Giving

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.

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.