Telling Stories, Seeing Change

Devin Montalto has been a member of Ruraq Maki’s Board for the past four years and has worked with the organization from its inception. Here she shares her experience with Ruraq Maki.

I am a native San Franciscan with a strong foundation in advocacy work and education. I have been involved with Ruraq Maki since 2009 and joined the board in 2012. I recognize that in my life I have continually had the privilege of access to information and resources as well as creative classes and opportunities. Working with Ruraq Maki I have been able assist others in acquiring access to information based off their own needs and interests.

Because I have been with Ruraq Maki since its inception I have done everything from fundraising planning and implementation to promotion, managing volunteers, acting as oversight and support for the Director and taking care of any bumps in the road along the way. Recently as our board has grown and my role has become more specific I have begun to interview the woman of the Yanamilla Prison in order to asses what their needs are and what type of education and enrichment courses they are interested in. This information will help Ruraq Maki best meet the needs of the women as well as gain access to funding and possible grants.

It is important to me as we work with these populations of women, that we are truly listening and representing them as best we can, that their voices are heard and their stories told. Watching the enjoyment, empowerment and capability that comes from taking classes that fulfill their desires, needs and interests is the main reason that I love the work that I do with Ruraq Maki.

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To Bring Rays of Hope and Joy

 

Shivani Mittal has been a Board Member at Ruraq Maki for the past three years. Here she discusses the vital role she plays in the organization and what motivates her to keep going.

Why are you a Board Member of Ruraq Maki?

Being a woman and coming from a country where more than 20% of population lives below the poverty line, I have always felt a very strong affinity to support the needs of women all around the world. After finishing my graduate school, I moved to the Bay Area in California for my job. Soon I started exploring opportunities to bring a meaningful change in the lives of impoverished women in underdeveloped nations and joined Ruraq Maki to make this aspiration come true.

Ruraq Maki supports incarcerated women in Peru and female weavers in Bolivia in a very unique way. Focused on identifying different talents in these women, we help them gain expertise in their area of interest by organizing various classes and workshops. The organization creates economic opportunities for these women by selling their beautiful products in United States along with helping them acquire the necessary skills that will earn them a livelihood on a permanent basis.

What do you do?

I am responsible for driving Ruraq Maki’s Sales and Marketing efforts. In this capacity I am on a continuous lookout for opportunities to exhibit and sell Ruraq Maki products at fair trade prices. I coordinate with craft fairs and festivals all across the Bay Area throughout the year.

I am also involved in fundraising efforts and seek donations from individuals and local businesses in the area.

Why do you love doing it?

I have always been keen on giving back to the community. Supporting other women gives me a sense of immense peace and pleasure. Bringing a positive change in someone’s life is a valuable and unequaled experience for me.

I personally feel very confident that Ruraq Maki has succeeded in bringing rays of hope and joy in the lives of many underprivileged women which is why I love what I do for this organization.

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WARP Conference 2015 Recap

Weaving a Real Peace (WARP) is a network of weavers, academics, and those interested in preserving traditional textiles with a mission to "foster a global network of enthusiasts who value the importance of textiles to grassroots economies".

Weaving a Real Peace (WARP) is a network of weavers, academics, and those interested in preserving traditional textiles with a mission to “foster a global network of enthusiasts who value the importance of textiles to grassroots economies”. Many members are involved in small projects in artisan communities, and like Ruraq Maki, are working to preserve traditional textiles while also creating fair paying economic opportunities for artisans.

On May 30th, I attended and presented at WARP’s Annual Meeting and Conference on the importance of intentional product design and development in the field of fair trade. The talk focused on low cost yet effective ways small scale organizations can build a design strategy into their products. I discussed various tips and tricks I’ve learned along the way in my journey with Ruraq Maki.

Attending the conference was a truly inspirational! There are so many people working to support artisans, preserve cultural traditions, and maintain environmental integrity in a multitude of ways. Some of the highlights of the day included: 

  • Rebecca Burgess from Fibershed spent a year wearing clothing and accessories entirely sourced from within 150 miles of the Bay Area. Her presentation included beautiful photos of the makers of her clothing, from farmers to fashion designs, all of which utilized local fibers, dyes, and labor.
  • Rocio Mena Gutierrez worked with Mayan weavers in Guatemala in a natural dyes project. Through the project, this small group of weavers strengthened their dyeing skills to achieve consistent natural dye baths and created yarn kits to sell to weavers in the U.S. The project was so successful that the women made more money from selling the kits in a few months than they earn in a year!
  • Maren Beck and Josh Hirschstein from Above the Frey  work with traditional hill tribe weavers from Laos and Vietnam. The presentation included a fascinating history of Laos along with the challenges many traditional artisans are facing.
  • Deborah Chandler and Teresa Condon discussing their new book Traditional Weavers of Guatemala, a stunning book that shares the life stories of traditional Maya weavers and includes portraits of artisans working in the ancient traditions. Chandler discussed several photos from the book and shared the stories behind the photos and artisans. Truly a treasure!

The conference concluded with a dinner and silent and live auction which helps support WARP’s operating costs throughout the year. It was wonderful to meet such a dedicated group of people and Ruraq Maki is thrilled to be a member of WARP. We look forward to attending again next year.

WARP Conference 2015 Recap

warp-logo

Weaving a Real Peace (WARP) is a network of weavers, academics, and those interested in preserving traditional textiles with a mission to “foster a global network of enthusiasts who value the importance of textiles to grassroots economies”. Many members are involved in small projects in artisan communities, and like Ruraq Maki, are working to preserve traditional textiles while also creating fair paying economic opportunities for artisans.

On May 30th, I attended and presented at WARP’s Annual Meeting and Conference on the importance of intentional product design and development in the field of fair trade. The talk focused on low cost yet effective ways small scale organizations can build a design strategy into their products. I discussed various tips and tricks I’ve learned along the way in my journey with Ruraq Maki.

Attending the conference was a truly inspirational! There are so many people working to support artisans, preserve cultural traditions, and maintain environmental integrity in a multitude of ways. Some of the highlights of the day included: 

  • Rebecca Burgess from Fibershed spent a year wearing clothing and accessories entirely sourced from within 150 miles of the Bay Area. Her presentation included beautiful photos of the makers of her clothing, from farmers to fashion designs, all of which utilized local fibers, dyes, and labor.
  • Rocio Mena Gutierrez worked with Mayan weavers in Guatemala in a natural dyes project. Through the project, this small group of weavers strengthened their dyeing skills to achieve consistent natural dye baths and created yarn kits to sell to weavers in the U.S. The project was so successful that the women made more money from selling the kits in a few months than they earn in a year!
  • Maren Beck and Josh Hirschstein from Above the Frey  work with traditional hill tribe weavers from Laos and Vietnam. The presentation included a fascinating history of Laos along with the challenges many traditional artisans are facing.
  • Deborah Chandler and Teresa Condon discussing their new book Traditional Weavers of Guatemala, a stunning book that shares the life stories of traditional Maya weavers and includes portraits of artisans working in the ancient traditions. Chandler discussed several photos from the book and shared the stories behind the photos and artisans. Truly a treasure!

The conference concluded with a dinner and silent and live auction which helps support WARP’s operating costs throughout the year. It was wonderful to meet such a dedicated group of people and Ruraq Maki is thrilled to be a member of WARP. We look forward to attending again next year.

Thank You For Your Participation

Thank you to everyone who helped make Ruraq Maki’s 4th annual auction fundraiser such a resounding success! Your participation helped us exceed our goal of raising $3,000. This will enable us to provide a week-long business development class in the prison, alongside an advanced jewelry-making class in Bolivia.

This incredible event would not have been possible without the support of eBay, our online auction platform, Bluesky, our auction management system, and the fabulous auction donors. Highlighting our auction catalogue on eBay made for animated bidding towards the end of the auction and we had a ten-fold increase in participation of our fundraiser.

Even if you didn’t win an item, your bidding helped increase the overall price of an item and encouraged others to bid. We are so grateful for everyone who participated in the event by bidding and sharing the event with others.

Missed the bidding action? You can still make an online donation or participate in our Second Chance Auction, where we list all unsold items for a lower starting bid. The Second Chance Auction will be live shortly.

Ruraq Maki also thanks the generous organizations and individuals who have contributed to the auction. We wholeheartedly recommend these community-minded businesses as choices for your patronage. 

  • Adventure Cat Sailing Charters
  • Alex and Ani
  • Amici’s East Coast Pizzeria
  • Annemarie Skincare
  • Aquarium of the Bay
  • Arizmendi Bakery (9th Avenue)
  • Asian Art Museum
  • Atlantis Casino
  • Bay City Bike
  • Berkeley Symphony Orchestra
  • California Academy of Sciences
  • CA Shakespeare Festival
  • Clif Family Winery
  • Cole Hardware
  • The Dailey Method
  • Davids Tea
  • Disney
  • Easy Breezy Frozen Yogurt
  • Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco
  • Four Barrel Coffee
  • Gilroy Gardens
  • Go Car Tours
  • Goat Hill Pizza
  • Ghirardelli
  • Harbin Hot Springs
  • Incredible Adventures
  • Jessup Cellars
  • Julie Wang
  • Lovejoy’s Tea Room
  • Marilyn Jaeger Skincare
  • The Marsh
  • Moshi-Moshi
  • Moshin Vineyards
  • Mozzarella di Bufala
  • Micah Riot
  • Munchery
  • Noble Breed
  • ODC
  • Pacific Park
  • Pauline’s Pizza
  • Pier 39
  • Planet Granite
  • Pocket Opera
  • Poor House Bistro
  • Rishi Tea
  • Sacramento Zoo
  • San Francisco Ballet
  • SF Jazz Center
  • SF Opera Association
  • Shancez Street Studio
  • Soulcycle
  • Sports Basement
  • Sugar Bowl Resort
  • Terra Mia Ceramic
  • Wild Heart Beauty Salon