LS&Co. Unzipped

Welcome to our blog. Here’s where you’ll find a “behind-the-seams” look at what’s going on with Levi Strauss & Co. You’ll hear from a variety of voices, from both inside and outside the company. And you have the chance to share your thoughts. So read on — and weigh in!

Aug 04 2011

Handmade Hope in Guatemala...and at Levi's®

The people – that’s what inspired me most when I first lived in Guatemala as a college student.

The strength, determination, and spirit of Guatemala’s indigenous people, despite the unspeakable hardships they had endured and the battles they are still fighting today: poverty, discrimination, illiteracy, and malnutrition.

The indigenous people of Guatemala completely captured my heart. I felt an obligation to partner with them and to be part of a solution: to connect them to the resources and markets they needed to build a better future.

What does that partnership look like? Giving them what they need most – work.

My organization, Mercado Global, partners with more than 360 indigenous women artisans in the highlands of rural Guatemala to develop unique, high quality bag, scarf, jewelry and home collections that are sold in the U.S. From those sales, Mercado Global in turn pays our partner artisans on average three times more than what they would normally earn working farms or selling goods to tourists on the streets.

How does our partnership affect their lives? Our partner artisans are able to feed their families more nutritious food and send their children to school – many for the first time.

Training programs Mercado Global has put into place help educate artisans on personal health, self esteem, building new skills, leadership, business and financial literacy. Ultimately, these women emerge as strong leaders capable of effecting change in their communities.

Levi Strauss & Co. and Levi Strauss Foundation have been -- and continue to be -- essential core partners for Mercado Global and our artisans. Our partnerships position Levi’s® as a leader in sourcing products that empower rural women to lift their families out of poverty as well as provide the resources we need to continue to develop our training programs and bring our model to more communities. Learn more about our partnerships in the video below.

Purchase a scarf at a Levi’s® store or Levi.com and you are playing a part in supporting our mission. You, too, can partner with us to provide opportunity and a better future to indigenous families in Guatemala.

Muchas gracias!

Images by Suzanne Becker Bronk

Levi Strauss partners with Mercado Global from Mercado Global on Vimeo.

Posted By: Ruth DeGolia, Executive Director, Mercado Global

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Tags: Fashion,Levi Strauss & Co.,Levi's®,Social Responsibility

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