Second Day of Class

Friday, the second day of class went well. I have to rely to some extent on Patsy's assurances here, as I find it hard to assess without being able to have direct conversation with women.  They are certainly working very hard and are dedicated to their project.  They are mostly very quiet in class, with only necessary talking.

Each of those who stayed for the two days had finished their first bracelet cuff by the end of lunch. Some took them to work on during their lunch-break to get them finished.

Patsy was inspired here and they each took a cuff randomly from a bag, and then assessed it and reported back to the group. Most stood up and seemed to be quite forthright about uneven stitches, rows of stitches not being straight, and were striving to for perfection - which is just what we need if these products are going to be sold through a Fair Trade store.

 

Tiny Meza was gentle with the cuff she was holding, and declared it to be "Soa" (Good) and not to need any changes, at which point its creator, Elizabeth, said it wasn't and pointed out all its faults!

They will learn together, and work together to create great products.

The discussion over how to price them got a bit heated, but apparently that is normal for the culture.  If it had been in America, I would have tried to diffuse it!  The eventual decision is to hold off until they have had chance to practise making more of them and know how much time that will take, which is a very reasonable approach.

We are making an excellent start to the beginning of a small cottage industry here in the poorest part of one of the poorest countries in the world.  This will help the people to have enough to eat, and rescue those women who practise prostitution in order to provide for their families.