Why not improve your knowledge in the middle of a crisis? Silvia Isabel, married with 5 children, lives in Cantón Chucalibal I, Chichicastenango, Quiché. Looking for development opportunities, in 2005 she joined the Vida y Esperanza Women’s Association (ADEMVE).
As an artisan she was able to learn new things, but it was in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic that she received the necessary training on pedal loom weaving. So now she is able to weave fabrics 36 inches wide and up to 100 feet long. Obviously, this production technique allowed Silvia to obtain a better income, and thus be able to help at home so that her children can study.
As Silvia herself says: “I thank ADEMVE, FUNDAP, and the, ‘Competitiveness Project,’ because they train us and guide us to do our work in a better way. In our communities there are not many job opportunities, but they help us to get ahead. Thank God the Coronavirus has not affected us, because we work at home, we wear our mask, we take care of ourselves, and we keep going.” And I hope to be able to continue like this for a long time to show that well-received training can quickly pay off.