The end of the year is quickly approaching. Here at Esperanza en Accion, we’ve been working tirelessly the past few weeks to package and ship orders out in time for Christmas. And our artisans have been hard at work too, making beautiful, handcrafted products that we are all proud to sell.

But with the end of the year so close, I’ve been thinking a lot recently about 2014—about all we’ve accomplished in this past year. We’ve held trainings on fair pricing and Fair Trade, we’ve continued to work with our artisans to find new markets for their products, and we’ve started working with a number of new artisans too. And I’ve been thinking about how much more we want to accomplish next year, how many more wonderful artisans there are that would benefit from the trainings we provide.

By giving a recurring gift of $15 each month this year, you will make it possible for us to offer another training each month and support more artisans in the process.

One of our newest artisans is a woman named Evelin Guido, and we are so excited to have her in our community. Evelin learned the art of jewelry making through her job at a costume jewelry manufacturer here in Managua. Earning enough money by working at the minimum wage job was tough, and Evelin spent many evenings and weekends working to make more jewelry using scraps and recycled paper to sell on her own. Even then, not able to tap into the markets, she was barely making ends meet.

When I first saw the jewelry that Evelin was making in her free time, I fell in love with it. The pieces are delicate and beautiful, and you would never know that they were made from recycled scraps. I knew they would be a hit. In talking with Evelin, I realized that she was selling the jewelry for far less than she should, as she wasn’t accounting for the time it had taken her to make it.

We’ve been working with Evelin for a few months now, and already I can see a change in her. At 24, she has only had a few years of formal schooling, and up until recently, attending university was just a distant dream. Now she’s making plans for it. She has faith that with the support from members like you at Esperanza en Accion, she can support her family and also save to go back to school.

Help us make more dreams come true by making a donation this holiday season. Your support will let us work with other artisans like Evelin—people who are looking for every opportunity to change their lives.

A gift of $15 each month will go a long way to support the dreams of so many people.  Help us make these dreams a reality.

With love and warmth,

Yamileth Perez
Program Director
Esperanza en Accion

Here are the students listening to the Board of Director member and Portland State University professor Dr. White talk about the importance of fair trade and artisan crafts. Yamileth Perez, Director of the Artisan Program is to the left of the Professor. 

The students also had the pleasure of giving a presentation to the General Director, Samuel Reyes, of Rainbow Network organization in hopes of expanding our current partnerships.

By Kelly Sellers
As an American community development student from Portland State University, spending a week with Esperanza en Acción was an incredible opportunity. Shadowing director Yamileth Perez through her daily activities shed light on the sheer amount of work that goes into supporting local artisans in Nicaragua. Perez´s strong, supportive relationships with these artisans help support economic capacity and cultural preservation within Nicaragua. Visits to traditional markets, which cater to tourists, and artisan homes highlighted stark differences in quality, price, and treatment of local artisans.

At first glance, traditional markets in Managua, Masaya, and Granada seem to actively support a diversity of artisan wares. Through working with Perez, the actual reality of these markets became much clearer. Focused mostly on pottery, Perez pointed out the lessened quality of many of these vases, bowls, and other crafts. Uneven paint, inconsistent carving, and fingerprints were just some of the flaws in these pieces. After meeting artisans in their homes, the contrast in design creativity and execution became very apparent. Local artisans spoke about the originality of their designs, stating that artisans are not supposed to copy each other’s artwork. Learning about the process from start to finish also exposed other problems with the durability of many pieces sold in the traditional markets.

Learning about quality also meant learning about differences in price. These two factors certainly correlate with one another, as artisans can focus on producing their best quality work when they receive more for their time, materials, and craft. A small bowl cost forty córdobas ($1.62 USD) in Mercado Huembes in Managua. When buying directly from an artisan in San Juan de Oriente, a similar size bowl cost 125 córdobas ($5 USD).

Buying from a local market also means going through a middleman, which means that the local artisan only receives a small percentage of the already small sale of forty córdobas. Middlemen also dictate the terms of their relationship with local artisans, which disempowers many talented individuals who are trying to make a living and share their crafts with the world. 

Many of the wares for sale in traditional markets are not signed, a tactic employed by these middlemen. In addition to disempowering artisans, not allowing signatures robs artisans of pride and ownership over their work. With no name to go off of, tourists are unable to contact the artisan directly, and are largely unaware of their personal stories or struggles.

In contrast to these middlemen, Esperanza en Acción encourages all their artisan partners to sign their work. Perez serves as both a catalyst and protector to local artisans. On the one hand, she catalyzes local capacities by offering workshops in business management and administrative skills. She also works with local artisans to help them discover the value of their work and time, which translates to increased quality in their pieces. On the other hand, she protects local artisans by paying a fair wage, in addition to compensation for transportation, materials, and other resources. Perez has opened up many new markets for local artisans. She also comes directly to the artisans, which helps cut down on their transportation costs and also brings additional sales directly to their community.

From a community development standpoint, Perez´s work with Esperanza en Acción has many valuable lessons and implications. Promoting fair trade, direct-sale relations with local artisans translates to an increased quality of life for many rural Nicaraguans. For American students and tourists, learning about these relations increases their awareness of the connections between price, quality, and treatment of workers. By bringing student groups directly to artisan homes, Perez also facilitates a cultural exchange, where Americans can learn about Nicaraguan traditions and artisan crafts. Students get the chance to introduce themselves and connect with local artisans, through direct exchange of stories and experiences.

Esperanza en Acción is also an excellent example of capacity building. Workshops help teach business and marketing skills to local artisans, while also empowering artisans to value their time and hard work. Perez encourages increased quality and prices that ensure artisans receive more for their wares. By opening up new markets, artisans gain confidence in their work and feel empowered to present their story and process to visitors. Micro-loans from Esperanza en Acción also build local capacity, as artisans are able to finance needed improvements to their surroundings and equipment.

Lastly, learning more about Esperanza en Acción and local artisans helps encourage responsible and ethical tourism. Many American students may be unaware of their privileged status, as they study abroad and shop for memorable crafts. Realizing the amount of time, resources, and energy that goes into artisan crafts helps Americans make more educated and just decisions about where and how to spend their money. Supporting Esperanza en Acción means directly supporting local artisans and their families. Shadowing Perez helps students understand the complexity of her job and her amazing direct support of rural Nicaraguan artisans. The inspirational work and stories of Perez and local artisans help inspire students to mirror their efforts, both within the United States and abroad in future travels.

By Andrea Wilson
Human connection has the power to inspire each of us to change how we interact with and affect the world around us. That’s why for Yamileth Perez and Esperanza en Acción, supporting artisans in Nicaragua doesn’t only mean building their capacity to obtain better prices and broader markets for their goods. It includes forging human connections between Nicaraguan artisans and foreign students.

This summer, four students of Community Development at Portland State University learned about Esperanza en Acción’s work and ceramic artists they aid by shadowing director Yamileth Perez in her work.

Students got to meet artisans in their homes, make friends, learn about the pottery making process, and, as Yamileth says, “Hear the voice of the artisans” supported by Esperanza en Acción. The organization has helped small artisan businesses increase their income and sustainability, by providing training in business management, teaching them to ask a fair price and what that means, and connecting them to broader markets through student trips like that of Portland State, and through the shop in Managua where Esperanza en Acción sells art at no cost to artisans.

Students also visited traditional markets with Yamileth, where ceramics are often sold by middlemen who buy products at lower prices from artists who don’t have Esperanza en Acción as a resource. This experience exposed for students the stark differences in treatment, income, and well-being between those with and those without Esperanza en Acción’s support. This ongoing need is what inspires Yamileth to continue to work to expand the organization’s projects and the number of beneficiaries.

Another thing students learned is that when artisans sell to middlemen in the traditional market, their buyers often require them not to sign their work. As PSU student Kelly Sellers put it, one of the greatest problems this poses is that “With no name to go off of, tourists are unable to contact the artisan directly, and are largely unaware of their personal stories or struggles.”

On the other hand, Kelly observed, Esperanza en Acción’s work to “promote fair trade, direct-sale relationships with local artisans translates to an increased quality of life for many rural Nicaraguans. For American students and tourists, learning about these relationships increases their awareness of the connections between price, quality, and treatment of workers. By bringing student groups directly to artisan homes, students get the chance to introduce themselves and connect with local artisans.”

Esperanza en Acción’s work to educate foreign students facilitates communication, cultural exchange, and connections between Nicaraguan artisans and their consumers, helping Americans make more educated and just decisions about where and how to spend their money. The real and lasting, educational connections Esperanza en Acción facilitates greatly expand the impact of their local work.