The Women

Artisans of Hope empowers the women of the Urrutia community of Danlí, Honduras. The women involved in this project have been incorporated, because of their need to provide for their family, their ability and interest in making jewelry, and their commitment to follow Christ. Our hope is to continue to grow the project to bring economic opportunity to many more families.

Gladys

Gladys has been a part of the jewelry group since 2014. She is a single mother with three kids: Axel, Emmanuel, and Cecia. She tries to find small jobs to earn some money but is constantly struggling to get by. She has always been very active in all the church activities we have around the community. When we first mentioned this idea of making jewelry, she was very excited. She talked to us about the hope she had for not having to wonder how she is going to pay for food every day.

Luz

Luz in Spanish means light, and this name could not be more appropriate for her. She has been a part of the jewelry group since 2014 and helped to start the sewing group in 2015. She is a very quiet woman, but she is an amazing worker and mother. She is almost always with her daughter, Yoselin. Though she is married, Luz's husband battles alcoholism and contributes little to the family. Despite a very hard situation in her home, she gets by working as a seamstress. She quickly jumped into the jewelry project. Her smile, laughter, faith and sense of purpose bring light into the project.

Gloria

Gloria has been a part of the jewelry group since 2014. She is an incredibly hard working woman that is clearly a leader in the community and in Joyas de Esperanza. She is the kindergarten teacher for the community and she puts everything she has into teaching the kids even though she gets paid very little. She has three kids: Miguel, Ani, and Axel. She has opened up her home as a work place for the project. She is hoping to grow this business so she can invest more into the kindergarten and add a kitchen onto her home. She has also started a small school supply store in her home with the proceeds from this program.

Carmen

Carmen has been a part of the jewelry group since 2014. She is a quiet woman who cleans homes for a living. She is a mother of three great children: Douglas, Gloria, and Pablo. Her husband left her recently after her new baby Pablo was born. Her family lives across from Gloria's, and the two families are always together. She is very focused and driven to give her kids a better future. She is constantly helping her kids with their homework and studying with them. She says that she is excited about this project because it will help her send her children to school and create for them a brighter future.

Lilian

Lilian has been a part of the jewelry group since 2014. She is a strong, confident woman and is very intelligent. Making jewelry and thinking through the business clearly comes easily to her. She has two kids: Jair and Griselda; and is happily married. This is a strong, great family that struggles to get by because work is so hard to find. But with her passion, organization, and skill, her future is beginning to look very bright. She has recently opened a small cafeteria out of her home for neighbors and local bus drivers using the proceeds from this program.

Karina

Karina became the newest member of the jewelry group in 2015. She is a spunky and enthusiastic woman and is very dedicated to serving in any way possible. She has two kids - Diana and Eduin (Eduito as we like to call him) and is happily married. She was a very logical choice when we decided we could add a woman to the jewelry group as her family has always struggled financially but despite those struggles she is always the first to come help at the church. She has fit into the group very well and picked up the skills quickly.

Damaris

Damaris has been a part of the sewing group since 2015. She is an amazing woman with a great family. Her and her husband adopted two starving children in 2008 and were then blessed a third child shortly after. She has been sewing for many years and it has become her passion. She has quickly become a leader in this group and is constantly everyone to perfect their craft. Despite all of the effort from her and her husband, their family struggles to provide for their three kids. She has been able to use the proceeds from this program to make products that her husband tries to sell.

Bethy

Bethy has been a part of the sewing group since 2015. She is a very strong and friendly woman. You can't be in her house for more than 2 minutes without getting a coffee and a snack. ???