This week I’m featuring a post by Bethany Tran, founder of The Root Collective, on how she was inpsired to start the company. The Root Collective’s shoes and accessories are handcrafted by artisans in Guatemala City, and the company gives 10% of each purchase to non-profits that work in the communities where their artisans live.
I think life can often be based on assumptions of knowledge. It’s very easy to assume that you know something. Maybe you’ve read about it. Maybe you watched some documentaries. Maybe you had some conversations with other people. Maybe you’ve done all of these things, and more, and therefore you assume that you have a pretty good handle on it.
I assumed that I understood poverty. I assumed that that I got it, that I could relate (to some extent) with those living in poverty. I grew up in a family that gave back. We sponsored children and supported organizations that were focused on poverty alleviation.
I thought when I first traveled to Guatemala in 2009 to visit the slum of La Limonada that I was prepared. After all, I grew up understanding poverty… Right?
My life was changed that first day when I stepped foot onto the cracked pavement of that beautiful slum. It was humbling. Terribly, terribly humbling. I was blown away by how much I didn’t understand. Poverty is such a complicated thing. You can’t understand it from the photo of a child on a sponsorship card. You can’t assume that you get it from watching some documentaries or listening to sermons about it at church on Sunday.
I left from that trip knowing that my lack of understanding was going to change my life, and that I needed to learn more about poverty in order to impact it.
There is so much talent in these marginalized communities, but because of so many complicated issues, such as social stigmas, it can be hard to lift yourself and your family out of that.
Our partnerships are hoping to overcome those struggles and stigmas by offering an outlet. We want to come alongside and help leverage talents. And, the cherry on the top is that we get to help create some pretty gorgeous stuff in the meantime.
Bethany shared with me that Otto, a craftsman who makes shoes for The Root Collective, has been able to secure a loan to build out his workshop thanks to the collateral provided by his work with shoes.
Want to join the movement to change fashion? Use coupon code “CHRISTY10” to get 10% off at The Root Collective through June 7, 2014!
This was not a sponsored post, although The Root Collective kindly sent me a coupon code as a thank you for our partnership.
