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What happens when rural indigenous women gain access to global markets? Lives transform, cycles of poverty break, and daughters begin to dream of careers unimaginable to their mothers. This powerful story unfolds as we speak with Ruth Álvarez-DeGolia, who started Mercado Global as an Ivy-League university sophomore selling handcrafted items on campus, and has since built a movement empowering thousands of women across rural Guatemala.
 
The magic happens at the intersection of traditional craftsmanship and economic opportunity. Through a partnership with Food for the Poor that provides industrial sewing machines, looms, critical training and more, these artisans are creating products now carried by Levi Strauss, Stitch Fix, and Stuart Weitzman. But the transformation runs deeper than fashion – with 75% of participating women now sending their children to school and many opening their first bank accounts.
 
Discover how beautiful, handcrafted products are creating generational change, and why Ruth believes indigenous Guatemalan women deserve to be recognized as some of the world's most innovative rural entrepreneurs. Support this work by visiting foodforthepoor.org/mothersday or following #MercadoGlobal. 

@levis 

@stitchfix 

@stuartweitzman 

Beyond The Plate is a podcast by international charity, Food For The Poor

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