Mayan Hands

Guatemala

Mayan Hands is a Fair Trade, non-profit organization that partners with talented Maya women in their quest to bring their families out of extreme poverty, and at the same time, continue living within the culture they cherish. Mayan women are the poorest sector in Guatemalan society, being doubly disadvantaged, as Mayan and as women. Most weavers working with Mayan Hands are monolingual (speaking their native Mayan language) and illiterate because when they were children only boys were sent to school. This severely limits their possibilities of earning an income. Mayan Hands provides resources such as scholarships, school supplies, potable water, and medical support for its artisans, while also creating opportunities for women to continue the 3000-year-old tradition of back-strap loom weaving.