The Pulsera Project is a non-profit organization that educates, empowers, and connects Nicaraguan youth with students in more than 900 US schools through the sale of colorful, hand-woven bracelets, or “"pulseras"” in Spanish.
We brighten U.S. schools with art, film, and compelling cultural education while engaging students in international service that is effective, enriching, and fun.
Explore our site to discover why student leaders and teachers have spread the Pulsera Project from a single classroom to hundreds of schools across 49 states, coloring hallways, classrooms, and campuses with beautiful Nicaraguan art and awareness of social justice issues.
The Pulsera Project began in 2009 when a group of friends traveling in Nicaragua discovered a shelter for ex-street kids in the foothills of Managua. The youths were masters of weaving pulseras (bracelets) but had little market for their artwork in Nicaragua.Some of the friends returned home and enlisted students at two US schools to sell the youths’ pulseras.
Now, three years later, scores of young Nicaraguan artists partner with students in more than 800 US schools, weaving the art of the pulsera into a positive and colorful force across the US and Nicaragua.
For many pulsera artists, weaving pulseras began as art therapy in shelters where they grew up. For others, the native art was passed down from previous generations. For all, pulsera weaving remains central to the stories of their lives –stories that they gladly share through Pulsera Project films and writings - stories that enrich our understanding of the world.
Each pulsera takes about two hours to make, comes tagged with the picture and signature of the artist, and is woven with the rich personal history of the person who made it. When you wear a pulsera, you not only share the voice of a young Nicaraguan, but you raise your own voice too, speaking out for opportunity, unity, and a more equal and colorful world.
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.
The Pulsera Project’s unique partnership between Nicaraguan artists and US students enriches many lives in the US and Nicaragua. Project volunteers have raised more than $1,000,000 to create sustainable jobs, empower Nicaraguan communities, and provide engaging educational programs both in the US and Nicaragua.
Our projects bridge cultures, bring people together, and color the world with beauty and awareness. Here are just a few of the many projects supported and funded by US students and young Nicaraguan artists.
* Sustainable, fair-trade jobs for nearly 100
artists in Nicaragua and Guatemala
* 30 member Artisan Co-op
* Interest-free micro-loans
* Scholarships
* Support for "La Esperanza Granada," an
organization that educates youth in
economically poor areas of Nicaragua
* Computers and computer training
* Substantial support for the “Si a la Vida"
youth shelters
* Youth soccer programs
* Support community development
programs in many towns
* Sponsor field trips.
* US student volunteer trips
* Educational Films
* Innovative Spanish language curriculum
* Support United Students For Fair Trade
See the Projects Page
