Widow's Project

In 1982, The Violence claimed the Methodist church in Chontala: the church was bombed and many of the men were murdered. Returning to Chontala in 1983, Pastor Diego restarted the church, but found that most of its members were now women with almost no food or money.

He then helped to set up a widow's collective so that women could sell their handicrafts to support themselves. Rather than provide money, the church provided starting materials, with the intention that the members would become self-sufficient quickly, and many did. As time went by, the project grew in ambition and scope, to the point where it now includes schooling, health care services, and vocational training as well as handicraft sales.

While at the project, we are served a tasty, filling lunch and get the opportunity to watch some of the women weaving on backstrap looms. The idea of aiding social change while shopping is a powerful lure for many of us, and soon calculators are flying and many quetzales are changing hands.

A member of the project weaves on a traditional backstrap loom as Mira, the photographer, apparently loses her balance and tips over...