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November 18, 2016
From street vendor to micro-entrepreneur in international art & craft shows
Xiomara Arriaga is a single mother with three children, nine-year-old José Andrés, five-year-old José Daniel and four-year-old Madelin Arriaga. She is also a micro-entrepreneur. Her small business is called “Art, the Blessing” and sells artisanal goods made from indigenous Lenca textiles: bags, handkerchiefs, scarves, necklaces, lanyards and more. Thanks to the training offered through the Ruta Lenca Joint Programme she has learnt how to diversify her products, generate added value and handle basic financial information.
Before being part of the group that received training in human rights and the ILO’s Convention No. 169 from the Joint Programmes’ specialists in gender, culture and ethnicity, she would spend cold nights selling crocheted hats and scarves in a park in the city of La Esperanza, where her sales reached around 100 lempiras, adding up to about US$5 a day and approximately US$25 a week. Now, as part of the Lenca Art Association (Asociación Arte Lenca) she has the opportunity to share her experiences with other artisans and is part of a network that has allowed her to position her products on national markets, including in cities such as San Pedro Sula and Tegucigalpa.
According to the testimonials of numerous artisans, for Xiomara and other Lenca women, this kind of craftsmanship is not only a way to generate income, but also helps connect them to their culture and establish a relationship with nature and the community, all while passing down this traditional knowledge to the younger generation and reclaiming their collective rights.
She is part of the group of artisans that recently received 270,000 lempiras (US$11,793) in seed funding (the initial capital for the development of a business idea) to create artisanal products using materials native to the Lenca region: textiles, pine wood and semi-precious stones such as obsidian, jade and opals. This will help revalue and revitalize the indigenous Lenca culture as well as stimulating its economy to help break out of the cycle of poverty and extreme poverty.
A businesswoman of international renown
Xiomara already understands the ins and outs of acting as a supplier for international events. It involves purchasing materials, identifying who can help her with the sewing and calculating the amount of time needed for production. To date, she has participated in three international events, producing a total of 2,700 lanyards using Lenca textiles.
Xiomara’s entrepreneurial spirit is also reflected in her ability to coordinate and motivate members of her community. Her house acts as a meeting point for learning new sales techniques, sharing information and seeing what trade fairs are coming up and what products can be taken to them.
Xiomara also points out that this skill-building process has not only helped her develop her business, but has also given her the confidence to feel more secure, draw attention to the role of women in the economy and promote partnerships with other suppliers’ groups, thus building business networks.
Young people like me need opportunities to help pull us out of poverty
“Before, I had no job and no way of generating an income for my family. I never imagined I would be able to create temporary jobs for other members of the group [the Lenca Art Association]. Young people like me need opportunities to help pull us out of poverty,” says Xiomara.
Xiomara has been surprised by her own potential and ability, becoming leader of the Lenca Art Association and a leading figure in the artisan community more generally. But she also recognizes the benefits of having her own business, which allows her to work from home and raise and look after her children.
These training activities for the development of financial and entrepreneurial skills are being undertaken within the framework of the “Promotion of culture and tourism for local development in Ruta Lenca” Joint Programme- also known as the Ruta Lenca Joint Programme- which is being co-funded by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), UN Women and the Secretary for Economic Development (SEDE), with the support of the Sustainable Development Goals Fund and funding from the Spanish Government. The project is expected to reach 4,300 people directly and 10,500 indirectly, with a focus on women and young people.
Key Points
- Xiomara Arriaga, a young indigenous Lenca artisan, can now cover her family’s household expenses through the sale of her products. Her monthly income is almost ten times greater thanks to her micro-business.
- She has created five temporary jobs to help fill the orders she receives.
- She has supplied lanyards for three large, international events. She produced 1,500 lanyards for the AgroMercados trade fair, 600 for a Marca País Honduras event and 600 for the Sistema de la Integración Centro Americana (SICA) summit.
Spanish version by Roberto Reyes, SDG Fund Honduras, in collaboration with Melissa Lopez, Wilma Calderon and Jesus Perez.Translated into English by Nuria Diez del Corral
