Women_Weavers

Purses and Bags
 
 
Simple_handbag_black-multi-small Simple Shoulder Bag - Black/multi
$18.00
This handwoven handbag is cotton on the outside and acetate on the inside. Closes with zipper. (14.5" W x 11.5" H x 4.5" base)Made by UPAVIM Crafts.
 
Mayan_Handbag-small Mayan Handmade Handbag
$32.00
Unique and stunning fair trade purse made from the embroidered designs on hand-woven cotton fabric. Made to resemble the colorful blouses (huipiles) worn by Mayan women. Zipper closure. Black acetate lining. Colors may vary slightly. 12"W x 9"H Made by Ruth and Nohemi Cooperative.
 
The_Better_Back_Bag-small The Better Back Bag
$48.00
This teardrop shaped bag is designed to distribute the weight over your back and hip to reduce your weight load by 30%. There are four outside pockets, 2 of them close securely. The bag has a full length zipper. The interior is multi-pocketed. Each bag is one of a kind with hand-woven huipile fabric on both sides offset by a dark blue denim or black corduroy, so your bag will not look exactly like the ones in the photo. Huipile fabric is the unique, handwoven fabric in Mayan blouses. These hold a ton of stuff without hurting your back! (17"H x9"W x5"W base) Made by the Ruth and Nohemi Cooperative.
 
Large_7_pocket_handbag-small Large Handwoven 6 Pocket Handbag-blue/multi
$27.00
Four of the pockets are on the outside, 2 of them close securely. The interior of the handbag is acetate. Purse has zipper closure. (15" W x 11.75" H x 4" base) UPAVIM Crafts
 
 
The purses and bags offered are fair trade items made by two cooperatives in Guatemala -- the Ruth and Nohemi Cooperative and UPAVIM Crafts. UPAVIM Crafts is composed of 80 women who live on the outskirts of Guatemala City in an impoverished area called “Esperanza” (Hope). By working together these women have developed a community medic clinic and dental clinic, a scholarship and tutoring program, an infant growth monitoring and breast-feeding promotion program, a daycare center with Montessori trained teachers, and a craft project that generates income for the individual women and for these community programs. Most importantly, they have maintained a spirit of HOPE, which many in similar circumstances lost long ago. By purchasing their products you help support an entire community. Each purse is signed by the individual woman who made it. UPAVIM Crafts also distributes the products made by the Ruth and Nohemi Cooperative.The Ruth and Nohemi Group is located in the community of Chontolá, a few miles southeast of Chichicastenango. This cooperative was formed in the early 80's by 16 Mayan widows whose husbands were killed when government troops put about 40 people inside a church and then blew up the church. This was during "The Years of Violence" when the government and the indigenous Mayan people were at war. The children and grandchildren of the original 16 widows are now weavers, and the number of weavers varies depending on the number of orders the cooperative gets. All the weavers do their work at home, while local young men, who go to school at night, work in the tailor shop during the day and make the woven fabric into the final products. Each purse is signed by the young man who made it from the handwoven fabric.
 
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Every purchase makes a difference and enhances the quality of life for the women of UPAVIM Crafts and the Ruth and Nohemi Cooperative, the young men of the Ruth and Nohemi Cooperative and all of their families.