“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!