Our Story
Who We Support
Pulseras
School Sales
Photo/Video
Student Trips
Lead a Pulsera Sale and Color Your School
The Pulsera Project is a non-profit organization that empowers a group of young Nicaraguan artisans through the sale of their handwoven bracelets, or "pulseras" in Spanish. The pulsera co-op members all spent part of their childhoods living in the streets, but have rearranged the threads of those dark pasts into a wearable art-form that reflects a mutual dream for a more just and colorful world.
Pulsera sales in U.S. schools engage students in grassroots international service while creating bright futures for many Nicaraguans as they share their art and stories with the world.
So, welcome to pulsera land! Please explore our site to discover more about who we support, what we believe, and how you can help color the world with these beautiful works of art.
Watch "Color the World," a 10 minute film about The Pulsera Project.
News and updates from the pulsera world.
The Pulsera Project began in 2009 when a group of friends adventuring in Nicaragua discovered a shelter for former street kids in the foothills of Managua. The kids were masters of weaving colorful pulseras (Spanish for bracelets) but had little market for their artwork in Nicaragua.
Some of the travelers returned home with handfuls of pulseras and the idea to sell them in their schools as a fundraiser for their new Nicaraguan friends.
Now, two years later, students at more than 170 schools in 34 statessupport not only many shelter kids, but also grassroots community development projects for impoverished youths, many of which are led by members of the Pulsera Project's fairtrade artisans' cooperative of shelter graduates.
A Fresh Philosophy
of Cultural Exchange:
The Pulsera Project empowers young North Americans and Nicaraguans to partner in creating a brighter future.
U.S. students bring enormous educational and economic advantages to the global exchange, and many students gladly share these advantages to help lift up young Nicaraguans, who live in the second poorest country in the Western Hemisphere.
However, the global exchange is rich with ideas and values that have little to do with economics, yet everything to do with the quality of our lives.
In meaningful cultural exchange, we seek to discover the best of our partners, educate ourselves about their lives and values, and hopefully enrich each others lives with the best of who we are.
Powerful Impact
Working together, young Nicaraguan artists and U.S. students have accomplished many things over the past three years. Their partnership has created many sustainable artisan jobs, but it has also raised more than $300,000 to enrich the lives of many Nicaraguans. That includes providing shelter kids, Nicaraguan families, and our pulsera makers' co-op members with:
* Jobs
* Scholarships
* Medicine
* Food
* Clothing
* Transportation
* A Reforestation Project
* Computers
* Electricity
* Books
* Clean Water Supply
* Field Trips
* Sports equipment
* Substantial support for
shelter operations
See the Projects page.
The Pulsera Project is a registered 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization. Donations are tax deductible and provide critical support for programs in Nicaragua.
Most of our Nicaraguan programs are guided by a philosophy of empowerment. Rather than just giving things to people, we empower people with skills, opportunities, and education that allow them to provide for themselves and their communities. We would be deeply grateful for your support of this philosophy and the many young Nicaraguans who will benefit through your generosity.
Color the World
