Trama Textiles
Organization Details
Trama's mission is to create work for fair wages for the women of Guatemala; to support our families and communities; and to preserve and develop our cultural traditions by maintaining our textile arts and their histories.
Impact Story
Trama Textiles is an association of women for artisan development in backstrap loom weaving in Guatemala. We work directly with 400 women from 17 co-operations across 5 regions in the western highlands of Guatemala. It was formed in 1988 after some of the most devastating years of the Guatemalan civil war. That was a time when most of the men from our communities disappeared. Our community united and decided to use our skills as weavers to support ourselves and our families. The co-operative gave us a sense of purpose and empowerment.
Despite the women's expertise, it’s often very hard for the weavers to make a living from their art, especially as most of them do not speak Spanish. They are often forced to sell their products to middlemen for very low prices. This is where Trama Textiles intervenes. Our weavers decide on the price we pay them for each product. Each woman is paid up front and in full for her work guaranteeing a fair wage for what she has produced.