1. ESPERANZA &

2. Caraballo Caraballo is a remote town in the heart of the sugar cane fields on the north coast of the Dominican Republic. It was built decades ago to house Dominican and Haitian cane workers and their families.

3. Esperanza: Hope In recent years, however, the sugar industry has faltered. There has been no harvest for 3 years, which means no steady employment for the hundreds of families that call Caraballo their home.

4. Esperanza: Hope As food prices continue to rise and the whole world struggles in the current economic crisis, the poverty of Caraballo has become dire.

5. Esperanza: Hope Today, the women of Caraballo are banding together to make their own solutions to this increasingly desperate problem. They call themselves Esperanza-- Hope.

6. Esperanza: Hope They are working together, sharing their skills and limited resources to make and sell the products you see here today.

7. Esperanza: Hope The women of Caraballo are also supported by the DREAM Project. DREAM has provided the resources to get the project going, as well as start up costs, capacity building, and organizational support.

8. Esperanza: Hope DREAM is also a major client of Esperanza. The support goes full circle … Making beads from magazine clippings

9. Esperanza: Hope … DREAM is supporting the women of Caraballo by purchasing and bringing these goods to you, while every purchase you make supports DREAM …

10. Esperanza: Hope … and DREAM continues to support their ongoing projects in Caraballo, including the Montessori pre-school, local youth group, and Esperanza.

11. Esperanza: Hope Now, the women of Esperanza can use the craft industry to support themselves!