Success Stories

For a group of Bolivian artisans, overhead takes on a whole new meaning.

The women of Comunidad Wiñay, a ceramic workshop in Cochabamba, Bolvia, desperately needed improved work conditions. As one artisan put it, “When it was windy and the sun was strong, we got burned, we got wet, and we lost some products just for the reason that we did not have a good structure on top.” What’s more, they yearned for a more secure environment for their children who accompany them to the cooperative’s daycare center.

They turned to Aid to Artisans (ATA), a U.S.-based nonprofit organization that offers practical assistance and training to artisan enterprises throughout the developing world, and that had been working in partnership with Wiñay to bring their products to market.

During a visit, Aid to Artisans recognized that a simple roof could provide the group’s 23 artisans with a much safer work environment and improved production capabilities. So, the organization got in touch with the ATA clients who help market Winay’s products and solicited their support. The result: cash donations totaling US$750 and offers to advance payment for upcoming orders – all to facilitate construction of the roof before the approaching rainy season.

Without interrupting production, Comunidad Wiñay built a roof for the workshop and adjacent daycare center in just six days and for a total cost of US$950. With an eye toward an even more productive future, the group’s president noted, “The principal goal was the roof, it covers us from the rain and wind. We can work better. The next project has to be the construction of the walls in order to have more protection of the environment.”

You, too, can help shelter the future of our One Shared World.