What do you think of our new logo?  Awesome right!!!  We love it and hope you do too.  We'd also like to introduce our new tagline Build Futures, Save Pasts, because our communities tell us that's what we do!

We spend a lot of time talking to the artisans we support, over 85% of whom are women. They tell us how their new jobs enable them to feed their families better, keep their children in school, get better access to health care, and give them confidence in all aspects of their lives. (Machismo is no joke in these communities). With the tools SPI provides them, they are building better futures for themselves and their families, realizing their hopes and dreams.  And they now the strongest advocates for  saving their cultural heritage.

In case you were wondering, we didn't spend money that could go to help people and sites on our new logo.  All this extraordinary work  was a generous gift from our newest board member, the branding and communications genius Cyrus Vantoch-Wood.  Thanks and welcome aboard, Cyrus!
 

 

BUILDING FUTURES AT KAMINALJUYU, GUATEMALA

 

Community Members at Kaminaljuyu, Guatemala discuss how the project has changed their lives

 

We celebrated the first anniversary of our Kaminaljuyu project last month.  Eleven women have participated in an intensive capacity training program there, and six months ago began selling products from the Rebirth-Kaminaljuyu collection. Check out the collection here!  Sales are ramping up dramatically, with February's being $518.  The women above are describing how they can pay school and doctor's fees.  The man on the right told us he originally hated the idea of his wife working, but after seeing the benefits he is now a huge advocate for women working in his community. Economic change leads to social change, and a better future for all.

 

Showing the new collection at Chotuna-Chornancap, Peru

 

BUY SPI ARTISAN PRODUCTS AT PACHACAMAC SITE MUSEUM
 

You can now buy products from all of SPI's Peruvian projects at Pachacamac's site museum just outside of Lima.  There, the amazing women of the SISAN cooperative will sell you their products and others, including the new Chotuna textile line and the stunning ceramics from San Jose de Moro.


WE NEED YOUR HELP TO CONTINUE TO BUILD FUTURES AND SAVE PASTS!

Here’s what your contribution can do:
 
$50.00 allows the weavers at Chotuna-Chornancap to spin a kilo of native cotton.
  
$250.00 allows mothers of the San José de Moro Community to provide lunch to 70 tourists.
 
$500.00 trains 10 community members for a month as artisans at our Pachacamac.

$2,000.00 provides project design and other capacity training for the women of Kaminaljuyu
 

 
You can also donate to SPI when you shop at Amazon.  SPI is a registered Amazon Smile charity, so please bookmark or start shopping on this page and we will receive .5% of whatever you spend on the site.  A great way to save sites and transform lives while doing your holiday shopping.  
 
Stay up to date on SPI news by visiting us at our website, our Twitter (@SPInitiative) Facebook, and Pinterest pages.
 
Thank you again for your continued support,
Larry Coben and the Sustainable Preservation Initiative