By Jeannie Balanda | Executive Director
Eufemia’s life in her small village of Aguas Calientes has been challenging. She attended school only up to second grade. By age 16 she was married and, by age 21, was widowed. Alone with three daughters under the age of five, Eufemia had no choice but to leave her community in the highlands to find work on the coastal plantations.
Life on the plantations was very difficult. With her daughters in tow, Eufemia worked harvesting crops from sunup to sundown. The work was grueling and the lifestyle made it impossible to send her daughters to school regularly. After several years of harvesting crops, Eufemia met Pat Krause, MayaWorks founder.
Pat offered Eufemia a new life that allowed her to earn income using her weaving skills. Earning an income from weaving gave Eufemia the freedom to stay in her community so that her daughters could attend school everyday.
Eufemia is proud of how far her daughters have come. Her oldest daughters have completed high school. One is in Spain preparing to be a nun and the other is working in the capital. Her youngest daughter is still in school.
Today with the income she earns form MayaWorks, Eufemia confidently supports her family. She is determined to keep working hard to be a role model for her daughters and for her community.
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