My name is Caryn Maxim. I live in NJ but spend 2 weeks of each month in Cajola, a Maya Mam community in the western highlands of Guatemala. (The Mam people are one of the 22 Maya ethnic groups in Guatemala.) I have been helping a group of women start a weaving cooperative, MayaMam Weavers, over the past years. I would like to share with you some of their work, some of their stories, some of their wisdom, as well as why fair trade -- or trading fairly -- matters.
Thursday, June 27, 2013
MayaMam Weavers & Pulsera Project
Wow, we just participated in Bonnaroo 2013! Well, at least our pulseras and skinny headbands were in Tennessee with our great friends from the Pulsera Project. They do fantastic work "coloring the world" giving US youth a chance to learn about and make friends with Nicaraguan youth. We have been working with them for the past few years, and they have certainly broadened our world. So, here we are in Tennessee, and here we are providing a rodeo cowboy some luck.
You can learn more about the Pulsera Project at www.pulseraproject.org.
Thursday, June 20, 2013
MayaMam Weavers & Our Second Industrial Sewing Machine
Our seamstresses continue growing in their skills. Even though we still experience regular outages of electricity, and our pedal sewing machines certainly are reliable, we are pleased to have a new industrial machine. These machines really are constructed to do excellent work, and we can continue to be proud of the quality of our work. Wait til you see our new collection of handbags.
Thursday, June 13, 2013
MayaMam Weavers & More Emerald Green
Did you know that emerald green is Pantone's color of the year? We have been weaving with emerald green since we wove our first fabric after our initial training! This year we have an subtle emerald that has a white yarn woven in the warp, and our seamstresses have sewn it into full length aprons that go with our emerald and emerald and white diamond kitchen towels. (They also look great with our original emerald striped towels.) You can see that emerald is a favorite in Cajola, too.
Thursday, June 6, 2013
MayaMam Weavers Proud Members of the Fair Trade Association
We are so pleased to have been accepted by the Fair Trade Association! Although we firmly believe in their principles and believe we have been practicing them since the very beginning, it is very satisfying to have passed their somewhat rigorous review process. So we can say confidently to all of your that yes, we are practicing the Principles of Fair Trade. As the Fair Trade Federation website explains: "Fair trade is an approach to business and to development based on dialogue, transparency, and respect that seeks to create greater equity in the international trading system. Fair trade supports farmers and craftspeople in developing countries who are socially and economically marginalized. These producers lack economic opportunity and often face steep hurdles in finding markets and customers for their goods. Fair trade is much more than just trade. At the core of the fair trade model is a direct, cooperative, and in-depth relationship between buyers and sellers that keeps all of the principles of fair trade at the forefront." And if you want to delve further, visit their website, particularly the page on fair trade principles: http://www.fairtradefederation.org/fair-trade-federation-principles We are honored to be recognized for our commitment, too.
Labels:
fair trade,
Guatemala,
MayaMam,
weaving
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)