Team Guatemala (Team G) is helping #LaunchStrongWomen through an event with the LaunchPad to kick off Women’s History Month. A pop-up shop in the glass cube on the first floor of Bird Library on Wednesday March 4 from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. will feature unique handcrafted products by women artisans of Guatemala. Sales will help empower women entrepreneurs in that country — considered among the most disadvantaged groups in Latin America. The event will showcase works by Mayan weavers, along with free pour overs of Guatemalan coffee, making it a festive marketplace bazaar. #LaunchStrongWomen is a theme of the LaunchPad’s celebration of women making history through invention and creativity.
“Team Guatemala is very excited to work with the Blackstone LaunchPad to kick of #LaunchStrongWomen with our pop-up shop on March 4th,” says Sarah Ferranti ’20, an accounting major at the Whitman School of Management and project leader of Team Guatemala. “It empowers the women of Guatemala and they embody what it means to be strong women.”
“Being the project leader of Team Guatemala has made such an impact on my college career. I traveled to Guatemala both in 2018 and this past winter break. Meeting the young girls who we have provided scholarships to has been one of my most treasured experiences.”
“Our main goal of Team Guatemala is to help end the cycle of poverty by providing both fair wages and sending scholarships to allow girls to attend school. Mayan weaving has been a long held ancient tradition. The weaving groups mostly consist of females, mothers teach their daughters to weave to continue the tradition. Weaving is an important aspect of Mayan culture and we are proud to help allow the women to continue this tradition.”
Ferranti is working on the project with Emily Rosen ’22, a finance major in Whitman and project leader of Team Guatemala (In Training). “Entering college, I wanted to join an initiative that I found captivating,” says Rosen. Being a member of Team Guatemala has created so many amazing opportunities for me, whether it be networking with others or traveling to Guatemala to meet the young women.”
Team G empowers Mayan women, who are experts at hand weaving and beading, but often lose money selling their products for less than their worth in hopes that they will be able to purchase food for their families. For over ten years, the Syracuse University Enactus team has run this project which purchases handmade and hand-woven products from the talented Mayan women of Guatemala and sells them in the United States for a higher profit for the women entrepreneurs supporting their families. Team Guatemala then sends 90% of the proceeds directly back to the women. In its goal to end the cycle of poverty and illiteracy in Guatemala, Team G at Syracuse has sent back more than $155,000, which included over 240 scholarships for young girls, since the initiative has launched.
Please join Team G for this fun pop-up shop, learn more and about the amazing Mayan weavers, and help women of Guatemala live better lives through entrepreneurship. Together, let’s #LaunchStrongWomen