In Her Hands – Craftswomen Changing the World                                              Paula Gianturco and Toby Tuttle; Foreword by Alice Walker;                               The Monacelli Press, 2000.       ISBN 1-58093-068-9

All over the world, from Latin America and Africa to Eastern Europe and Asia, women in developing economies improve the lives of their families…. Continued research shows when women become active earners the economic standing of the family improves.

I found this book in a second hand bookstore – fast becoming a thing of the past – but this find was well worth the investment. Even if you are not interested in supporting the world of micro-loans and helping women empower themselves the images are sure to impress. Travel in your armchair and visit Bolivia and the Evangelina Knitters, Guatemala and the Cuyucate Weavers, Panama and the Mola Makers to name just a few. The images are striking, the text is informative with historical and cultural facts. The reader meets 18 indigenous craft cooperatives in Latin America, Eastern Europe, Africa and Asia.

I took particular notice of the book after I joined KIVA, an organization instrumental in providing micro-loans to individuals around the world. As a supporter since 2010 I have made 41 micro loans. My portfolio supports women exclusively, some are groups others are working as independent business owners. I look for loans in the arts, education, and anything that strikes me worthwhile supporting. I even started my own lending team, Textile Artists for Global Change with 17 members to date. Jointly we have made 118 loans, totaling $ 3,000. Anyone who becomes a KIVA supporter is an individual, if the person decides to join a lending team any of their individual loans count toward this lending team’s effort. Their loans are their loans – repayment is made to the KIVA lender directly. Once the loan is repaid the person may withdraw the amount or reinvest. As Canadian we cannot claim additional donations as a tax credit, however if you reside in the US any additional donations are tax deductible.

I am signing off with “In Her Hands”, which promises a journey into color and inspiration while I enjoy my morning coffee. Happy Sunday!

03 Feb This entry was published on February 3, 2013 at 11:22 am. It’s filed under Book Review, History, In the News, Networking and tagged business, current-events, economy, In Her Hands, KIVA, micro loans, Paola Gianturco, paying it forward, politics, Toby Tuttle. Bookmark the permalink. Follow any comments here with the RSS feed for this post.