Period 3/4 students getting the bracelets ready to display for our sale next week.
8th Grade Spanish students, along with the Caring Cougars and the Community Service Club, are working together with the nonprofit organization The Pulsera Project to bring an exciting opportunity to CMS. What is The Pulsera Project all about? Here’s how the organization describes themselves:
“The Pulsera Project buys hand-woven pulseras [or bracelets
in English] from young Nicaraguan artisans and artisan families and sells them
mostly through U.S. schools. We provide sustainable, fair-trade employment and
dramatically expand economic opportunities for many Nicaraguans. We support
youth shelters, fund scholarships, provide loans, and support community
development projects run by members of our pulsera makers’ co-op of shelter
“graduates”.
Throughout the week of April 14-18 students will have the
chance to purchase hand woven pulseras (bracelets) made by Nicaraguan artisans
for only $5 during lunch! Spanish students have a special opportunity to purchase bracelets during our pre-sale today and tomorrow. What an incredible (and colorful!) way to
make a difference in the life of someone else!
Intrigued? Watch this short
video to learn more!
What did you learn from participating in the Pulsera project?
ReplyDeleteWhile participating in the Pulsera Project, I've realized and learned a lot of things. I've realized that a lot of the time I, and other people, take advantage of the fact that we have more than $2 to spend a day, and we don't really think about how much we spend and what we spend it on. This include things that we buy that aren't essential to our survival, such as cell phones, iPads, certain foods and sweets like candy and ice cream, etc., while many people in Nicaragua live a daily life of 'what-ifs?'. 'What if I can't find water? What if I can't find food? What if I don't have money to provide for my family.' Or 'Where will I get the things that are essential to my good health? What if I can't afford the medication that will help my kid get well?'
Although some people here in the U.S. do take advantage of their money, some don't realize it. That's why it came as a quite a shock when I learned that many kids in Nicaragua--and probably in many other countries as well-- are left abandoned on the side of a road or in a hospital, some only babies and kids, to fend for themselves because their parents can't provide for them. A lot of these kids are left there, instead of going to an orphanage or being taken to child services like they are here in the U.S. Their parents can't take care of them because most of them have a poor economy status, and they aren't paid well enough to pay for others, let alone themselves.
I am very glad that the creators of the Pulsera Project are such good people, and that they decided to start an organization to help others who are not as fortunate as themselves. Not only is that a show of selflessness, but also a way that can save and benefit many lives, and give to people who don't lead lives with happiness, happiness. :)
Another thing I've learned is that while we are also paying for a beautiful bracelet, we are also giving to people across the world a life of prosperity. We're giving them money that helps them to pay for food rich in proteins and vitamins, beds that can provide comfort, clean water that can't give them disease, medicine, and, most of all, money to help them and their kids to survive, and receive an education. That in turn is not only providing for people now, but also for future generations.
From the Pulsera Project, I learned that life isn't fair. When Señora Tiernan-Fisher presented us with this question: What would you do if you could only had two dollars a day to spend? My classmates and I laughed, because the idea seemed to ridiculous even to think about. Soon, we learned it was no laughing matter; for many people, this question wasn't hypothetical. It was reality. It is unfair, that so many people are living with just the basic things they need, while my friends and I waste out money on things like clothes and accessories. This is why when I first learned about the project, I really wanted to help. It really is a beautiful idea: one person creates his/her joy through weaving a bracelet, and another person gets to wear it. The two people may never meet, but they will feel the same happiness. I hope that the Pulsera Project will continue to grow, and I am grateful for this humbling experience.
ReplyDeleteFrom the Pulsera project I learned how we in America can affect the lives of the people not as well off as us in different countries. By buying bracelets we support peoples rights in these poor countries by helping them escape the 16 or 17 hour work days that await them in a factory. By doing the Pulsera project people in these Central American countries make more than they would in most jobs there. By participating in this project and buying bracelets we give people in these countries a chance at making a difference of their own and having a better life. We will never meet the people who made these bracelets for us but by buying it we know we have made a life a little bit better and that is what the Pulsera project is all about giving people a chance at happiness. I'm glad we had the opportunity to help and support the project and make the world a better place.
ReplyDeleteFrom participating in the Pulsera Project, many things that are often overlooked by people in our society were brought to my attention. I never really thought about the people living in Nicaragua who are living in poverty. I learned that many people live on only about a dollar a day. Living in America, where we have so many luxuries, enough food, decent lodging, and all the best educational opportunities. Nicaraguans have (for the most part) none of these things. I'm glad that I was able to buy a pulsera, as I am proud to help someone who really needs the money. These folks went from working for over half a day to working on their own time, and choosing there own salaries. They now have time to spend with their families, who they never got to spend time with due to the work hours. Parents will be able to afford food, nice clothing, and especially make a contribution to their children's education. At first I wondered how only $5 dollars could support a citizen, but as I looked around, pulseras were being bought left and right. That's when I really noticed this is not just a small operation to raise a few bucks for underprivileged people, this is a legitimate movement to make a change for ALL the Nicaraguans, and hopefully spreading to other Central American countries that don't have these types of opportunities yet. I think I would definitely like to participate in something like this when I am older, and I would even be willing to go to the country and stay with a host family, if it would help to study and create an even more effective method of creating better lives for Nicaraguans, and all other people around the world. I hope that we have a similar event in the high school next year, and in years to come.
ReplyDelete