So, I have started my first (secondary) project in my pueblo
(town) working with a small business that designs and sells jewelry made out of recycled products called
Un Montón de Añicos (which 
translates to A bunch of Smithereens or fragments).
Originally this small business began with 12 interested young ladies of various
ages that received several workshops from a former Padre Fabretto volunteer (Lauren)
on how to design their own creations out of recycled glass and scrap metal.
Many of the young ladies that have began this project started when they were
about 14 years old, and those who are still currently working at the
cooperative never imagined that it would grow into a long term business. “We didn’t know that we were going to have this business for the rest of our lives. We thought of a project that we could do in the moment but after a while the people began to like what we did and supported us” said Zunilda a 23 year old certified primary school teacher who’s been working with the cooperative for over 5 years and helped to maintain the upkeep of the store.
There are soo many ideas that can blossom from this one
dream but the issue is that they have the skill set, just not the knowledge of
how to market and maintain operations for their business. The main way that
they have been able to sustain their business thus far is by the support of
tourist that stumble upon the area of San Jose de Cusmapa supporting other
NGO’s or their own personal hiking interests. Unfortunately, this is the case
with millions of businesses that lack similar resources.
While working with these young ladies I hope to help them
fulfill their short term goals and prepare them for the planning and
implementation of the long term goals as well. I would also like to share with
them the basic steps to a business, who their target market or audience is, and
how to acquire information when resources are limited.
Signed
-OnTheGo
PS. Happy New Year!!
Here is a video of these young ladies and a clearer idea of what they do, we would love your support!
