About Us |
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 De-shelling beans for the daily meal My mother, Carol Blackmore, is a skilled rug weaver with years of experience. She visited El Ocotal in January 2009 and suggested weaving as an enterprise. With a financial donation from the Triangle Weavers Guild of Chapel Hill, NC, she delivered a rug loom in June. Fourteen of the 28 women cautiously decided they wanted to learn to weave rugs using recycled clothing. In July, I began giving classes every afternoon, two women per week. By the end of the seven-week cycle, the women had learned the basics of weaving, warping, and quality control.  Aura Orozco first learning to weave After almost two years of experience,
all 15 women are producing small rugs, placemats, and handbags, and selling
them at regional retail craft outlets. The profits provide previously
unaffordable health care, school fees, and basic tools. We have also sold the
various products at open house events in the US. These gatherings have
connected people in the US with the Nicaraguan women and their families. All
proceeds are returned to the group, and a percentage is saved for the
construction of an independent workspace and upkeep of the looms.  |
El Ocotal, Nicaragua, a small village of 250 people in the mountains of Matagalpa, is a place of great beauty and great hardship. For the two years of my Peace Corps service, El Ocotal was my home. Life in El Ocotal is tied to the land. When it rains too much, beans and corn are washed down the mountainside, and when it doesn’t rain enough, seeds shrivel and die in the increasingly dust-like soil. Yet the people persevere with quiet, inspiring determination. During my service, I developed projects ranging from soil conservation and community micro banks to chicken coops and improved cooking stoves. For the majority of these projects, I worked with the same group of 28 women. The goals were to lessen their dependence on planting and harvesting and to help them gain financial independence.
 Aura Orozco's home  A traditional kitchen In March, 2010, my Peace Corps
service ended, but the weaving enterprise endures. My mother and I continue to
provide feedback on materials and quality control. They are still learning small
business concerns and refining the aesthetic. In June, my mother and I delivered
two more looms donated by the Art League School of Alexandria, VA. We stayed
two weeks, offering further instruction and support. The
weavers of El Ocotal now function as a self-regulating unit, which is a
profound change for women accustomed to male dominance and living in
relative isolation from one another. Visit the following website for more pictures and a more in-depth article: www.warpandbytedesigns.com/
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