With every purchase of our Fair Trade handcrafts the artisan receives help to support their family and grow their business.  Recently this group, Asociacion Ixkoq'a, receive a grant from Education And More and used it to purchase supplies for their association -- yarn, thread, beads, etc. They were able to purchase in a larger quantity and thereby reduce their costs.

 There are 26 women in this artisan group; most are single mothers with 35 children among them.   They are a democratically run association and elect a president every two years with all decisions made democratically amoung the entire group.

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When asked what type of help they would like to receive from Education And More their answer was:

• more product orders
• help with purchasing school supplies for their children
• grant money for materials and technical training
• equipment for the association
• a roof for the building

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Education And More is working with these women in developing new products and is  also beginning to develop ideas to help them build a work room and office!  It is great to see these women so excited about the future possibilities that Fair Trade offers them!