Wellkind’s Artisan Cooperative
In January 2020, WellKind launched an Artisan Cooperative Program to support indigenous women in their independence and personal growth, as well as attempt to provide economic opportunities.
This program now has 100 active members, with women coming from five different communities around Lake Atitlán.
Key Elements of the Artisan Corporative:
The artisans earn fair trade wages from the comfort of their homes, making crochet games and other sustainable products. Every piece of crochet and weaving that the women produce is already purchased by a company, so our artisans earn guaranteed income.
We have started to organize a savings group with the artisans involving the Programa Mundial de Alimentos (World Food Program).
We regularly organize talks about family planning, sexual education, and domestic violence with help from Amigos de Santa Cruz, another local NGO. Our group of women has created a safe space to talk about issues in the community and unite women to empower each other.
The cooperative also acts as a network for us to increase the reach of our other programs.
Meet the Artisans
Melchora sosa
“ I am very grateful to have the opportunity to work in WellKind’s artisan cooperative. With the money that I get from my crochet work, I am able to buy food for my family and school supplies for my daughter. Thanks to the savings group that is affiliated with the cooperative, I am also able to save some money.”
ana mendoza
“I have three kids and am very thankful for the help that WellKind has given me. With the money that I earn from the artisan cooperative, I am able to put my kids through school. In these times it is hard to find work anywhere, and this program really helped me in a time of need. I want to keep working with the cooperative for the foreseeable future.”
Micaela Canel Sipac
“The Artisan Program has helped me support my husband and provide for my family. I have 9 kids and it has been tough to raise them all and send them to school. I am very thankful to have been integrated into the artisan cooperative; two of my daughters also work there with me.”
Thriving Savings and Micro lending Group
Our local team together with community leaders realized that the women in the Artisan cooperative were earning a lot of money but were not able to save that much. After discussing this issue with the Artisans we helped start the first savings cooperative of 20 women in Tzununa in 2022. The artisan leaders helped appoint a president, secretary, and treasurer for the coop to function properly. This program has been incredibly successful and has allowed the women artisans to take out low interest loans. Our local team has now successfully started 3 of these groups with over 40 women in 2 different villages.
