In the shantytown of Rocinha, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, a women's craftwork cooperative is giving slum dwellers a chance to create clothes seen on the fashion catwalks from Sao Paulo to Paris.
The cooperative has nearly 150 female members, but is located in one of the most violent areas of Rocinha. The small headquarters office of the COOPA-ROCA is beginning to compromise the growth of the cooperative, and the women need a safe place to work. Our national and international market expansion, as well as the extent of the social impact of COOPA-ROCA on the Rocinha community, will be compromised if we remain in the same premises.
Since 2001 Maria Teresa Leal has been working to secure new headquarters for COOPA-ROCA. This new building will allow for cooperative growth and incorporate a health clinic.
90 direct (360 indirect) beneficiaries will see results such as increased income, preserved artisan handicraft techniques, strengthening of identity, increase in self-esteem, economic, cultural and social integration and improved quality of life.
This project has provided additional documentation in a Microsoft Word file (projdoc.doc).
