Sadly, this is one of the last installments of the Lucita adventures. Heather has been hard at work in Guatemala laying the ground work down for a children’s village, which will be home to orphaned and abandoned children. Read more about Project Somos here.
These have been the most amazing, inspirational and incredibly moving last few days in Guatemala. Greg and I, along with Lucita have been attending the Nobel Women’s Initiative Conference here in Antigua. Greg is one of the only men and Lucita is the only doll taking part!
Four of the women who have received the Nobel Peace Prize are in attendance, along with many other women doing inspirational work all over the world. All are dedicated activists putting their hearts and souls into making a difference in the lives and environments in the most compromised and challenging situations.
The four Nobel Peace Laureates in attendance are; Jody Williams (USA) Rigoberta Menchu Tum (Guatemala) Mairead Maguire (Ireland) and Shirin Abadi (Iran). We have met all of them and have had opportunities to chat and hug each of them numerous times! I swear, each time one of them shares with the group, I am moved to tears! It’s so energizing to be filled with such inspiration! Be sure to have a peek at their website with videos and blogs galore. http://www.nobelwomensinitiative.org/
On Sunday night the Rigoberta Menchu Foundation hosted a reception for all attendees along with local ambassadors and VIPs. Greg and I worked with the local indigenous women helping them exhibit and sell their paintings and textiles. It was a huge deal for the women and they were so moved whenever someone showed an interest in their work. I know many of the readers of this blog can relate as many of you are women, mothers and crafters. Having someone value your work is the ultimate gift. At the end of the evening there was a mad rush and many items were purchased! It was an incredible high for all of us.
Earlier that same day, my friend Jenn had delivered Lucita’s new clothing made by a local indigenous woman using “tipico” Guatemalan textiles (thanks for these lovely gifts for Lucita, Jenn!). Little Priscilla and Myrna (daughters of the artists) had a blast playing with Lucita and changing her clothes every few minutes. I was thrilled that they got to dress her in clothing that they could relate to! These are by far the most precious photos I’ve captured of Lucita on this trip to Guatemala. The picture with me is one that was taken with Aura, Rigoberta’s personal secretary. She fell in love with Lucita and insisted that we have this picture taken together!
Enjoy,
Heather and Lucita
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