We live in an abundant world, yet almost half the world’s population still struggles to meet their most basic needs. That’s more than 3 billion people with gifts and talents and wisdom to contribute, but their contribution is thwarted by their circumstances. At Threads, we dream of an abundant world for everyone, with every human being freely contributing her or his genius and love.
Our Artisan Partner Jenny, in Guatemala, shared with us what became possible when she found work that allowed her to add her voice to the world’s collective song of abundance.
“My name is Jenny, I’m 27 years old. I was the youngest of seven siblings and the only one who studied. I was very aware of how fortunate I was to have had the opportunity to study. When I think about my childhood the best memories I have were when I was in school. My parents paid for my studies until sixth grade but after that, I worked to pay my education in middle school and high school. I dreamed of graduating but sadly, I had to leave school in junior high.
“At age 19 I had my first and only son. With my husband, we want to give him the opportunity to study so he doesn’t suffer what we did. I want him to have a chance to become someone important and that’s why I started to weave bracelets. When we first started with the cooperative, most of our husbands disliked that we worked and didn’t approve it. It was really hard and uncomfortable for us, but we didn’t stop and with time they became supportive.
“With an income, I can stand up for myself, and now I feel that we have a voice. Ever since the cooperative began, the community includes women more. We have changed the way we think about ourselves. As a woman, this has helped me a lot. With a job, I am free.
“Now I can do things that I couldn’t do before – or that I was not allowed to. I feel courageous and capable because now I’m an independent woman!”
Note: Jenny wrote us this letter in 2018. She is now 8 months pregnant with her second child and is having a happy and healthy pregnancy.
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