October 19-20th, Sat-Sun, 2024 - Mexican Textile Weekend - In Store

This event will be held IN-PERSON at: East West Books & Gifts 110 3rd Ave N. Edmonds, WA 98020

Dates:

Saturday, October 19 | 11 - 5pm

Sunday, October 20 | 12 - 5pm

These textiles have travelled from southern Mexico to Seattle. Please enjoy and support WaterforHumans.Org and our continuing effort in that region as there are hundreds of indigenous villages in the mountains. These sales are only a small part of our fundraising efforts.

Some 15 years ago, WaterforHumans.Org was started as a nonprofit, serving Mexico to help indigenous communities with water and sanitation. We focussed on extremely rural areas in the mountains, small villages with no running water and no bathrooms. While meeting with the villagers, the women spoke up to request new cookstoves as they were cooking in their homes with “campfires.”

Smokey homes, illness and scarce firewood guided us to design an appropriate stove that the villagers have learned to build with mostly local materials. We have now been working in the Chiapas mountains where many of the women are weavers; and a Cooperative store sells their textiles.

The women learn to weave as girls and their livelihoods are dependent on the tourist trade. During the COVID pandemic we decided to buy all the textiles that were in the store to resell them here in Seattle so the village received immediate cash to buy food!