We will be adding several new products as the holiday shopping season approaches.  We have recently added several beautiful Guatemalan wallets made by a weaving group in Nahuala. 

Each wallet features beautiful tapestry style weaving and makes a great gift!

We recently heard from George Ledger at Only A Child.  He has more of the wonderful handcrafted boxes they make on the way to us!

Only a Child is a shelter in Guatemala City for boys who have no home.  It also operates a carpentry shop where the boys learn how make fantastic handcrafted boxes.  The star and heart boxes have been some of our best selling Guatemalan crafts. 

In his email, George asked us to remember him and the shelter in our thoughts and prayers.  Evidently, the crime rate in the area around the shelter and carpentry shop has increased tremendously in the past year and he is fearful for his safety and the safety of the boys there.  I wanted to pass his request along to all who might read the Mayan Traditions blog.

We recently received this letter from Barb Lorraine who helped form UPAVIM nearly 17 years ago:

UPAVIM says thanks for the $1,000 donation for the contruction of UPAVIM’s second building.  UPAVIM continues to expand and diversify, while still producing quality fair trade crafts and providing much needed social services for their community.  It is folks like you working along with the women that makes all this possible.

Tom, I want to thank you personally for all the help you give UPAVIM.  All the products you sell and the money you donate. It is because of people like you that UPAVIM can continue to expand.

We are so pleased to be working in partnership in Guatemala with such a wonderful organization as UPAVIM.

If you have ever traveled in and out of Guatemala City, you will know that the airport used to be a real mess.  Over the past several years, the Guatemalan government has been working on improving the airport.  The airport, known as La Aurora airport, had many major improvements when we traveled out of the airport last July.  Improvements continue to be made.

Today, according to the associated press, the United States Federal Aviation Administration gave La Aurora airport a safety rating of Category 1.  The airport now meets all international safety standards.  This marks the first time that the Guatemala City airport has reached that level.

This is something to celebrate for this developing country.  It is very good news!

Mayan Traditions recently received a $5,000 donation.  As a 501(c)3 non profit corporation, donations to Mayan Traditions are tax deductible.

It has been our policy to take all donations and immediately return them in full to a worthy organization in Guatemala.  We use money from craft sales to offset any administrative expenses.  That way, 100 percent of all donations made to Mayan Traditions are returned to benefit the poor of Guatemala.

At the donors request, we sent $5,000 to Asociacion Esperanza Para La Familia, known as ASOFAMILIA.  This organization is a registered Guatemalan non-governmental non-profit organization that seeks to assist Guatemalan families in the resolution of problems they encounter in daily life.  It helps with obtaining needed education, job training, health, nutrition, and other development.  In particular, ASOFAMILIA assists the biological families of Guatemalan children adopted by families from other countries.

We were pleased to be the conduit to make this worthy donation.  Thanks for your continued support of the working poor of Guatemala.

One of the largest guatemalan craft cooperatives that Mayan Traditions works with is UPAVIM. It is an amazing place that over the past several years has put many people to work creating crafts. UPAVIM has also established a school, clinic, after school tutoring program, soy milk plant and other services to the community of La Esperanza (which means Hope in spanish) located on the outskirts of Guatemala City.

UPAVIM craft cooperative is trying to renovate the third floor of its building to put more people to work making crafts. We were pleased to support the work of this Guatemalan craft cooperative by sending a $1,000 donation towards the renovating of its building.

We visited UPAVIM in July of 2006. It is a truly amazing place… especially given how difficult it can be sometimes to get anything accomplished in Guatemala!