This year on March 8th, international Women’s Day will be celebrated all around the world. This day is a great occasion to put the spotlight on one of the very important topics of today’s societies: Women working and supporting their families. The United Nations’ theme of this year’s festivities is thus “Empowering Women, Empowering Humanity”.

The international Women’s Day is also celebrated here in the Sierra Gorda, right in front of our doorstep. To honor the women living and working in the Sierra Gorda, we want to present to you a project that is supported by the Grupo Ecológico de Sierra Gorda. In this project, an embroidery workshop, local women produce shirts, bags, phone cases and much more, all with traditional nature motives. By supporting this workshop, the Grupo Ecológico not only supports the financial well-being of the women, but also their personal growth.

We had the opportunity to speak to a small group of these women about their work, their motivation, their live and goals. Every question in the following interview is answered by a different woman from the workshop, and everyone gives their personal view and opinion.

Your products are so successful now, they do not only sell locally, but are also sold in other parts of the world. But how did you start this workshop?

We started as a small project. There was a competition between the communities, and one of the communities that embroidered best, was ours. So with that we started to embroider in public places first: the school, the church. We then rented a small room, and received a lot of support from foundations to buy land and build the workshop. There are now about 30 women working, cutting, painting, packaging, and embroidering.

So since your group originated out of the contest, did you know how to embroider before? Did you learn it at home, or did you take any classes, before or after this contest?

The majority of the women knew how to embroider before, others were being taught by their mothers little by little. But yes, we have also improved a lot thanks to the help of Maestra Marina, especially our stitches. She has taught us new embroideries, and how to choose and combine colors. Quality is very important to us in our work.

In July 2015, the workshop will exist 9 years. Since when are you working on these embroideries as a cooperation, as an association?

It has been 9 years that we are working together, but only about six years ago we established the group officially and called ourselves “taller de bordado”.

Besides the embroidery workshop you also have a kitchen – how is the organization there? You are 30 women, 30 family-leaders – how do you get the work done?

That is true, we are 30 family-leaders. Usually we get a call from the central office, telling us that a group is arriving. We have already formed groups, and we know whose turn it is, and we also already know the menu ahead of time. Usually we use produce and foods that are produced locally.

What did you do before starting the workshop and working on the embroideries? Did your life change after joining the group, and if so, how? How do you feel, as working women? What you are doing is a great success, especially for the community in which you are living, and to be able to support your household – how do you feel about all of that?

I feel very content, because before that I didn’t do anything, well I raised my children and took care of the house. When I decided to join the embroidery workshop, it felt really good to earn my own money. I feel happy, I like what I do, and the only difficulty was to organize my commitments, in regards to my children and the house. Now I feel freer than before.

Do you feel like this workshop has changed you, your way of thinking, your way of living?

Yes, everything has changed a lot. We work together with a group of women, we learn from each other… I really enjoy this.

Most of you are married, with a family. How did your husbands react, when you told them that you were going to join the workshop?

My husband told me that he wasn’t worried whatsoever. He said that if I thought I could take care of the family besides working, then he’d trust me. I have never had problems with my husband, concerning my work. He supports me a lot, even if I have to go away for a meeting, he never objects or doubts me. He has never given me reason to worry. Because of this I feel really grateful.

How do you think has your family life changed? How has your life in general changed since you started working in the workshop?

More than anything, it has changed because before we didn’t have work. And when we started working, we became aware that we had more possibilities. We became aware of our knowledge and of what we were able to do, namely the embroideries. We work very responsibly, often times working from home. But even then, we have to stick to deadlines and finish within the given time.

What, according to you, should change in the future? What would need to improve so that you can continue growing?

Well we would need more resources, more clients, also to provide a future to our children. Maybe one day our children will also be working with the embroideries, and the people will already know them. We would love for more people to know us, and to visit us.

What is the thing you like most about living in the Sierra Gorda?

I love the tranquility of living in a small community. In the mornings when you wake up you hear the birds, you feel the crisp air. This is what I like. There are very few cars, the children can play outside. Everyone knows each other, there are almost no strangers in the community.

If you, too, want to get to know the workshop, they are happy to welcome you! The workshop can be found in “La Colgada” in Pinal de Amoles.