For 19 years, Colectivo Artesana, a small grassroots collective, has supported women impacted by incarceration through violence prevention, reintegration, and human rights advocacy. Now, we are launching a powerful new initiative: La Casa de las Mujeres (The House of Women) — Guatemala’s first self-sustaining cooperative led by formerly incarcerated women, focused on catering services, culinary training, and therapy.

Our goal is to help women heal, rebuild their lives, and avoid re-incarceration. Women leaving prison often face stigma, trauma, and poverty, with little to no support. Some of us have lived this reality ourselves. This project offers skills, dignity, and community. We also hope to build a model that can be replicated in other municipalities across Guatemala.

The House of Women is open in a rented space and food is being sold, but we’re still in the early stages. Your donation will help us install a fully equipped kitchen, furnish the cooperative space, offer thirty scholarships so women can train without financial pressure, and launch a community-based mental health program.

Thank you from all of us at Colectivo Artesana!