WHERE WE WORK / Programs
Aid to Artisans is pleased to announce that it has received funding from the Walmart Foundation to support its Wayuu Artisan Women’s Initiative to provide economic opportunities to more than 800 Wayuu women in northern Colombia.
More
Walmart is committing more than $2.5 million in grants to projects aimed at improving the lives of women in Latin America. Through the Latin America Women’s Initiative, projects funded in six countries will help empower more than 9,000 women, building their capacity to rise out of poverty, support their families and improve their communities. “We believe that when women achieve economic empowerment, their voices are also empowered,” said Eduardo Solórzano, President and CEO of Walmart Latinoamerica. “So not only will they be able to create more stable futures for their families, they will play transformational roles in bettering the lives of women and children across Latin America.” Support from the Walmart Foundation will enable Aid to Artisans and its Colombian partner, CREATA, to develop income opportunities for Wayuu women artisans through business training, product design support, new market development and direct linkages to buyers throughout Colombia and North America.
- 16 Wayuu artisan groups have directly benefitted from this project, representing 195 Wayuu artisans among which about 80% are women.
- 97 new products have been designed with CREATA'S product development team.
- One baseline assessment and one launch event were conducted at the beginning of the project in La Guajira, Northern Colombia.
- More than 20 training workshops were conducted in business reinforcement, internet market research, costing and pricing, use of raw materials and techniques.
- Machinery and tools were provided to 16 workshops, making the production process easier and more efficient.
Current Needs: The project seeks matching funding for its scheduled work in Northern Colombia. These funds are needed to implement additional training workshops, expanding of regional market access and identifying new buyers as well as facilitating buyer visits.
Project Lead in the U.S.
Maud Mabika, Program Manager
maud_mabika@aidtoartisans.org
Field Contact
Mauricio Rincon, Director of CREATA
mrf@creata.org.co
Partners & Collaborators
ATA would like to recognize CREATA for its efforts in working with low income artisan groups to increase their income and livelihoods. For more information about CREATA, please check their website at www.creata.org.co.
Contributors
ATA would like to thank the following organizations for providing funding for efforts in Colombia:
CREATA
Walmart Foundation
Cerrejòn LTD
Cerrejòn Foundation
The Rohatyn Group
