Spanish Club is selling bracelets from the Pulsera Project, a non-profit organization dedicated to help impoverished youth in Nicaragua.
The Pulsera Project was founded in 2009, when co-founders Chris Howell and Colin Patterson Crane traveled to a shelter for kids who used to live on the streets on the foothills of Managua. Howell and Crane returned to the shelter many times, and as a going-away present the children gave them colorful pulsera bracelets.
The purpose of the project is to create sustainable jobs and education for the ex-street kids in Nicaragua. With more than 350 US schools participating, the pulseras are continuing to fulfill their mission of bringing Latin culture to those who are not familiar with it and help to those in impoverished countries.
“We had this idea that if we brought pulseras back to the US, we could sell them to family and friends, raise money, and bring them back to kids we were supporting,” Crane said in Color the World, the 12-minute short film found on the Pulsera Project website.
“At the beginning, our priorities were addressing basic needs, and eventually we researched and read more and talked to Nicaraguans and got involved in the lives of the people we were helping…where help was really needed was not in the shelter but was to support these kids once they had graduated from the shelters and were young adults.”
The project eventually became a mission to provide sustainable employment and expand economic opportunities for Nicaraguans. All proceeds from fundraising go to supporting youth shelters, funding scholarships, providing loans, and supporting community development projects.
“I bought the Pulsera because it was a cheap way to support a child in need in Nicaragua,” Jimmy Elder (’14) said. “It’s also a neat looking piece, and was handcrafted.”
The best part of the project is knowing that a child in need was helped.
“I think the best part of the project is that you know who made the pulsera that you’ve purchased,” said Spanish Club’s president Astrid Ulloa (’14).
Each bracelet is sold for $5 and comes with a picture and signature of the artist. Each one is special in its own way since they are all individually made and requires two hours to weave.
The Spanish Club has raised over $1,300 and touts the project as one of their most successful fundraisers.
“We’ve been extremely successful with the sales and are so happy to be part of such an amazing endeavor,” Ulloa stated.
