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Giving

Giving

Handcrafted earrings created with Miyuki Delicas and plated findings by skilled artisans from the Embera Katio People, an indigenous group that can be found in Colombia, South America, and Panama, Central America. You can purchase these earrings to help displaced indigenous families living in Medellin, Colombia, fight poverty and find hope one bead at a time.

At PotomacBeads, we don't believe in charity for the sake of charity. We are committed to help indigenous peoples permanently improve their lives.

Emberra

The Embera Katio People

Medellin, Colombia

The Embera Katio people hail from the Choco region of Colombia. They have fled their villages because of violence from armed groups and are living as internally displaced peoples in the city of Medellin, Colombia. The Embera Katio speak very little Spanish, the primary language of Medellin. The majority of the thousands of uprooted Katios have a very difficult time surviving in the big city without a common language and little education.

Katio People
Embrassed

Many Embera Katio have been making ends meet by begging in the streets and, at times, selling their handmade beaded jewelry. The Embera Bead Project was formed to help families to get jobs and education for the Embera people in Medellin.

The Embera people are extremely creative and make beautiful beadwork. These indigenous people create their beaded artwork in their small homes and in the streets. Each day they work to sell their beaded jewelry to tourists, and the families are so excited to be making daily money to pay for their food and shelter. They need to make at least 15m pesos (US$4.28) per day to pay for their rented room in the slums. Any money earned above the 15m pesos goes towards food, clothing, medicine or diapers - things that are daily basic necessities, but what the Embera consider a luxury.

"The sale of One pair of earrings can pay for their daily rent and food for a large family."

We can help in many ways! The sale of one pair of earrings can pay for their daily rent and food for a large family. The sale of two pairs of earrings can sustain them for 3 days! The Embera Bead project is helping these families meet their daily needs. They meet weekly and share food, make earrings and sell together in the downtown streets. At PotomacBeads, we are sending shipments of free bead supplies (Miyuki Delicas and seed beads specifically) to the Embera peoples and a portion of all PotomacBeads sales will be used to help the Embera.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

Do you have extra bead supplies? Colors you no longer use? Beads you don't have a plan for?

--->>> The Embera people can recycle and re-use ALL of it! <<<---

Send your extra beads to:

Embera Bead Project

C/O PotomacBeads

240 North Prospect Street

Hagerstown, MD 21740

Be sure to include your name and contact information, and thank you for helping PotomacBeads to make a difference!

About Us
About Us

Giving

Embera Bead Project


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