In Her Words / A Letter from Monica Figueroa to Ibu Allies
Dear Ibu Allies,
My name is Monica Figueroa, and I am a proud Salvadoran trying to make a positive impact in my country. I started working with Salvadoran artisans in 2014, with the vision of promoting handmade products as an important facet of our culture and building creativity through artisanal design. Bluetiful Indigo supports artisans to achieve personal sustainability, and as a result contributes to the local development of our economy.
Along this journey, I focused Bluetiful’s efforts and resources on El Salvador's native Indigo with the idea of helping women who had great talent, yet were struggling to earn an income. Most of the women have few opportunities to access a formal job or education, but have learned a specific job such as sewing, dyeing, or knitting. Little by little, we taught a small group new dyeing techniques and created jobs that provide an income to support their families.
It is not easy to grow a business in a small country where most of the population is trying to make ends meet day by day. The COVID-19 pandemic made things worse in every aspect of life. With the help and support of the Ibu Movement, we have been able to overcome difficult periods and continue with our efforts and work. Even though our organization is small, we have impacted more than fifteen women working directly with Indigo, plus many additional artisans around the country that we help to commercialize their crafts. Depending on the type of work required, some women work from home and some work at the workshop on a daily basis.
To all of you who support and buy Bluetiful clothing through Ibu, from the bottom of my heart I say, “Thank You!” Behind every handmade product there is always a person and a story we usually do not know. Please know with your purchase you are creating a window of opportunity for a woman who has very few.