Artisan Back-To-School Gathering - September 2026
“This was the best gathering yet!”
Once every few months we gather all the women who partner with us for a time of fellowship, fun, and instruction. Woven With Hope does not have a production space where our artisans regularly see one another, rather each of our artisans works individually in her home. Once a month they bring their completed products to our office space to sell them and to receive the next month’s orders, but they typically only brush shoulders with one or two other women during those visits. Community is one of our core values, though, so once a quarter we try to host a gathering where everyone can catch up and get a bit of a break from their routines.
At these gatherings we typically begin with snacks and drinks as the women trickle in. For this gathering we asked the artisans to each bring something to contribute to the refreshments and they happily obliged! We had homemade cake, figs fresh from the tree, and plenty of soft drinks to go around. During this time, we also did a small photo shoot, pulling artisans aside to demonstrate their weaving for a promotional video we are working on. An hour after the posted start time, the last woman arrived and we transitioned to our scheduled agenda.
After a few words of welcome and encouragement, we took some time for laughter through team-building games. Passing a small toy down the line of spoons held in mouths and a drawing version of the classic game of telephone put everyone at ease. One young woman said the pictionary-telephone game was her favorite part of the event. “It was fun, but there was a good lesson too. You have to be careful what you say, because gossip quickly gets distorted.”
We concluded our time with an introduction to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Every single one of our artisan partners is trying to educate her children to a higher level than she had the opportunity to achieve and many of them have expressed their frustration, or even embarrassment, over their inability to assist a child with homework. We encouraged them that by providing for their children’s physical, emotional, and social needs, they can still help their children succeed even if they are unable to help with Physics homework.
As the women headed out each family was presented with a gift of school supplies for their children. This has become a bit of a tradition over the years at back-to-school time and is always greatly appreciated. As we said our goodbyes, the women were already asking when we would have the opportunity to gather again.
These gatherings and the gifts are always funded by donations, as our profit-margins are too slim to fund these holistic benefits. If you are interested in giving towards gatherings like these or in helping to fund the education of the high-school age daughters of our artisans, please visit our “Donate” page on our website.