The Natural Dye Project: Bringing together a global team

摘要

I'd like to relate a story of how a fair trade organisation, three American natural dyers and weavers, a young Mexican designer, an American yarn shop owner, a Danish textile chemist, a weave designer from California, a Guatemalan natural dyer and a group of Guatemalan backstrap weavers came together to help change a local economy. Mayan Hands, a fair trade organisation, was started in 1989 by Brenda Rosenbaum, a Guatemalan anthropologist, and her husband Ferdy. The group currently works with about 150 women in Guatemala, helping them to develop products and markets. The women have skills in weaving and other crafts. When appropriate, Mayan Hands helps them to develop new skills in order to create viable products for the global market. The women use their income to support their families and educate their children.