Last week we returned to Guatemala to visit the women we work with on Lake Atitlan. These 28 women hold a very special place in our hearts; they were the very first cooperative we started working with just over a year ago.

So why was this a SUCCESS ?

TMAC was launched in order to generate funds to be able to support & empower women across the world. Over the last year we have been finding our feet as a start-up, figuring out exactly just how we do that! How can we best serve the women that we initially set out to support?

This week everything fell into place.

Exactly one year ago when we arrived on the shores of Lake Atitlán we met Anita Cortez, the founder of Atitlán Women Weavers Cooperative. Anita is a single mother who set up AWW with a vision of creating work for single mothers around the lake. During one of our first meetings Anita confided in us that she had been given a great opportunity: to buy the property from which the women were working out of by their current landlord at a very fair price. For $40,000 USD they could buy this plot of land, securing a place to head up Atitlán Women Weavers, run a Mayan Cooking School and house some of the families.

In short, it would provide stability and security for all of the women in the cooperative. But $40,000 is a lot of money. And they had only been given one year to raise it.

Anita and TMAC came up with a plan – we were determined to find a way to make this happen!

TMAC set the ball rolling with our first large order – the very first TMAC Collection and the ladies got to work. Cooking classes, weaving lessons, making products to sell at home and abroad; a few more large orders from TMAC-esque organisations in the US, Canada and Australia. And around two weeks ago, we received a message from Anita:

‘We’re nearly there – we need $3,000 and we will have saved enough to be able to buy the property and secure these futures. Can you help?’ And of course, we could. The only reason why? Because of you. Every single one of you who has bought products from us over the last year, making this business a success. We had funds available to offer Anita an interest free loan therefore allowing the cooperative to reach their magic number.

So at this momentous moment for TMAC, we want to say a huge thank you to all of you, for being part of our journey so far.

You have made a change in the lives of a handful of women. And the exciting thing?

This is only the beginning. We’re one year in, just think how many lives we can affect positive change in over the next decade?

If you would like to continue to support us in our endeavors to create opportunities for the amazing indigenous women we work with head over to our online shop! We’re constantly updating & adding collections.

Here is to the next great success!