At 8 a.m. we push off to visit a handful of communities working with handicrafts and raising small animals, which serve as both an alternate source of income and protein for families. Rain begins hammering down as we arrive at the Chachi community of Loma Linda. In communities like Loma Linda, women play a new and important role in providing alternative income for their families. The women in Loma Linda use the rampira plant to weave baskets for sale. CARE also is soliciting the globally recognized green seal certification for these and numerous other handicraft products to sell to environmentally-conscious consumers around the world.
Women weave a variety of colorful artisan goods, including tablecloths and belts.
With the swiftness and control of a puppet master, she uses her fingers to curl over, wrap under and tie together the rampira strips. Ten minutes later, she timidly walks up to me and hands me a small basket. When dry, the baskets take on a black and tan checkered pattern. Carmen can weave five large baskets in a day. My mother taught me to weave when I was a little girl, just as her mother taught her.