Happy International Women’s Day!

To celebrate we take an inside look into the benefits of investing in women and buying Fair Trade.

To invest in one women is to invest in the community; why is this so?

Over the 20 years that Maya Traditions has been supporting indigenous women, we have watched the positive impacts on the communities around them. Women are supportive networks for each other, inherently connected, the foundation of the society around them. Our social research indicates that 90% of the income earned by our skilled artisan partners is invested back into their families. This investment has the trickle down effect a community needs to boost education levels, production, and overall development. Here we take an inside look into the benefits of supporting women by buying fair trade. We are women #wearwomen

Our team at Maya Traditions is lucky enough to see first-hand how fair wages paid to our artisan partners travel deeper then their own pockets. One women’s success is another women’s success and together women help each other to build self-sufficiency for their community. Matea Morales Pablo from the Waqxaqi’ Kan Cooperative in Chuacruz has been working with Maya Traditions since its humble beginnings over 20 years ago. Matea recalls her financial situation prior to partnering with us; her intricate design work consuming much of her time with very little financial return. She was unable to send her children to school and struggled to financially support her family. Since partnering with Maya Traditions, she has been able to send her three children to school and build their family home. Matea says the money she has earned has not only directly benefited her family by providing the invaluable gift of education, but also improving the economic condition of their community.

The efficiency of educating women in Guatemala travels through communities like wild fire. Catarina Flaviana Tambriz, leader of the Oato Q’ib weaving cooperative, is an example of the fast positive impact educating women has in Guatemala. Catarina participated in a Maya Traditions sponsored workshop focusing on the treatment and control of parasites. Being a resourceful woman, Catarina quickly rendered this information to treat her children and… boom the “woman wildfire” effect was in action. The importance of parasite treatment flowed through the community; Catarina offered the service and valuable information to her companions, lifting the overall level of health in her village. Catarina is an example of how the ripple on effect of educating one woman, outreaches many more in her social circle.

So where does your money go when you #wearwomen?

By wearing our Fair Trade products you support women like Catarina and Matea by helping to fund our Fair Trade and Artisan Development Programs, Business Development Classes, Leadership, and conflict resolution training. These programs teach women a range of skills such as pricing, financial management, quality control, and management skills. They equip women and generations to come with the knowledge to grow their business and increase their own, and successively the community’s, income and productivity.

The benefits of buying Fair Trade and investing in women are inarguable. Celebrate the power of women by making a donation or buying from our Fair Trade shop on Etsy.

We are women

#wearwomen