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DESIREE ARNOLD
MAYA BAGS
BELIZE
CARIBBEAN EXPORT DEVELOPMENT AGENCY - CREATE
01CREATIVEDESIGN -THEPRESERVATIONOFTHEMAYACULTURE IS INTHEBAG
The company that started with 6
women making reusable Christmas
gift bags, now consolidates 90
women from 8 different vil lages to
produce the increasingly diverse
handcrafted product line and the
impact has been tremendous.
NestledintherichandnourishedlandscapeofBelize,American
environmentalist Judy Bergsma would meet a special group
of people – The Mayas.
Belize is a country which supports a wide range of climates and habitats, and
is also home to a diverse society comprised of many cultures and languages
including a large population of Maya people. Living much today as they did
2000 years ago, Bergsma endeavoured to lift impoverished Maya women from
the rampant practice of begging in the streets to empowered entrepreneurs
owning 42% of a thriving business. It was this desire to make a difference
and enfranchise a people who would have contributed significantly to the
cultural richness of Belize that led to the birth of MayaBags.
Executive Director, Desiree Arnold, speaks ardently about her work and
personal involvement in the company that grants the poor Maya women
of Southern Belize the welcomed opportunity to provide income for their
households. “It is not just a job for me, I am passionate about the things we
are doing.” Through collaboration with MayaBags founder Judy Bergsma,
Arnold works towards making this organization fully sustainable in her
native Belize.
The company that started with 6 women making reusable Christmas gift
bags, now consolidates 90 women from 8 different villages to produce the
increasingly diverse handcrafted product line and the impact has been
tremendous. The preservation of this aspect of the Mayan culture directly
benefits the families, villages, community and country.
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