We are a group of approximately 66 women who live in the marginalized communities of Ls Esperanza, El Mezquital and Villa Lobos I and II, in Zone 12 of Guatemala City. We are all mothers and homemakers. Some of us are widows, abandoned by our husbands or we confront alcoholism in our families. Many of us are the sole providers of economic support for our families.

We initiated this group in 1988 with the Healthy Baby program, installed in the parish of La Esperanza, but with the imperative needs of our community we decided to create products to sell and generate funds, products from which we developed handicrafts to incorporate ourselves into the national and international markets. These efforts have permitted us to be come a self-sustaining Association and to advance toward our goals which are to improve the quality of life in our community through:

Education
Health care
Employment opportunities
Personal development of women

Thanks To: The Women of UPAVIM, Barbara Fenske, the Volunteers of the Reforzamiento, Mary Joan of UPAVIM Crafts, Plenty International and all the friends of UPAVIM around the world.