Dear Friend,

A brave group of women from Bolivia is using their combined sewing, weaving and braiding skills to support one another. Their Five Talents Savings Group name is La Buena Cosecha, which means “the good harvest.” Each woman joined the group sharing a common thread of hardship as some are survivors of domestic violence, others have husbands struggling with alcoholism and some are single moms. Because the group needed to find a way to generate income to support themselves and their families, they decided to put their artisanal skills to work and start a business together. Watch the video above (turn on captions to see the English translation).

They developed a business selling high-quality blankets. The group starts by pooling their savings to purchase handmade blankets that are, at first, very simple and basic. Then each group member works on styling and finishing the blankets so they can be sold for a good profit. Because some of the women have never started a business on their own before, they shared that doing this as a group venture is comforting and already proving to be successful. The group has been able to sell the blankets for a good profit because of their quality and craftsmanship.

Their trust and support for one another has only grown stronger and serves as another beautiful example of the social capital organically built within Five Talents Savings Groups. 

If you would like to support this effort and others like it, donate here: https://fivetalents.org/donate