NEWS & REPORTS

index of papers

Sewing Coop Hacienda la Trinidad Now Taking Orders – Come See Their Original Designs!

By Betsy Bowman, Research Associate, Center for Global Justice

Angelina Soto, the dynamo behind the women’s sewing coop Hacienda La Trinidad in El Moral, always has a sparkle in her eye, but these days she’s positively bubbling with hope.  March 15 the Center for Global Justice returns to see the new clothes the sewing coop has made and to consider ways to help these women and their coop.  On March 16, I’ll take them to the fabric fair in a town near Leon.  It’s difficult to find quality fabrics in Mexico; many are made with polyester which is oil based.  For Angelina, the struggle to sell the coop’s clothes without the use of a vehicle is matched by the difficulty in purchasing quality fabric without  a vehicle to get to urban centers.

Started in 1999 with 27 members, Angelina worked tirelessly to find small government grants to get the concrete blocks to build her workshop; to get the sewing machines; to get fabric; and to get training.  She travelled to Guanajuato and Mexico City pounding on government office doors.  Some members, discouraged by working without pay to get the business off the ground,  left the coop.  Others left under pressure from their husbands who didn’t want them working outside of the home. 

Today the revolving loan fund of the Center for Global Justice is raising money to lend to them to buy a vehicle to market their clothes and buy quality fabrics at a good price.  Angelina and the remaining six members are confident they can repay a loan.  The Center’s loan fund charges only 2% interest and has flexible terms for repayment.  Our goal is to help them; it is not to gouge borrowers. 

index of papers