there was a time the fruits of their ancient traditions
fortified their families,
seemed to keep the very stars in the sky,
the seasons of their lives spinning assuredly
one into the next.
when this perfect circle of subsistence ceased to be enough
the women of Mujeres en Cambio
brought hope, a bright idea and a door opened to a
new industry for the women
to ensure a brighter future for the children of
las rancheritas.
"In the small village of Agustin Gonzales in the central Mexican highland
near San Miguel de Allende,
industrious women spend what little free time they have hooking rugs.
You will find them working late at night by kitchen tables
after children are asleep
or perhaps you will see them sitting under a tree
in the hillside tending the cows and working on their rugs.
Their subject matter is the life around them,
mountains, cactus, cows, horses, burros, flowers, a small house,
a church, ducks, rabbits, chickens, roosters or fish.
The people of the area are subsistence farmers who grow corn,
beans and squash.
The proceeds from selling their art pieces help with paying for additional food,
children's schooling, doctor visits and other family needs.
Many of the women are the sole support of their families."
charlotte bell
nineteen years and many rug sales later
all their zealous work has paved the way to
an extraordinary opportunity.
recently the village has been gifted a brick building,
empty and silent for years at the end of the road
that winds through their village
near the entrance of Santuario Canada de la Virgin.
how fitting that the people of las rancheritas; direct descendants of
the ancient pyramids drawing sightseers,
who have farmed the land in the shadow of these ruins for generations
can now benefit from the ancient temples their ancestors built.
a store. a restaurant. a viable future.
their ambition is to serve
traditional meals from their farms and livestock
and deck the walls with their whimsical hooked rugs;
and in the shadow of the pyramids
provide for their families for generations to come.
how can you be apart of this milestone?
join me in raising funds to secure the last needs of renovation.
the village continues to do the hard labour of restoration but is at a crossroads
needing these essentials so the door of their dream may open.
solar lighting
composting toilets
and the creation of a traditional kitchen
all the donations received will support directly
the success of these last neccessary accomplishments.
i am placing my silver heart in the balance.
ten dollars=one chance
every contribution is a heart for the prosperous future of the
to make a donation through paypal
please use
charwolf100atyahoo.com
you may purchase as many tickets as you would like,
as soon as we have reached 100 tickets
will choose the winning numbers
and we will all be apart of a lifedream
coming true.
a special thank you to
Charlotte has been involved with Las Rancheritas since 2000
when she visited the village to take photographs of the women and their rugs.
She is the group photographer, marketing consultant and friend.
"Youtube" introduction:
http://www.charlottebell.com/rugs/about.htm
***
each photograph has been generously shared from the archives of charlotte bell
to give you an intimate view of
las rancheritas and the families you will be helping.
thank you
for your generosity!
support from near and afar
details of the project recuerda mi corazon
charlotte bell from las rancheritas
sue fox from finding my bliss
meri arnett-kremian at finally me
hettienne of path of divine love
stephanie of mango studio
I went along to view Charlotte's video, now I feel more closely connected to these folks and their future helped along via your "silver heart", will be buying my ticket this week!
Love Sue x
Posted by: Sue Fox | June 27, 2012 at 01:08 AM
Rebecca, what an amazing work you are doing. "la viejita" is just beautiful! I will be making a donation :)
Posted by: Ana | June 27, 2012 at 06:07 PM
Will they be in town when we are in San Miguel...would SO love to visit and to be able to purchase rugs in person.
x..x
Posted by: Stephanie | June 28, 2012 at 07:36 AM
up and running...
x..x
Posted by: Stephanie | June 28, 2012 at 10:15 AM
I will make a donation for sure, but where and how do I buy a rug?
Wonderful
Peace
Posted by: spadoman | June 29, 2012 at 05:00 AM