We send 100% of the proceeds from our Guatemalan beaded bracelets right back to the communities that created them.
In the Guatemalan highlands, millions of families live through the driving rains of June through November in homes made from cornstalks, cane, and scavenged materials. After working hard in the fields to earn less than $3 per day, they return home to find dirt floors turned to mud, belongings vulnerable to theft, and children sick from exposure. In this beautiful but poverty-stricken region a safe, secure house doesn’t just change lives—it saves them.
Nancy Wynne of Stonington, Maine and her family formed the Guatemala Housing Alliance (GHA) to help these families find shelter from the storms. Since 2011, this dedicated group of volunteers has built dozens of homes in villages on the shores of Lago de Atitlán. Carefully constructed from natural materials like adobe, bamboo, pumice, and pine, each house is sturdy, sustainable, and affordable. The family receiving a home agrees to pay for it by joining a labor cooperative building homes for others in their village.
One of GHA’s most empowering programs teaches women in the villages how to bead beautiful bracelets. This allows the women to work from home while continuing to care for their families. Mexicali Blues has partnered with Nancy and the GHA to support the colorful crafting these indigenous Mayan women are doing. We asked these talented artisans to create a few of their many beautiful bracelet designs in specially chosen color combinations that we could sell through our World of Goods program to help GHA build more homes!