach Rockwood; guy taking this photo: Andy Patch)

These three incredibly talented guys are all part of LENUME, a network of creative professionals with one goal in mind: strategic story telling.

I contacted Sam a few months ago asking him if he would be willing to shoot a video of a Honduras Project I was working on and not only did he accept to come, but he brought with him Andy and Zach, which for me was a huge blessing to have all of them be a part of this project.

They all took amazing shots of the project, the process, the artisans, their environment and their culture. Click below to see the video!

A BRIEF NOTE ON SAM…

Sam Sanchez  is a filmmaker from Chicago with a degree in Communications from Moody Bible Institute. Though most of his experience has been international documentary filmmaking, Sam has received awards for his music videos and was recently nominated for best music video in the 2009 Dove Awards.

In 2008, Sam co-founded a media company called Difted, two years later, he started another company on his own, LENUME. His client list is not limited to but includes; MTV, VH1, Mars Inc., World Relief, Compassion International, Zondervan, Rob Bell, ABC News, and many more. Sam is currently married and is based in Los Angeles, California.

photo taken either by Andy or Zach

Tres Generaciones de Mujeres Lencas

Mujer Lenca: Generacion 3        10×10″       Printed Image on Wood

Mujer Lenca: Generacion 2        10×10″       Printed Image on Wood

Mujer Lenca: Generacion 1        10×10″       Printed Image on Wood

“No se trata de combatir la pobreza, sino en desarrollar la riqueza de nuestro pueblo…”

One day I had a discussion about poverty with my mother and I will never forget her wise words: “No se trata de combatir la pobreza, sino en desarrollar la riqueza de nuestro pueblo” (it is not about fighting poverty, it is about developing the richness of our people).  These were the words I spoke to the women we trained in Lempira, Honduras. “Your economic situation might be poor, but your identity is rich” I would say and Mrs. Olivia, the oldest one of the group in one of the villages, responded “we are poor, but poor in our thinking”.

On May 16 a group of us went to Honduras with the objective of training women from three villages in Lempira in embroidery and dyeing with natural dyes. Our training objective was achieved. Many of these ladies had received training before on other crafts and techniques, so aside from learning a new skill, it was something else that caught their attention. When I visited them in March, they told me that their need was the commercialization of their products. They kept getting trained on new skills, but once they applied those skills and made something, they couldn’t sell their products. So what caught the artisans’ attention about this training was something they had never experienced before, an immediate contract. Forty eight women for the first time in their lives, signed a contract given to them by FUNDEIMH and the President of the Congress, Juan Orlando Hernandez and his wife Ana de Hernandez. The contract hired their labor to embroider appliqués that were going to be a part of an art piece designed by a professional artist from Chicago, Natalie Boyett.  Through this contract they would understand what it means to be responsible with resources, make quality products, keep track of their production times, work as a team, have a supervisor that evaluates their progress, and the significance of having an employer.

Although some might view the art piece being made like any other mural project or community art project, I see it differently. This art piece marks the beginning of job opportunities for these women artisans. Like a seed being planted on fertile ground, this project is beginning to give fruit! Their first contract was with an NGO and the Government of Honduras, the second contract will be given by the CEO of an international company, Jeff Thompson and the third contract will be given by Michelle SaintOnge, a well known purse designer.

It is ironic…I heard once that studying art would lead to poverty, but in this case it is actually helping people out of poverty… it is developing the rich potential of my people!

To conclude:

“But let us not be weary in doing that which is beautiful; for in the proper time we shall reap, if we faint not.” – Galatians 6:9

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All of the pictures in this post were taken by Sam Sanchez, Andy Patch and Zach Rockwood. Their goal was to capture the richness of the Lenca people through film. These are only a few glimpses of the amazing shots that they took. In a few weeks, I will post their video!

Artisans From Honduras Make Fiber Art

 

 

8×10″                       “Mujer Lenca”                   by Maria Amalia Wood

Since my last post, I have been working hard on creating a proposal for a project that will impact the lives of 50 artisans in Lempira, Honduras. I submitted the proposal last week to FUNDEIMH, a non-profit organization in Honduras and to the President of the Congress from Honduras and his wife, Juan Orlando and Ana Hernandez. It got approved!

The project’s objectives are:

1. To promote the embroidery skills of Lencan (Indigenous group) Artisans through the creation of fiber art pieces designed by professional artists from the United States and embroidered by 50 artisans. Each artisan will embroider a section of the art piece and will get paid for their labor.
2. To train 50 artisans from three impoverished communities in Lempira, Honduras in new embroidery techniques and dyeing fabrics with natural dyes.
3. To choose one artisan coop from one of the three communities and prepare the artisans to be effective producers for commercialization in the areas of product development, quality & timely production, and management of materials &  inventory distribution.
4. The development of a notable skill that is marketable to develop an ongoing reputation of quality within the industry.
5. The establishment of a contract between the trained artisan coop and an international business to produce products for international export that are desirable by the contemporary market.

On July 20 the biggest festival of Lempira takes place and during that event we will have the unveiling of all the embroidered art pieces! We will auction them and hopefully raise enough money to cover some of the project costs. If you like art, come to Honduras in July and buy one of our art pieces designed by a professional artist and made by an artisan!

Before the proposal got approved, I had already contacted several artists and designers to help me carry out the objectives of the project. In faith that the funding would be there, we all began working hard on carrying out the tasks that were assigned to us.

Jeff Thompson, International Business owner and Artist, was chosen to be the Art Director and Adviser for the project. He also will train the chosen coop on becoming effective producers.

Natalie Boyett, Owner of the Chicago Weaving School and Fiber Artist, was chosen to be a lead artist and will train the 50 artisans on dyeing and embroidery techniques.

Sam Sanchez and Andrew Patch,  Professional Video Producers, were chosen to create a promotional video for the project.

Aaron Wood, Professional Graphic Designer, was chosen to design all the promotional printed materials for the unveiling of the art pieces on July 20.

Me, I am coordinating this whole thing!

Not only am I grateful for the “USA team of Artists”, I am also thankful to FUNDEIMH and Mr. and Mrs. Juan Orlando Hernadez for their support and believing that I can carry out this project.

Natalie, Sam, Andrew and myself are flying to Honduras on May 16-23 for the first training session and to get the artisans working on the art pieces. Please pray for this trip to be a success!

 

Mujer Virtuosa

On March 8-12 I went to Honduras, my country, to establish relationships with artisans from Lempira and Intibuca. I was invited by FUNDEIMH, a Non Profit organization that works towards the development of women in Honduras and also by the President of the Congress and his wife, Juan Orlando and Ana Hernández.

The purpose of the trip was to meet and talk with various artisans, look at their craft, get a better understanding of their home and work environment, resources available to them, and needs.

Mrs. Divina Guevara de Tercero, one of the founders of FUNDEIMH, planned an extraordinary trip where I was able to visit 5 municipalities from Lempira and 2 municipalities from Intibuca. At each municipality I was greeted by their Mayor and by many local artisans. Most of the artisans were women and many of them expressed gratitude because it was the first time that they were given an opportunity to be heard.

I saw a lot of need but I also saw much potential. Many of the women were members of organized coops and had a basic understanding of how to make a product and sell it. However, they lacked training in many areas such as: pricing their products at a fair wage, making products that are marketable with good quality and design, understanding and reaching their market, purchasing raw materials at lower costs, meeting production deadlines and most importantly they did not know how to mass produce their craft.

For example: I asked them “If I wanted to buy 500 units of one of their crafts, how long would it take to make them, package them and deliver them? What would be the total cost?”  They wouldn’t know how to answer those questions. In fact, one of the artisans responded: ” Well these baskets are made out of a unique type of pine tree and sometimes we spend all day looking in the forest for it and we come back home empty handed…so if you are lucky you will find enough to make 2 of these baskets” With this kind of response, a production of 500 baskets is out of the question.

Despite the lack of training, each of these women are eager to learn and put their hands to good use. Within them is a deposit of energy waiting to be guided in the right direction. It is my desire to tap this energy and with it sustain families and hopefully even communities. The questions are how and when.

How? By creating a team of artists, designers, business entrepreneurs, non profit organizations and government officials that partner with the artisans to provide:

• Training in:
  • Product Development
  • Design
  • Production
    • Quality Control
    • Efficient use of time and resources
    • Raw materials and finished goods inventory
    • Identifying Supervisors within their coops to keep track of production, inventory and quality control
    • Accounting and administrative skills
  • Becoming a Fair Trade Coop
  • Packaging and shipping
• An opportunity to compete in the Local and Global market place
• Community art projects that create employment
• Communication liaisons between the customer and the artisan
  • An intermediary that communicates on a weekly basis with a network of artisan coops and with the customer
  • An intermediary that acts as the distribution warehouse for  finished goods and raw materials
  • An intermediary that handles sales and order fulfillment
  • An intermediary that organizes training workshops
    • Organizes location, times, transportation, etc.
    • Arranges logistics for the technicians

The above illustration explains the partnership model I am proposing. Click on the image to get a more clear view.

When can we get this started? It already has! I am gathering a group of artists, designers, and business owners to partner with FUNDEIMH and the President of the Congress of Honduras, Juan Orlando Hernández. It is my hope to coordinate this project and develop a successful repeatable model that can be implemented in other communities in Honduras and other parts of the world!

This is my new art project…not necessarily the traditional art piece you would think of!!!!

Nuru Sidewalk Chalk Project!

Although it seems like it didn’t take long to do this video, let me tell you it took many many many hours! We had a team of five artists working on the sidewalk chalk part of the video for about 8 hours! One of the Video producers, Doug, flew around the United States taking the shots of the people you see in the video. Along with the artists, Randy, was the main video producer and took probably over 1,000 pictures almost every 30 sec to make the animation of the sidewalk chalk.

Although we worked on it under 20 degree weather, it was an incredibly fun project! It is always rewarding to participate in projects that help the poor around the world.

Thank you Nuru for everything that you do to help eradicate extreme poverty around the world!!!

Here are some pics of the project (the final drawing was 4 ft x 72 ft long!) :

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