Teardrop Crafts was formed in 1986 to market textiles made by the refugee Maya who fled the massacres in Guatemala. The Comité del D.F. de Ayuda a Refugiados Guatemaltecos, in Mexico, organized a handicraft project to achieve three objectives. There was an immediate need for the refugees to earn an income. Beyond that was the need to preserve the cultural heritage of the Mayan textiles, and for the Mayan women to express their worth in their skill with the backstrap loom.

Since 1986 we have extended our efforts by selling work from many artisan groups in other countries.

Teardrop Crafts is a volunteer and not-for-profit initiative.

All those involved in the project are volunteers. As well as being involved with craft sales we are also members of national, international or Church support groups.

Refugees and marginalized peoples turn to their native skills in order to survive. While they can produce beautiful work they have great difficulty in reaching customers. Their only options are either a predatory tourist market or the exploitive dealer and wholesaler system. In the past few years support organizations such as the Mennonites and OXFAM have intervened to provide a non-exploitive distribution network. Our work is similar, only for producers too small to be helped by these large organizations.

We have had personal contact with either the artisans themselves or with people who work directly with them. The producers usually need money to buy materials so our orders to them are often pre-paid. The articles are then sent to us by parcel post. In order to cover shipping, exchange, customs and a few other expenses, we have a small mark up. Any money which accumulates is returned to the producers.

Teardrop Crafts
2600 Columbia Avenue
Castlegar, B.C., Canada, V1N 2X6
tdrop@web.ca

© 1998-01-22 George Richards          update=170704