Donate Shop
Jacinta, an artisan in the Handmade by Friendship Bridge® program, at her industrial sewing machine.

Handmade by Friendship Bridge®

Handmade by Friendship Bridge® provides women artisan entrepreneurs with business training and income-generation opportunities. By connecting artisans to U.S. and international markets, women have the opportunity to grow sustainable businesses while preserving cultural traditions.

Shop Now

Handmade by Friendship Bridge® is a program of Friendship Bridge and also the name of our online store. The program supports the artisan clients of Friendship Bridge with the skills, education, learning experiences, and technical assistance they need to independently sell their handmade products in local, national, and international markets.

Why artisans?

Artisans and artists are rarely recognized as drivers of economic activity, but the artisan economy is the second-largest income opportunity in developing countries, after agriculture. Globally, the artisan economy is an estimated $32 billion/year industry. Beyond driving economic activity, the artisan sector preserves cultural skills and traditions passed on through generations and centuries.

Investing in artisans means investing in a form of economic development based in the uniqueness of people and their cultures. When the artisan sector is harnessed to its full potential, it can create jobs, increase incomes, and foster sustainable community growth.

A Friendship Bridge artisan winds yarn using a wooden spinning frame.

Challenges for artisans

Most artisan enterprises lack the financing to grow their businesses and have few opportunities to access new markets. Artisans can be limited by seasonal sales and unpredictable cash flows, which makes it difficult to plan for their futures and invest in their businesses.
Through surveys and client research, many of these women have expressed the need to access new markets to sell their products and bolster their income. However, they are isolated by language and geogra­phy, and many lack the business skills to thrive in the modern marketplace.
Santos and Martha Carmen, two artisans in the Handmade by Friendship Bridge® program, seated together outside a doorway.

Your purchase helps women thrive.

By supporting Handmade by Friendship Bridge®, you empower low-income artisans in Guatemala to achieve financial stability and create lasting change for generations.

Shop Now

Stories

Learn more about our clients who have benefited from our Handmade by Friendship Bridge® program.
Santos, a Friendship Bridge artisan, smiles indoors.

Santos: Crafting Heritage and Hope

Training and support through Handmade by Friendship Bridge® has allowed Santos make a living as an weaver, support her family, and pass on her artisan culture and history to new generations.

Martha Carmen, an artisan in the Handmade by Friendship Bridge® program, weaving on a backstrap loom.

Martha Carmen: Adapting Ancient Weaving Techniques

Since becoming a client of our artisan program, Handmade by Friendship Bridge®, Martha Carmen has continually explored new ways to earn additional income using the weaving skills she knows so well.