One World Projects

Incense Sticks - Package of 25

$13.00 USD

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These incense sticks are handmade by artisans in Colombia using the highest quality ingredients. All our scents are popular and often used to purify and sanctify, as well as for meditation. Each inner pack contains 25 vegan-friendly incense sticks.

Handmade in Colombia and Fair Trade Imported.

Piel Acida employs more than 12 artisans who work in their factory and approximately 30 more artisans that work from their home permitting women to help support their families while caring for their children. While Piel Acida employs both men and women, the majority of workers are women providing needed income-generating opportunities for women in Colombia. The artisans at Piel Acida participate in the decisions that affect their livelihoods, such as wage determination for the products they create. This involvement is vital as each is paid depending upon the number of pieces they produce in a month. Piel Acida makes certain that the wages paid are fair and exceed the minimum wage laws for Colombia. The organization also provides other benefits to its artisans such as accident and health insurance, educational assistance for children, housing loans, and time for recreation. The sense of security artisans feel with Piel Acida contributes to an aura of unity with the organization as they lend their experience and skills to create sustainable and viable products, helping to position Piel Acida as a dominate force in the fair trade market.

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Apart from the artisans that Piel Acida directly employs, it also supports indirectly many others who are part of their supply chain for raw materials which include orange peels, tagua nuts, mazorca leaves, and wood. These natural materials are made into beautiful and innovative products by artisans at Piel Acida, as they seek to develop the artisan-based handicraft sector in Colombia.

About the Artisans

Chichicastenango, Guatemala, has become one of the most important heritage centers in Guatemala during the past 10 years, due to its predominant indigenous Maya Quiche population and their traditional textile products. Yet, despite increased tourism and a renewed interest in traditional Mayan crafts, work opportunities remain few for the indigenous population, many of whom are uneducated and otherwise unemployable.

De Colores Artisan - Sewing a Smile Enter De Colores Art, a local business that levels the playing field for villagers by offering free training to anyone who demonstrates the initiative to learn a trade. The company employs 30 women and 18 men to knit and embroider textile products, with the option of working at home using materials provided by the company. De Colores recognizes the culture of its Mayan employees, and as such allows flexible hours and gives time off for sowing and harvest days.

De Colores also invests in community education projects by funding two local schools in the neighboring towns of Chujupen y Pachoj, and by providing scholarships to qualifying students.

In addition to stimulating the local economy by creating new jobs, De Colores makes a conscious effort to use recycled materials whenever possible. The reason for this is twofold: to preserve Mayan culture, as recycled textiles showcase traditional knitting patterns that aren’t often seen in newer textiles, and to reduce scraps and waste.

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Communities collaborate in the production process, as men work on the biggest textiles and women do the embroidery, crochet and macramé seen in smaller pieces. In some cases, in order to be competitive, sewing machines are used to assemble the finished product, although all the components are handmade and hand embroidered from cotton, wool and/or silk.

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