INFORMATION ABOUT WEAVERS OF HOPE

What is it?

A non-profit corporation dedicated to helping the people in a small village in central Mexico work towards becoming more self-sufficient thru education and job opportunities.

How and when did it get started?

It began in February 2003 during a Just Faith class. The class is an intensive learning and hands on experience that links gospel values with social justice issues throughout the world. A group of students in this class got connected to this little village, made an exploratory trip, and began this work.

Where is this small village?

Villa Garcia is the village, and it is located in the state of Zacatecas in central Mexico, about a 16 hour drive from Austin.

Who is involved in this work?

We are 100% volunteers, so other than minimal administrative costs, all of the donations go directly into the programs which help the people. The organization has grown steadily since its inception, and now has many supporters throughout the Austin area and beyond.

What does this work actually do to help the people of Villa Garcia?

It helps in 3 ways:

Systemic Change:
This represents about 80% of our total efforts. There is a sponsorship program that helps young people, with a real chance to succeed, to stay in school. There are now 37 sponsored students from grade school through the university level. The university students are being trained to become community leaders, and are also helping to mentor the younger students. Relationships are encouraged between sponsors and students through letters (with translations), shared scripture readings, and sponsor visits to Villa Garcia.

Fair Trade:
This program, which comprises about 15% of our time and energy, was developed in conjunction with the local weavers in the village. We have negotiated with them to pay a fair price for the rugs and tapestries which they produce. We then bring these products back to the US and sell them at various fair trade shows in the community. ALL of the profits from these sales go back into our other projects in the village.

Direct help to the Most Needy:
This program (5% of our effort) is offered when there are sufficient funds in our account. It is designed to help with special cases in the community which are not necessarily education related.

Who monitors the program in Mexico?

Sr. Fran Smith, a Catholic sister, is the primary contact in Villa Garcia. She monitors our projects with considerable care, wisdom, and insight. She has lived and worked in the community since 1998.

She works with village leaders, school principals, and faculty in order to decide which students we should sponsor. She then follows up with the students and their families, monitors academic progress, and handles the distribution of all sponsorship money. Her presence in the village allows us to select students who are motivated to succeed and accept their responsibilities in a mature way. It is important that the parents of these students are also strongly committed to the education of their children.

Sr. Fran also works closely with an extremely dynamic local community leader and his family in Villa Garcia. They were born and raised in the village, are well educated, and have high integrity. This allows them to provide valuable input on a variety of subjects. They also make their home computer and printer available for Sr. Fran to use, and help with various administrative projects.

Sr. Fran visits Austin about once a year, and our team members visit Villa Garcia about 2 or 3 times per year. When Sr. Fran is in Austin she speaks with sponsors, works with our project team, visits groups who are interested in this work, and helps to get the word out to other potential supporters.

What exactly do you want from groups and individuals?

We would like you to be aware of this work, and to support it with your prayers. If you could provide any material support it would be most appreciated.

How can we get more information about some of the details of this work?

We have a power point presentation that gives an excellent overview of these programs in a little more detail, along with various photos of the people, the village, and the surrounding area. Jack Kern would be glad to present it to any individual or group that is interested, and answer any questions that you may have. He can be reached at 512-320-0996 or Kern.Jack@gmail.com.