São Paulo – The bags, costume jewellery, backpacks and even saints’ images, the work of artisans from Cooperaldeia, a women’s cooperative in São Paulo’s Americanópolis district, first arrived in Europe in the year 2000 and has since been a mainstay at handicraft fairs in the old continent.
It was through the efforts of Deli Espindola, the coordinator of Cooperaldeia, that items made by women from the outskirts of São Paulo have gone around the world. It all began with the Tricontinental Handicraft Fair in Tenerife, Spain. Then along came the International Handicraft Exhibition in Lisbon, Portugal. And then Cooperaldeia products made it to events in Germany, Italy and France.
Espindola explains that since the bulk of overseas sales are made at these fairs rather than throughout the year, financial gains are not that great. “The greatest benefit is self-esteem. There is this Brazilian thing that, if something gets sold abroad, more value is placed upon it,” Espindola says about the main advantage exporting has warranted to the cooperative’s members. “These women’s self-esteem has improved greatly,” she claims.
Cooperaldeia comprises approximately 20 women. Most of them, says Espindola, have little to no education. The cooperative was established in 2009 via the Aldeia das Mulheres (Women’s Village) project, which has provided training to low-income women in Americanópolis since1998.
While under the project, they learn to sew and make handicraft. “The costume jewellery with seeds is hugely successful,” the coordinator says about sales at foreign exhibitions. Another item that sells is images of saints made from newspaper and papier mache. “The demand for these is very strong in Portugal,” she notes.
Apart from the aforementioned items, the artisans with Cooperaldeia also make reusable bags, trash bins for cars, pencil holders, toiletry bags and quilts, among other items. The costliest product ever sold abroad, the coordinator says, was a hand-embroidered quilt that went for 500 euros.
In Brazil, the women from Cooperaldeia do several commissioned jobs. Customers include specialized handicraft shops and corporations such as São Paulo water utility company Sabesp and Johnson & Johnson. Members’ incomes vary depending on their output, ranging from R$ 724 – i.e. the Brazilian minimum wage – to R$ 2,000 (roughly US$ 270 to US$ 747 at current exchange rates).
Contact
Cooperaldeia
Website: www.cooperaldeia.com.br
Email: cooperaldeia@yahoo.com.br
Telephone: +55 (11) 5565-0794
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
