La Cooperativa
Established in 2004, the Tlalamac Methodist Women’s Cooperative is one of the ways through which we try to help our friends help themselves.
During a previous mission trip, team member Jeff Parker noticed the fine embroidery work on the cloths used by the women to cover plates of tortillas. Respect for their artistry led to the formation of the co-op and a chance for the women to earn extra money.
They now produce a variety of pieces that are bought at local prices by the church. In that first year, the women individually earned between $8 and $179 (US). When the team returned home, the craft work was bought by WellsFolk at U. S. prices.
The money fronted to purchase the items was paid back to Wells, then 20% of the balance went to the Cooperative for joint purchases and expenses. The rest of the money went to the individual artists as supplemental income, and their US “bonuses” ranged from $7 to $143 (US). The Cooperative agreement is working well.
We are very pleased to be offering this year's work in time for the Christmas shopping season.
