By Lindsay Mulhollen
Since 2009, the Pulsera Project has been coloring the world one pulsera at a time. It was on a trip to the country of Nicaragua where the idea for the project began, after a few friends were gifted with pulseras from a group of local artisans. Pulseras, the Spanish word for bracelets, are the beautiful, handwoven works of art created by the local artisans of Central America.
Since selling its first pulsera 11 years ago, the Pulsera Project has been recognized as a non-profit by the United States. Though it started in a single classroom, the project has now spread to over 2,000 schools in the United States alone, bringing a splash of color and a part of Central American culture to all fifty states.
Each pulsera sold comes with a tag indicating the artist who created it. The money raised from sales help to employ Nicaraguan and Guatemalan artists and promote fair trade practices. To date, the non-profit has raised over four million-dollars, which has gone a long way in empowering communities in Central America, creating jobs, and establishing educational programs.
Wanting to stay true to their mission, the founders of the Pulsera Project put in place 15 core values. Each value stands as an important notion that when combined represents the project best. They are:
1. Jobs
2. Human Rights
3. Leadership
4. Sustainable Philanthropy
5. Values Education
6. Fair Trade
7. Environment
8. Sustainability
9. Traditional Education
10. Service
11. Innovation
12. Community
13. Succession
14. Frugality
15. Fun, Beauty, Adventure
If you’re in an organization that promotes one or more of the above listed values, consider supporting the Pulsera Project! By visiting the non-profit’s website, you can find all the information you need at the click of a button. The Pulsera Project supplies you with everything you need - all you need to do is determine your sale period and return any unsold items with the provided pre-paid return postage. It couldn’t be easier!
If you happened to stop by the Student Smith Center during common hour the week of September 11th and the 18th, you might have seen one of Slippery Rock University’s own organizations, SOL, adding color and culture to campus buy selling pulseras! In addition to the pulseras, headbands were also sold. Each pulsera was only five dollars and came with its own tag identifying the artists who created it.
Did you miss out on the sale and still want a pulsera? Or would like to give them as a gift? You are still able to purchase them through the non-profit’s website, pulseraproject.org!
Photo Credit
Lindsay Mulhollen @lindsay_mulhollen
