“I am thankful to God and then UPAVIM. It is because of UPAVIM that I am alive”

Pregnant with her fourth child, Anderson, Sonia decided to ask for a job at UPAVIM (a Fair Trade craft maker in Guatemala) because she could work from home and take care of her children. The first craft she was asked to make was a wreath of worry dolls. “At first the work was really hard because I didn’t know how to do it and I didn’t have the confidence to ask the other women for help. One day I just sat crying and crying over this wreath.” Another UPAVIM worker approached her and taught her how to make the wreaths. She soon began to grow in confidence and her skill set blossomed. Sonia is now in charge of all handmade crafts at UPAVIM. Her creativity is instrumental in the design and development of new products and she is responsible for teaching other UPAVIM women how to make new products. She has become one of the pillars of UPAVIM’s growth. She has found steady employment enabling her to send all her children to school and a community of women that give the support she was missing. She is an example of UPAVIM’s success.

. They have supported me, given me advice, scholarships for my children and medical care. They gave food to me and my children when I didn’t have enough money for a single tortilla.”