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The latest addition to the list of programs supported by the Pulsera Project is an artisans' cooperative of 21 former street kids who have matured and graduated from the shelters that first rescued them from their lives on Nicaragua's streets.
The Pulsera artisans' cooperative was created with the idea that one of the most valuable things we had to offer was providing substantial and meaningful opportunities to former street kids after they had to leave their shelters in search of work or education, both which are difficult to find in a country where more than 50% of the population lives below the poverty line.
The 21 members of the artisans' co-op earn salaries and scholarships, among many other things, in exchange for sharing their stories and artwork with the world, and most importantly with the U.S. students who support them through school sales across the country.
The cooperative is very much like a family. All of its member were rescued from lives on the streets when they were young and over time learned to weave pulseras as a form of art therapy in the shelters where they grew up.
The cooperative meets twice a month--all 21 of them--in Casa Pulsera for what could best be described as a giant family reunion. They cook meals together, discuss politics, share ideas, and critique each other's artwork, always hoping to push the art of pulsera-making to the next level.
More than all else though, the cooperatvie is an inspiring reminder that beautiful things can come from the dark--from their pulseras and their relationships with their Nica brothers and sisters, to the grassroots service projects that many of them lead for impoverished youths in their communities.
Martin, Jorge, and Pikachu are three of the young men in the Pulsera Project's new artisans cooperative who used to live on Nicaragua's streets. The money raised from sales of their pulseras help fund things like scholarships for the co-op members, as well as financial support for shelters that rescue kids from the streets.
The co-op members are paid fair market value for each pulsera that they make, and then the proceeds are returned to benefit them and other projects for former street kids--including several projects run by the co-op members themselves. Here, Jorge shows one of his works in progress. True artwork!
Mercedes is 22 years old and is one of the Pulsera Project's 21 co-op members. Mercedes runs a program for young girls in her community to teach them how to make pulseras. While we only buy pulseras from people 14 years and older, pulseras may be an important source of fincancial stability for these girls in the future, in additon to the therapeutic benefits that a colorful and creative activity like pulsera-weaving can offer.
Darling weaving a pulseras, with Mercedes and her son Emiliano in the background.
On our latest student trip to Nicaragua the members of the co-op and our group of student volunteers all traveled together to a solar energy cooperative in the Mountains of NIcaragua. While all of the co-op members do come from tragic pasts, above all else they are our friends--we spend time together just like family and we constantly try to learn from and share with eachother regardless of the social and cultural boundaries that separate us.
Alfredo is another young leader on the front lines of grassroots service projects in Nicaragua. "Fredo" is one of the project's most talented pulsera makers, but he also coaches two soccer teams made up of kids from the extremely poor community that he and several other co-op members live in. Fredo is a shining example of the incredible work that can be inspired by a life that began with tragedy but has been lifted by the support of student leaders in the US< whose efforts help fund project's like Fredo's.
Two times a month the co-op members meet for a reunion where they spend time together cooking, laughing, talking about their futures, and sharing their latest pulsera innovations. These seven pulseras were presented at one of the reuinions by Jimmy Gaytan, the king of the first annual pulsera competition in July, 2011.
