Welcome to our global maker-to-market movement where, together with 20,000 artisans, we ignite social change. We create opportunities for individuals, families, and communities in developing countries to thrive through strong relationships, fair wages, safe working conditions, and sustainable practices.
This friendly fox can help you unwind after a long day. Traditional hand-woven skirt fabric, still worn in the Guatemalan highlands, is repurposed to create this comforting rice-filled neck pillow. Fair trade partner Ruth and Naomi was formed to create jobs for women widowed by civil war and to provide scholarships for their children. More than three decades later, the grandchildren of the original artisans are still benefitting from these opportunities.
HANDCRAFTED IN GUATEMALA
SKU: 8810330
THE MAKERS
The weaving cooperative Ruth and Naomi is located in Chontola, near Chichicastenango. The project emerged out of the terror and desperation of Guatemala’s civil war. With the help of a local Methodist pastor and his wife, some widows banded together to support their families through sales of the community’s traditional woven crafts. Of the initial group of 18 women, all had lost husbands, fathers, or both to the government’s “scorched earth” policy of the 1980s. The name was chosen because it spoke of two widows from the Bible who were without resources, but who worked and survived.Scholarships make it possible for teens to complete high school in Chichicastenango while living in the project compound. Some have gone on to complete university degrees. The project has also started a health and nutrition center. Ten Thousand Villages has purchased products from Ruth and Naomi since 1993.
Tenthousandvillages.com