Guatemala Worry Dolls (also known as trouble dolls; in Spanish, Muñeca quitapena) are little, hand-made dolls based on the legend of a Mayan princess named Ixmucane. The princess was given a special gift that allowed her to solve any worry. The Worry Doll represents the princess and her wisdom (source commonhope.org). Now, Guatemalan children tell their worries to the dolls and put them under their pillow before they go to sleep. When morning comes the dolls will have given them the wisdom to eliminate their worries.
UPAVIM is a group of women that lives in a community named La Esperanza (“Hope”) on the outskirts of Guatemala City. UPAVIM stands for Unidas Para Vivir Mejor meaning “United For A Better Life” and was created to offer health and educational services for the community, as many families fled there because of Guatemala’s civil war and overpopulation. The organization provides income generation programs to the community in forms such as handicraft training and production, bakeries, soy product production, medical clinics, pharmacies, medical laboratories, growth monitoring programs, and tutoring programs for families with limited choices. Craftwork is fit into a daily routine of child-care, housework, and volunteering for woman artisans at the UPAVIM community center.
At Global Gifts, we work with vendors and artisans who are fair trade verified to bring you items that are ethically and sustainably made. Fair trade gifts are handmade by artisans around the world and they all have special stories. You might notice slight variations in this product from the product photo.