Juana

Friendship Bridge client since 2001; part of Handmade by Friendship Bridge® since 2018

Juana lives in the rural community of Santa Lucía Utatlán in the department of Sololá. Her father could only afford to send her to school for a year and a half—as the eldest child, Juana was expected to support the family so the younger children could eat.

The Artisan’s History
Juana married a tailor, and began working alongside him in the business. Together, the couple would travel to multiple locations to sell the pants, shirts, and other items that they made. The business thrived and soon they hired employees from the community to fulfill orders.

The Friendship Bridge Impact
When some of their customers began to default on payments for items ordered, their business began to lose money. Juana Gloria joined Friendship Bridge to get the business back on track. She’s also learned a sense of empowerment to make her own decisions. She’s learned the most from training topics on budget, investment, managing debt, and design. Now, Juana and her husband serve two different markets: She creates items such as backpacks, pot holders, and fabric home decor items; her husband still makes clothing.