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 Computers for schools - Silverchilli style...
So what have we been up to on the community development side? Well, we were very pleased to supply some laptops to Josue Mirlo Primary School in the suburbs of Mexico City. The school had won a grant to replace its broken classroom furniture. Lidia, one of our silversmiths, wanted us to get involved in helping this school in her local area back on its feet after years of under resourcing. After some contact with headmaster Senor Evaristo Cruz Manuel, we were pleased to supply 4 laptops to enable the children to have access to computers and the internet for the first time!
 Our first Fair Trade Loan...
We were also delighted to give Silverchilli's first fair trade loan to help one of our producers to develop a co-operative to help bring in other silversmiths who were struggling. The loan is interest free and is paid back in jewellery rather than money, allowing our producers to keep their cashflow going whilst reducing their debt, ensuring that there is no threat to their everyday household income. They can pay back as much or as little as they want each time, and they have 3 years to pay. It has been a huge success. In the first year, they have already returned nearly all of the money and seen growth in their businesses! Some of your purchases will now be coming from this co-operative.
 We have started a forest...
In line with our efforts to be as environmentally friendly as possible, Silverchilli has paid for our first 220 trees to be planted to offset the carbon we contributed to the atmosphere by flying our lovely jewellery all the way from Mexico. We'll be doing this every year from now on... To read more click here to see our Environmental Policy.
 Fair Trade brings things into focus...
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As you know, Silverchilli is a fair trade company committed to social investment whilst bringing you fabulous jewellery from the skilled hands of the groups we work with in Mexico.
Each year we invest part or all our profit in a social project chosen by one of the groups we work with. Last year that choice fell to the women's group who make the beautiful hand embroidered bags which your jewellery is presented in. Each of the threads for embroidery is hand dyed using traditional techniques that draw colour from plants and other forms of nature to create the rich shades that you will have seen in the finished bags. These techniques have been handed down from mother to daughter and are a valuable part of the women's culture.
They live in a very remote village about 12 hours by bus from the southern regional city of Oaxaca - in the second poorest state in Mexico.
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A Little Boy Watches Grandma | |
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The group is made up of about 24 women ranging in age from 30 to 75 years old, and represents a good cross section of the women in the village. Some of the women are widows, some are mothers to other women in the group and some have small children. Only about five of them speak Spanish and of them only two or three can write it, most just speak 'Mazateco' which is the language local to the area. |
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They have very traditional lifestyles, very removed from the city, which makes it difficult to earn enough money to live well. When we approached them to tell us what sort of investment they would like us to make their lives a little easier, we thought that they would probably ask for school materials for their children or health facilities for the community
We were very surprised when they asked us for spectacles! But, being 12 hours from the nearest city and the high costs of glasses, acquiring a pair can be quite a challenge for the group.
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Senor Juarez checks the prescription | |
With a lot of help from Terecarmen Perez Bravo, Silverchilli's link with the women's group, we persuaded Oaxacan optician Senor Juarez to undertake the most unusual job of his career so far. We loaded him onto a plane, complete with instruments and eye testing equipment and flew him close to the village. |
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Several intense hours later, more than 15 of the women had completed the eye tests and were looking forward to receiving their specs. Despite being a little camera shy, there was no mistaking how pleased they were with their specs. The process was also a little nerve racking as eye testing equipment is not particularly something the women see very often. But here are some pictures showing the fittings and of the happy specs wearers doing their embroidery.
Thank you supporting us this year!
We wouldn't be able to spend our profits in this way, if you hadn't helped us to generate them. We will let you know the results of our consultation with the groups this year which leads to our social investment programme.
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