Oh My Maya, Inc. is a 501(C)(3) non-profit located in St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands. We raise money for charities serving Guatemala through the sale of beautiful beaded jewelry and other goods you'll find in our shop. All of the goods are handmade by Maya artisans in Guatemala. 100% of profits are donated and 100% of the work of the organization is done by volunteers.
Your purchases benefit those in need two times over. First, the purchase of goods from the artisans in Guatemala provides much needed income for those artisans. And second, purchases by our customers generate monies for charities. While not yet certified as a fair trade organization, for the last few years all our goods have been purchased from Tszutujil Maya artisans of Santiago Atitlan. Pictured above are some of the women beaders, working under a tarp in the rain.
We made a tentative start in 2004 as a way to stay in touch with and give back to the country that is the birthplace of our daughter; we sold at house sales, crafts fairs, and out of the trunks of cars, before launching this website in June 2009.
The primary recipient of funds has been Safe Passage, or Camino Seguro, http://www.safepassage.org/ an organization serving hundreds of children and families whose lives center around the Guatemala City dump. We have also supported Transitions Foundation http://www.transitionsfoundation.org/, which provides training and wheelchairs to disabled in Guatemala, as well as Guatemala Student Support Group http://www.gssg-usa.org/ which brings impoverished and promising students to the U.S. to learn English and receive an education with the commitment to return to Guatemala to enrich their communities.
Thank you for visiting and please be sure to share this website with your friends and family.
Robin Freeman
Founder
Oh My Maya, Inc.
