ERP Update...Alfarerias (earthenware handicrafts) and Panaderias (bread makers)

We also worked with two womens groups – a group of women in La Paz who make breads and a group of women in Yarumela who make handicrafts with mud and earth. These projects consisted of organizing the women who have traditionally worked independently, so that they could pool their resources and be more effective in the production and sales of their crafts. In addition, they received funds that went directly to purchasing materials and improving conditions in their work areas. The Alfareria project included roughly 50 women and provided each woman with additional supplies of mud and paint for making their crafts. These women have travel costs of roughly 50 Lempiras roundtrip every time they travel to purchase the mud they use. Their other major cost is in the paint for finishing the figurines. In the photos you can see the oven for firing as well as the variety of figurines all made by hand - nativity scenes, bride/groom wedding figurines, animals, and small and large pots. Each figurine takes between 15 minutes and an hour to make, another two hours for baking, and then they are painted by hand. They cost between 50 and 100 Lempiras ($2.50 to $5.00)

The Pan Paceno project included roughly 30 women who received benefits in the form of improved ovens or a shed to cover their work space for protection from the heat and sun. These ovens are heated with firewood and are located in the patios behind their houses. Most of the types of bread they make are traditional Honduran biscuits - small hard breads for dipping in coffee. In the photos you can see some of the variety these women make - pan dulce, rosquillas, quesadillas, and torta. A bag of ne of these breads costs between 5 and 15 Lemiras ($0.25 - $0.75)