SOME VEREDAS LOAN RECIPIENTS
Women’s Corn Collective (San Cristobal de las Casas). This is a group of women that have worked together for many years around agricultural concerns. They have begun to educate neighbors and local groups about the importance of saving and collecting native corn as an alternative to hybrid corn that is chemical (fertilizer and pesticide) dependent and is economically inefficient in subsistence agriculture. Their loan paid for a ton of native corn (in the photo) and they make (delicious and nutritious) handmade tortillas for local restaurants and markets.
¡Siempre Viva! (San Cristobal de las Casas): is a group of women who went through the women’s leadership program at the Alvarada Center in San Cristobal de las Casas, which was co-sponsored by the Japanese and Mexican governments. These women have been working together since 2007, developing natural health and beauty products for sale locally. They have a variety of soaps, lotions and shampoos that use the traditional formulas, which are gaining popularity in the places where they have offered their products for sale. Neen soap pictured.
Lunatik Collective (Comitan de Dominguez): This collective was born in 1999 in Comitan, by women who believe in the importance of gender equality. They offer workshops, film sessions, conferences and informal talks to women about subjects such as family violence, reproductive and education rights, sexuality, self esteem, spirituality and reality analysis. The women in the group were seamstresses and embroiderers, so they began to produce table cloths, coverlets, men’s shirts, pillow and curtains to move toward their goal of being self-financed. Their products are all made with white cotton muslin.
La Casa de Las Flores The House of Flowers: (San Cristobal de las Casas): opened its doors in 2008 for working street children in the historic center. It is a home atmosphere where these marginalized children are accepted, loved, respected, and treated with dignity, through educational and recreational programs. San Cristóbal has one of the highest concentration of working street children in Mexico—children who do not attend school, have no time for play, and suffer from malnutrition and therefore have emotional and intellectual challenges. The Veredas loan allowed a group of teens to open up a small fruit and vegetable stand at La Casa. They are learning valuable entrepreneurial skills through the experience of running a small business.
“Life Roots” (San Cristobal de las Casas): A group of four women collaborate to produce plant-based medicine and offer body massage, reflexology and reiki. The women rent space in a market and do home visits. They originally met each other through participation in an herbal medicine workshop and continue their training as members of a network dedicated to the rescue and practice of traditional alternative medicine with 66 other women.
