Mission Trip to Guatemala in October!

We are really excited to tell you about our October trip — a trip to change you!  Take your choice of what you would like to do while on this trip– help with repairs and building or teach Vacation Bible School.

We will be working at a small school in the western highlands of Guatemala.  This remote little school is situated high on a volcanic mountain and contains only 3 classrooms and 3 teachers. Because of limited resources they need our help with repairs and with a building project at the school and have also invited us to present VBS to the children at the school.

You will have time to:

• take your choice of work projects — building/repairs or teaching Vacation Bible School
• meet the artisans we work with and visit their communities and homes
• maybe see how they make those delicious tortillas by hand
• learn a little of a Mayan language – T”zutujil, Kakchiquel or K’iche
• visit other villages in the rural highlands  and see beautiful Lake Atitlan
• see the colonial city of Antigua
• share God’s love while helping our neighbors in Guatemala
• maybe teach a little English in our spare time at the school
• view weaving demonstrations on a backstrap loom and foot pedal loom

We will be building a new kitchen stove for the school!

Learn more about this trip of a lifetime at our website and then email us for more information!

Hurry before the trip fills up!

Visit beautiful Lake Atitlan

Help us present Vacation Bible School to the little children!

Meet the artisans and see their villages.

Beautiful cathedral – La Merced – in Antigua.

Education And …………….. More

Recently a supporter asked why the name  ‘Education And More’   for the organization when we do so much with artisan groups and helping them earn a fair wage– “What has that got to do with education?”

Maybe we don’t often explain the reason for our name, but we are all about education.

We believe education is vitally important to reducing poverty and there are many types of educational opportunities that we offer. Just helping a student with a way to attend school isn’t often enough in a developing country because the students face so many problems outside the classroom.  They lack sufficient food in their daily lives and are often less healthy –  therefore are at a disadvantage in learning.  By focusing our work on helping in many aspects of their lives, the students, their families and communities  can look forward to a better future.

What types of educational help do we offer?

1. Sponsorship to Public Schools — Primary grades, Junior High grades, High School, Career schools, Technical school, and University
2. Practical Education — sewing classes;  marketing,  technical , and product design help and education
3. Christian Education through Bible study, Vacation Bible School presentations, Christian films
4. Schools — we offer help to small schools by providing the administration and teachers the tools they need: textbooks, computer labs, school supplies for the teachers as well as students, repairs and upgrades to the school building, and more.

What is the ‘And More’ in our name…………..

1.  help to artisans through a Fair Trade wage.
2. increased self worth and dignity to the artisans and students because of achievements in their handcraft businesses and in their education
3. sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ
4. building relationships with trust and  friendship
5. interest free micro-credit loans to help them expand their handcraft businesses
6. giving cash advances for family emergencies
7. long term relationships with the students and parents so they know someone cares if they succeed

We would love you to become involved in helping us provide Education ……….And More!

How Busy Are You In Your Daily Life

Not enough hours in the day?  Too many chores with working a job for 8 hours and then coming home to all the household chores?  Isn’t it wonderful that we have a car to get where we are going, a dishwasher, a washing machine  and clothes dryer for the clothes, an electric stove and refrigerator? Even with all these appliances we still never seem to have enough time.

Most of the artisans we help in Guatemala have none of these conveniences.  Their lives are extremely difficult.  Their hand weaving is their job during the day and they work at weaving for about 4-6 hours or more to help earn income for the family.

They do a lot of walking every day — none of the artisans have vehicles.

Many of them have kitchens that consist of nothing more than what would be called a cooking pit — like an outdoor campfire.  This is extremely dangerous because it is so easy for the children to get burnt.  If they have a little more money they may have a wood burning stove which is like a concrete barbeque grill.

Many families cannot afford a bed and  mattress and use these woven reed mats as their beds.

Some women use a large rock to wash clothes while many others have a pila — which is a large outdoor sink with a washboard built right into it.  This large sink is used for all types of washing — dishes, clothes, bathroom sink to brush your teeth, etc. Often you will see women washing clothes in the lake because of no running water at home.

Families don’t eat much meat because they can’t afford it but when they do want chicken for dinner, the work involves butchering a chicken.

Shopping for groceries involves walking to the local market or to one of the stores and then carrying back whatever is purchased.

Most times they work together with other women in the community or with extended family members to get the large jobs done.   Even with all the hard work they are joyful and appreciative of everything they have in their lives.

We are all busy — no matter where we live — hectic and busy daily lives caring for our families. Will you take a moment to pray for our artisans and their families?

Helping Artisans in Their Daily Lives

Most of the artisans we work with live in the rural areas of Guatemala and they all have similar styles of homes.  The homes are really small in comparison to homes in the U.S. and typically have none of the luxuries.

Most homes have the kitchen on the outside of the home because the home consists of just one room– the all in one room– which is used for a bedroom/ living room.

Some homes are made of a clay/mud mixture with a bamboo type of poles to construct the walls. Adobe homes are quite common because the family can make the adobe  bricks themselves and not need to buy them.

This home is made of adobe bricks but was painted white at one time. Many homes are never painted — the adobe is left natural– like the photo below.

Of course some of our artisans simply do not have money for even minor repairs to their houses but Education And More is looking into ways to help all our artisans have better homes, repaired roofs, sanitary outhouses — because with better sanitary living conditions the health of the whole family is improved.

This mother and her children live in dire conditions and need help in so many areas of their lives.  We have helped the mother to earn a fair wage with her weaving so she can support her family , helped with shoes, school supplies and other necessities but we will now be emphasizing on helping  to improve the living conditions by helping with the repair of the homes.

Would you like to go to Guatemala and help??

Be sure to watch for news on our website and in this blog about how we will be helping repair the artisans homes and sharing  the Gospel of Jesus Christ through Vacation Bible School and Adult Bible Study classes.  Mission teams will be forming in the coming months!

Educational Weaving Tour to Guatemala

Do you want to see how Fair Trade benefits artisans and their families and learn more about Fair Trade?

Do you want to learn more about Education And More?

Do you love to travel?

Do you want to meet Mayan artisans and get to know them in their daily lives?

Do love textiles and would you like to learn how to weave on a backstrap loom?

Come to Guatemala with Education And More on their Educational Weaving Tour to Guatemala.

We have 2 trips scheduled for 2013 — one trip in January and the other in August.

Check out the webpage for more information!

Fair Trade Benefits Our Artisans

Juan and his family are extremely poor.

They live in a small, poor village on one of the mountains near Lake Atitlan in Guatemala. Juan and his wife are illiterate but he has a skill that gives him a little income to help his family– he carves backstrap looms by hand.  Backstrap looms are used by most of the Mayan women to weave all types of fabric for household use and to also make clothing.  However, backstrap looms last a long time so Juan’s sales are not great because women don’t need to replace them very often.

Juan and his wife have 13 children and they live in a one room home with a dirt floor kitchen attached.

We have talked with Juan and his wife about their needs and the first thing they mentioned was a new house or repairs to their present house.  The second thing they talked of was needing sufficient food for their children. The third item was help with sending their children to school.

Our work with the artisans not only gives them dignity in their work and in receiving a fair wage for that work but with the profits that we have from selling their products we return it to Guatemala to help better the lives of the artisans and their families.

Juan is a humble man – he doesn’t want handouts but really wants to work. With his carving work  and the extra benefits through our Fair Trade work, we are hoping to help  Juan and his family.

We would like to thank all our customers that have bought Juan’s backstrap looms!  Every sale helps him and his family earn money to be able to live a little better!

If you would like to help support our project for Educational Support of our artisan families please donate to our Educational Support Fund or sponsor one of Juan’s children to attend school.

If you would like to order one of Juan’s handcarved looms check out our webstore or order any one of our other Fair Trade products to help another artisan!