The concept of the Hands of Women collective is to generate economy among women.
The earning ability of most women in the world is sadly unequal to that of men. Many women worldwide do not have access to education or employment but hold the responsibility for raising and providing for their children.
The determination and creativity of women worldwide is an untapped resource that should be recognized and cultivated. Hands of Women is a way to mentor women and empower them to create their own source of income. My love for third world countries has led me to the idea of this project. A blend of cultural tourism and a way to give back—the Hands of Women collective is women sharing skills. Skills that we may not even know that we have.
What I have done so far…
A few years ago after my twins graduated, I bought a six month ticket to Costa Rica. I had been there twice before and fell in love with the ocean, the people and the Spanish language. I had hopes of getting a job that I had arranged the year before but it fell through, and I found myself there with very little money. Determined to stay the whole six months I noticed that one of the houses in the village had an old treadle sewing machine outside. I asked the young women who lived there if they would like to do a sewing project and they agreed.
It was an interesting adventure as they spoke no English and I spoke very little Spanish. Also, we had only one machine and though I had sewn before, I had no formal training. Fortunately one of the sisters was a good seamstress, the other was a good designer and I could do the finishing and hand sewing. I also had connections with the tourists and English speaking residents and I soon became an awesome salesperson. What I didn’t sell in Costa Rica I brought back to Canada to sell. Working together with the sisters was such an incredible experience. I learned so much from being with them and working on the project, plus we made money.
The first year they tiled their floor. The second year they fixed their roof. We switched from sewing to making wood jewelery, as I found it to be easier to market. Soon we could inventory how much each individual made and more women joined in. Using the formula one third for them one third for me and one third for the company has enabled me to keep progressing and developing the collective.
The two women I started with now each have a sewing machine and take sewing orders. Some of the women we included in the jewelery making earned money for the first time in their lives.
Making your dreams a reality can be a slow process. The purpose of developing this website is to begin to form the structure needed to make the women's collective a viable business and create a win-win situation for everyone involved. It's the first step in reaching out to see if anyone else believes in the dream of prosperity for all women and children.
The Idea: meet and empower women around the world and live life in an exciting, uplifting way. Through hands of women you can participate directly in mentoring women in remote areas. For details and destinations email: Usheldon@yahoo.com
