Creaciones Chonita

Creaciones Chonita

Creaciones Chonita is a small business employing 45 women full time and 35 women part time in Santiago, a town on the coast of Lake Atitlan. It was started by Chonita Sojuel Mendosa, an indigenous woman who lost her husband in the violence in 1981 and needed to support herself and her children.

The women make jewelry and pride themselves on the high quality of the pieces they make. Fair wages are paid to the employees. Profits of the business are used for community aid projects such as food for elders and scholarships for students. The elder project provides basic food for 50 elderly people who do not have families to care for them. Once a month, elders in the community are given $10 to purchase a food package consisting of corn, beans, coffee, sugar, eggs, and matches. The school scholarship program is designed to aid children whose families cannot afford to send them to public school. The illiteracy rate among the Mayan population in Guatemala is as high as 72% in some regions.

Elders receiving corn

Scholarship students

The land has been purchased for an elementary school for 225 children. The school was outside initially and currently is housed in rented rooms. Once the school is constructed on the land, the government will supply the teachers and a yearly pencil and notebook for each child.

Men and children on school land

A proposal for a senior citizens center is being developed.

Chonita lived in South Dakota for a few weeks in the summer of 2003. During that time she made meals for groups of people and asked for donations for special projects. $900 is being used for work on Francisca's house. The rest will be used for work on the kitchen of another woman and one more project.