A fundraiser organized led by First Parish member Rebecca Center, founder and director of Under the Same Moon. Jewelry and other hand crafted items will be for sale during coffee hour after the service.

At the end of Rebecca Center’s first volunteer summer with Asociación Bendición de Dios, she wanted to find a way to financially support the school beyond the professional teacher development she was providing. The owner of a hotel where she had stayed suggested she work with some artisans who displayed and sold their jewelry in her hotel. She purchased $400 of jewelry with her own money, started the Guatemalan Working Group at First Parish (with the Social Justice Action Council) which eventually became Under the Same Moon. Since then Under the Same Moon has purchased over $80,000 beaded jewelry and woven scarves, along with other handcrafted items.

Under the Same Moon follows fair trade principles and practices. Purchases provide the artisans with opportunities to significantly improve their earnings, to send their children to school, to enhance their diets, and to buy needed medicines. The artisans are paid over three times what they would be paid if they were agricultural workers. As an added benefit, the artisans can work at home, giving them greater flexibility as they care for their families.

Rebecca travels to Guatemala twice a year to work directly with the cooperatives and artisan families. At that time, she chooses and purchases their beautiful items to sell in the States.

Under the Same Moon has contracted with the women to pay them fair market value for their crafts. They sell these indigenous treasures at a small premium and send all the additional profits to Asociación Bendición de Dios.