Follow our Progress
June 2010
In January of this year, not all the women in our beading Collective had even used a calculator, much less an ATM machine. Less than six months later, they are maintaining their own records of production and personal checking accounts. And now they have began learning an even greater task: how to navigate a computer, the internet and Google Docs!
Since the beginning of May, Mayan Connection´s Guatemala organizer, Jessi, has been traveling in the States with some of our retail shows. Her goal before leaving Guatemala was to enable the women to continue producing and receiving their weekly pay without her physically being there. Through teaching the women how to use the internet and fill out their production charts on the computer, they now are able to turn in their production numbers through Google Docs and receive their pay through online bank transfers! The powers of the world wide web coupled with the women´s amazingly impressive ability and willingness to reach far beyond their current knowledge and understanding is an achievement that cannot be underestimated. We could not be more proud of our artisans!
April 2010
The women of the Collective continue to learn and grow together each day. Our project for the month of April was to further the Collective´s knowledge on the materials. Though the women have been using high quality Czech glass beads in their beading for years, learning the official name of each color and bead was essential to further develop the women´s ability to take control of the purchasing of the beads and be more involved in the entire production process. Mayan Connection continues to pay the women for the materials, but as the women take on more roles in their work, such as shopping for their materials, they take more responsibility in the product and process.
Each woman made a catalog displaying each color variation of beads they use. Next to the sample they wrote the official name and product number of the color and type. This not only enables the women to easily request a certain bead from the store, but it also allows Mayan Connection to more easily and specifically place orders for certain pieces and colors. The more the women take on each part of production, the more autonomy and potential they gain.
March 2010
During the month of March, the Women´s Beading Collective has had two Art Days to encourage their creativity and the creation of new jewelry designs. Women were provided with a diverse selection of beads and colors to experiment with new bracelet patterns according to their own style. The women worked together and drew from their culture and artistic ability to play with new designs in this open environment. Through this opportunity, the women not only advanced their beading skills and techniques, but also were empowered to apply that knowledge to explore new outlets of creativity in their work.
In addition to furthering artistic creativity, the women have also been working on their accounting abilities. Since opening banking accounts for them in January, they have been learning to maintain their personal finances through record keeping. Each woman has been keeping a notebook of her income and expenses to learn budgeting and saving. In addition, the women are starting to keep their own records of weekly production and income for the Collective as a whole. Sharing this responsibility builds their trust and teamwork as a collective. As the women continue to learn how to organize their own production and income, they are furthering their business knowledge to benefit them as a collective now and as they grow in the future.
January 2010
Since the new year, the women´s beading collective has been meeting together four times a week to learn and create new jewelry designs. They are currently developing two new necklaces, both of which include new beading techniques. The women are being provided with a stipend to compensate them for their time as they concentrate on learning these new designs.
In addition to new jewelry styles, the women are also learning personal accounting with their newly opened bank accounts. Mayan Connection provided a microloan of about $50 to each woman to open her personal account. The money is being repayed through their continued production of jewelry. Most of these women have never had a bank account, and none had ever used a debit card or ATM machine. Guatemala organizer Jessi Long is working with the women to teach them how to draw their weekly pay from the ATM. They are also learning about personal savings and how to keep track of their balances and transactions of the accounts. Teaching financial skills will help the women better manage their money for themselves and their families!
In January of this year, not all the women in our beading Collective had even used a calculator, much less an ATM machine. Less than six months later, they are maintaining their own records of production and personal checking accounts. And now they have began learning an even greater task: how to navigate a computer, the internet and Google Docs!Since the beginning of May, Mayan Connection´s Guatemala organizer, Jessi, has been traveling in the States with some of our retail shows. Her goal before leaving Guatemala was to enable the women to continue producing and receiving their weekly pay without her physically being there. Through teaching the women how to use the internet and fill out their production charts on the computer, they now are able to turn in their production numbers through Google Docs and receive their pay through online bank transfers! The powers of the world wide web coupled with the women´s amazingly impressive ability and willingness to reach far beyond their current knowledge and understanding is an achievement that cannot be underestimated. We could not be more proud of our artisans!
April 2010
The women of the Collective continue to learn and grow together each day. Our project for the month of April was to further the Collective´s knowledge on the materials. Though the women have been using high quality Czech glass beads in their beading for years, learning the official name of each color and bead was essential to further develop the women´s ability to take control of the purchasing of the beads and be more involved in the entire production process. Mayan Connection continues to pay the women for the materials, but as the women take on more roles in their work, such as shopping for their materials, they take more responsibility in the product and process.
Each woman made a catalog displaying each color variation of beads they use. Next to the sample they wrote the official name and product number of the color and type. This not only enables the women to easily request a certain bead from the store, but it also allows Mayan Connection to more easily and specifically place orders for certain pieces and colors. The more the women take on each part of production, the more autonomy and potential they gain.March 2010
During the month of March, the Women´s Beading Collective has had two Art Days to encourage their creativity and the creation of new jewelry designs. Women were provided with a diverse selection of beads and colors to experiment with new bracelet patterns according to their own style. The women worked together and drew from their culture and artistic ability to play with new designs in this open environment. Through this opportunity, the women not only advanced their beading skills and techniques, but also were empowered to apply that knowledge to explore new outlets of creativity in their work.In addition to furthering artistic creativity, the women have also been working on their accounting abilities. Since opening banking accounts for them in January, they have been learning to maintain their personal finances through record keeping. Each woman has been keeping a notebook of her income and expenses to learn budgeting and saving. In addition, the women are starting to keep their own records of weekly production and income for the Collective as a whole. Sharing this responsibility builds their trust and teamwork as a collective. As the women continue to learn how to organize their own production and income, they are furthering their business knowledge to benefit them as a collective now and as they grow in the future.
January 2010
Since the new year, the women´s beading collective has been meeting together four times a week to learn and create new jewelry designs. They are currently developing two new necklaces, both of which include new beading techniques. The women are being provided with a stipend to compensate them for their time as they concentrate on learning these new designs.
In addition to new jewelry styles, the women are also learning personal accounting with their newly opened bank accounts. Mayan Connection provided a microloan of about $50 to each woman to open her personal account. The money is being repayed through their continued production of jewelry. Most of these women have never had a bank account, and none had ever used a debit card or ATM machine. Guatemala organizer Jessi Long is working with the women to teach them how to draw their weekly pay from the ATM. They are also learning about personal savings and how to keep track of their balances and transactions of the accounts. Teaching financial skills will help the women better manage their money for themselves and their families!
