AUDA partners with cooperatives and small businesses committed to fair trade and community development. Through these partnerships, more than 113 children around the Lake Atitlan area have received scholarships. Our partner organizations include:
Artesanas Tzaput
Cooperative
Choa Cruz Tzaput, Solola,
Guatemala
Most women in the community of Tzaput are widows from the violence of Guatemala's civil war. Economic hardship forced many mothers to leave their farming community and seek temporary work on coastal coffee and cotton plantations.
During the early 1990s, these women formed the Artesanas Tzaput cooperative to create a support network of women artisans. Their artisan cooperative also allows mothers to provide for their children while still living in their native highlands community and maintaining Mayan weaving traditions. The Artesana Tzaput cooperative has initiated various local development programs in their community including building a community center and running a basic medicinal plants health project.
Due to the economic and psychological stress this community has exprienced, most women in the Artesana Tzaput cooperative never attended school. Without the benefit of bilingual public school education, women in Tzaput exclusively speak Cakchiquel, one of Guatemala's 24 indigenous languages. With the help of AUDA and other working NGO's in Guatemala, mothers in the community have been able to send their children to school.
Cooperative members: 15
Indirect beneficiaries (family members):
80
Mujeres Analizadores Cooperative
El Tabon, Solola, Guatemala
El Tablon's close proximity to military barracks resulted in a high number of disappearances during Guatemala's civil war. Women from the community formed the Mujeres Analizadoras artisan cooperative to provide income and support to those recovering from the resulting financial and emotional strain. Cooperative members are known for the quality and range of their jewelry designs, including the community's distinctive woven beaded necklaces and bracelets.
With the help of AUDA and Solomon's Porch, primary and middle school scholarships were awarded to local children, through the sales of their goods. As the sales of their products increase, this cooperative hopes to build a community center where additional cooperative members can be trained adn mentored. In June 2006, we built a home and beds for a widow and single mother with two children.
Cooperative members: 17
Indirect beneficiaries: 46
Project of support for the widows of San Juan Laguna Canton Chuaaranati, Solola
In San Juan Laguna Solola, exists a group of izutajiles widows who have many children and who are in a situation of great poverty, San Juan the Lagoon township are also in a crisis situation.
The weave work comes from there ancestors, the Mayan
grandparents
have passed this work down
from generation to generation. For the
widows it is the
only work that they can make a living with. In order to change
those bad conditions, the women with other women had the idea to
create the project of support for the widows of San Juan Laguna
to make and selltheir beautiful chenille shawls and scarves to
the Western markets. With the help of AUDA and AUDA's attorney
they will become a legal Cooperative and will be able to
receive donations from the town when funds are given to help
women.
Cooperative members: 25
Indirect
beneficiaries 30 young children
Pana Jewelry
Panajachel, Solola,
Guatemala
Started by AUDA founder Freida Cox, this cooperative produces necklaces and bracelets. With money made through the sales of its products, four educational scholarships were awarded for children. They just expanded their group to include 4 single mothers.
Cooperative members: 7
Indirect beneficiaries (family members): 26
Ceramica Palopo
San
Antonio Palopo, Solola, Guatemala
This small business has 16 employees and produces over 170 hand-painted ceramic goods. Through AUDA's partnership with Mercado Global, AUDA has exported ceramics from this cooperative to US companies such as: ABC Flooring & Carpet in New York City, Starbuck's and a growing number of fair trade stores.
As a result of the sales of their ceramics, eight
children received scholarships to go to school.
Baby Freida Gladis
continues to
grow
Weavers on a floor loom
Floor
Loom 
Jewelry
makers 
Project of support for the widows
in San Juan make
beautiful
chenille shawls & scarves
Natural dyes group in San Juan
they make soft cotton
& silk shawls
with
sequins
Women of San Antonio Ceramics
at
work
Ceramics groups in
San Antonio Palopo
