Meet the Artisans

Our hand-sewn products are made by seamstresses at the UPAVIM cooperative workshop in La Esperanza, Guatemala. Your purchase supports a sustainable, living wage for the 60+ employed women and their families, as well as funding for UPAVIM's full-day Kindergarten-6th grade school, daycare, and a Montessori-based preschool. Facing poverty, crime and violence throughout their neighborhoods, these women find not only solidarity in a safe space, but also a community of love, hope and purpose that aspires to produce generational improvements for one another.

 

Elsa: Product Quality Manager

She began her journey learning to do crafts, and eventually sewing. In 2020, Elsa started working in quality control, where she reviews every product from each co-worker, looking for ways to continue learning as much as she can from them. She is grateful for UPAVIM's support, which has allowed her to provide for her family and ensure that her children receive a good education. Her oldest daughter, who is now 30, also works at UPAVIM. Elsa sees UPAVIM as her second home, a place where she can share her joys and sorrows with her colleagues and find the support she needs to keep fighting for a better life. "Upavim has helped me a lot," Elsa says. "I have a lot of good things to say about UPAVIM."

 

How It's Made

First, the product is designed by UPAVIM's Craft Designer and the U.S. Director of Sales. The design is then made into a cardboard mold prototype to use to teach the seamstresses how to make the product. Next, the cotton is purchased from a local factory in Guatemala and woven into fabric on a traditional foot-pedal loom in a small family workshop. UPAVIM then purchases the woven fabric, which is cut by a designated team to the specific size of the product. Finally, the seamstresses have the option to sew the product in UPAVIM's workshop or at home to be closer to family, an option that is highly valued among the busy mothers.