Our Makers from San Pedro Sula, Honduras

• Meet Ruth

Ruth, is 43-years-old, and the mother to five children. She has lived in the slums her whole life and in this particular “bordo” since the day she was born. No one that lives there owns the land they live on, so there is always a fear that she will be moved away from where she has spent her entire life. 

She is the second oldest child in her family. She has six sisters and one older brother who all live in the "Bordo" near her. Since her mother died in 2018, she is the matriarch of the family and watches over all of her siblings and their families.  This includes a sister who is currently in prison, leaving nine children in the bordo.

Ruth is an amazing, quiet woman who is not afraid to work and appreciates this opportunity to supplement the small income brought in by her husband, who works as a shoeshiner.  

Sadly, since Covid hit, she and her extended family have all been threatened and had to leave the Bordo she has lived in all of her life. Her family has been relocated with an extended family member out in the country and thanks to the donations of One Common Thread, she has been able to build a new house and has a little more peace in her life. Sadly, it is far away from many of her siblings.

• Meet Velkis

Velkis is 29-years-old and has three children, two daughters (one newborn baby girl!) and one son. She is also the daughter of Ruth. Her husband works infrequently, but the work she does for One Common Thread provides her the opportunity to buy desperately needed food essentials like powdered milk for her children. She loves the confidence that sewing has given her, as it has changed her way of living. She now has a refrigerator and we are currently in the process of getting her a new stove as she currently cooks over an open flame. Velkis is grateful to have it as a way to make much needed income to help support her family. 

Update:  Since Covid hit, there has been less policing in the Bordo so Velkis and her family were severely threatened by gangs. Since July of 2020, she and her family have safely fled the Bordo. With donations to One Common Thread, she and her family have been able to build a new home that houses her family, her sister and her sister's family, as well as her brother and his family.  

• Meet Damaris

Damaris is a single mother and has a 6-year-old daughter. Damaris is one of my very favorite Makers because she is such a hard worker. She was born and raised in the slums of San Pedro Sula Honduras and has never known a life any different until recently. Before the pandemic, she had started sewing for us at One Common Thread and soon had some extra money to buy clothing for work. She also took the opportunity to get free pre-school for her daughter by going to work at a pre-school center. She really loved her job and was so grateful that her daughter was able to go with her and receive some schooling.

Unfortunately, when the pandemic hit and all the schools closed, she found herself unemployed. So she began sewing again full-time for us. Within 6 weeks of the pandemic hitting, again the police stopped going into the Bordo (slums) and her area became very dangerous. Many of our ladies were told to abandon their homes and all of their belongings or suffer being killed or having their young girls taken. It took time but with funds from One Common Thread, we have been able to find permanent housing for all of those ladies and their families. For the first time in her life Damaris left the slum she was raised in and moved about an hour outside of the city into a house built by her brother and brother-in-law. They built one large house that fits 7 adults and 5 children. Her accommodations are small but she is so grateful to have shelter, food and safety for she and her daughter. 

• Meet Isabel

Isabel is 25-years-old and has a 4-year-old son, and now a 1-year-old daughter. When she was two-months pregnant, her baby’s father was mistaken for someone else and killed by a gang. Her second child's father ran out on her when she was still pregnant taking everything in their little shack including her bed. Isabel's life seems to always be in turbulence as she struggles to make correct choices for herself and for her children. This opportunity has given her hope for a brighter future. She is also grateful for the donations to One Common Thread that have given her some support to rely on and subsidize some of the food and formula that her children need desperately at this time.  AND we were able to buy her a new bed and replace some of the times stolen by her past boyfriend when he left her.

• Meet Adaleeia

Adaleeia is 55 years-old and is the mother of Isabel.  Adaleeia is a widow and lives with Isabel to help her with the children. At first she was very unsure about sewing but soon caught the hang of it and sews daily to help contribute to the household expenses.  

• Meet Claudia Juli

This is Claudia Juli, but most call her Juli.  She is sisters with Ruth and Jocelin and he has also lived in the Bordo her entire life.  She is 33-years-old and has two children. She and her family had to flee the bordo in San Pedro Sula when the gangs threatened her life and tried to steal her daughter. She and her long-time boyfriend relocated with the two children to the country. 

Juli works hard sewing and trying to make money any way she can. She is currently renting an unfinished home that she shares with her family.  Many Hondurans who have work in the states start building a cinder block home with funds they earn and send home. While these homes are being built (because it is such a slow process) they will rent out the unfinished home—which is basically cinder block walls and cement floors. Gratefully, these homes usually offer a little more security because they usually have a fence around the perimeter. Juli feels grateful to be able to rent a safer home. 

• Meet Skarleth

Skarleth is the daughter of one of our Makers, Juli and is just a part-time maker for One Common Thread. Skarleth is one of the main reasons why we started this little non-profit in the first place.  At 13-years-old, Skarleth needed work to make $5 for a church trip to Tegucigalpa. Instead of begging for the money, she asked me if I knew of a way she could make the $5 needed for the bus fare.  

I started off with her making hexagons for a quilt I was working on personally for my daughter. She did such a great job and made the hexagons so quickly, that I had to pay her much more than the desired $5. From there, it spiraled to her mothers, aunts, and cousins asking for work.  

Skarleth is now almost 17, but already she has made such a difference in her community. I expect great things from this girl as she continues in school and sewing for One Common Thread. 

• Meet Jocelin

Courtney befriended Jocelin at church and is the reason she first started going into the Bordo. Jocelin is 35-years-old and has seven children. Her husband has worked many jobs but is currently working at a home doing repairs and improvements. He makes $20 a day for his 8-hour workday but has to use $4 froths daily wage for transportation, because he has to travel 2 hours to the city and then back home everyday.

Jocelin sews and is busy taking care of her 6 children. Sadly, her youngest son, Oliver, drowned in a tragic accident last year, so she is also suffering from severe depression. Oliver was only 18-months-old at the time.  

Jocelin's family was a part of the 28 people pushed out of the Bordo by threats of gang violence in 2020.  They had threatened to kill her family and steal her daughters. So, in the middle of the night they fled for their lives out of the Bordo.  They have since settled out in the country and have built a house with the donations from One Common Thread. Their home was completely flooded with 6 feet of water when hurricanes Eta and Iota hit in November 2020.  These past few years have been very challenging for her family. 

• Meet Nataly

Nataly only works every so often, but we still feel compelled to give her work because she is a fine craftswoman. However, she always promises me that school comes first, which is VERY important for us and is the reason we do this in the first place. To keep kids like Nataly in school!

Nataly is the oldest daughter in her family and the daughter of Jocelin. Since she was 7-years-old she has always had a baby on her hip. She is the ultimate mother's helper. At 16-years-old she is still silly and funny but appreciates being able to help her parents with the few quilts she has made. She and Courtney's 16-year-old daughter have birthdays one week apart from each other. They were great friends when Courtney and her family lived in Honduras.

• Meet Karol

Karol is 21-years-old and the oldest of her family.  She has had a very difficult life.  When Karol was just 18, her mother left with a caravan to the states leaving her to take care of her 8 younger siblings. Karol's dad had just been released from prison and spent most of his time drunk and very little time working to help support the family. She did a great job for about two years trying to keep the children safe and going to school.  

Sadly, when Covid hit the little structure she had created, it collapsed. Her siblings were divided among aunts and uncles and life has been uncertain ever since for her and her little family. Karol has spent some time living with her boyfriends family, on the streets or with relatives. It is often hard to find Karol. However, she gave birth in March 2021 to a baby boy and is due with her second child very soon. We are surprised when Karol shows up with a gorgeous quilt she has produced. We just never know when we will see her next. 

• Meet Cinthia

Cinthia is 20-years-old and the next in line of her family, after Karol. So much like Karol, Cinthia has been busy helping to support and provide for her younger brothers and sisters. Now with the family all separated and Cynthia is in and out of homes, it has become quite desperate for her. We worry about her mental well-being because life is not easy in the slums of Honduras.  She is often in tears when I speak to her and I pray she can find happiness. One Common Thread has become the little bit of consistency she has and we pray she can hold onto that for now.  

Since leaving the Bordo, she moved in with her boyfriend and it doesn't sound like it is a very good situation. She is now the mother of a 6-month-old son, Christian.  She is still sewing and we try to help her with extra expenses as often as we can.  Life for Cinthia is very hard because like most women, she has chosen the wrong kind of man to support her. We are hoping to help her make better decisions now that she has a child that depends on her.  

• Meet Wendy

This is Wendy and she is 33-years-old. Wendy has two children, and three grandchildren. Her husband is the brother to Ruth, Jocelin, and Juli. Wendy's family has also had to relocate out of the bordo due to threats of violence. They have all moved to a city that is an 8 hour bus ride from San Pedro Sula.  

Wendy continues to sew for One Common Thread and rides the bus to turn in her quilts and get more to sew. Her new house is also made by the donations of One Common Thread. She has also just received 3 beds from our donations, so now her family is out of hammocks or the floor, and on mattresses. Her daughter still lives with her but her son has joined the Honduran military. Thanks to money that she was able to earn sewing, it gave him the necessary funds to get the vaccinations and the supplies he needed to join.

• Meet Madeline

Madeline is 21-years-old and a mother of a 3-year-old daughter. Since having to leave her Bordo in July 2020 things have been very different for her. She and her family moved 8 hours away from San Pedro Sula and that also means 8 hours away from her baby's father.  

It has been difficult to take care of Bereth on her own, but she is grateful to at least have sewing for One Common Thread.  When they left the city we kept thinking it would be just a matter of time before she and her mother, Wendy would stop sewing. However, because there are literally no jobs in Honduras they are grateful to still have the work even if it means taking an 8 hour bus ride every few weeks.  

• Meet Dilvia

Dilvia is 29-years old and has two children. She is married to one of Ruth’s sons. You can't help but smile when you see Dilvia. She always points out the blessings in her life and is an optimist. Recently, Dilvia and her family also had to flee the Bordo and they built a house with donations from One Common Thread. She now lives out in the country with her husband's two sister's families and her mother.  She continues to try and build a better life for all of her family.

She recently received new bunkbeds for her boys and a new mattress for she and her husband. She is so grateful how much space the bunk beds have created in their tiny one room home. She is also grateful for her new bed and the ability to purchase her needed supplies to feed her family of four.

• Meet Maribel

Maribel is 48-years-old and the mother of Dilvia (above).  Maribel is a very soft spoken woman and a widow. She is so sweet and dear and hardly speaks when you see her in person but is so kind and sweet. She is the first to send warm wishes by text when you aren't near. Maribel has never had her own home until recently. Now she boasts about her being able to own a home, though it is only feet away from Dilvia's home. She has always shared a home with her daughter and her son-in-law. Now she has her own roof and her own space. She sews all day and is quite happy being able to provide for herself.  

• Meet Nohemy

Nohemy pronounced No-Em-ee is 34 years-old and the mother of two beautiful children Astrid and Alex and now a newborn baby girl. Nohemy keeps a beautiful home that is always immaculately clean with every dish in place and every bed made when we stop by to visit her. She was very desperate at the time we met her because her bathroom and kitchen did not have concrete floors. Through donations, One Common Thread was able to provide the concrete she needed to have it put on over the dirt. The addition of the concrete floor has made such a difference in her well-being. She is so grateful to have work to supplement the income she was receiving from her common law "husband" who gave her only $4 a week for food and household expenses. This sweet woman, and dear friend, is simply delightful. Nohemy lives a very difficult life but she also sees the positive in all things. We truly love her.

• Meet Ingrid

Ingrid is 25-years-old and the mother of Dinely, 9 and Keylor. 5.  She just started sewing for One Common Thread and has caught on very well to the craft of quilt making. She so enjoys having the opportunity to sew.

• Meet Mariana

Mariana is 45 years-old and one of our most popular Makers because her life is one of the most desperate. Mariana is the mother of 9 children. Two years ago her husband was killed because he was caught in the cross fire of a gang shooting.  He was shot in the face as a bullet went in one cheek and out the other. Sadly, he did not get medical attention and died of an infection two weeks later. 

Mariana has been raising the 6 children she still has at home on her own ever since, plus the two street children she has picked up along the way. When we first met, Mariana, her house was so disheveled and truthfully unlivable by most standards. It was and is on a slope and a large tree is in the middle of the "home".

Since she has started working for One Common Thread, we have been able to slowly improve her living conditions. Marianna is EXTREMELY grateful to have work and now a way to feed her children. Because of your donations, she now has a roof over her head, cement on most of her floors, a real oven, beds for her and her children, and soon she will have a refrigerator. All because of donations from people like you.  

• Meet Maria Luisa

At 4'9" Maria Luisa is small in stature but large in spirit. This woman can work circles around anyone! Maria Luisa is Mariana's mother and helps her sew quite a bit. Sadly, she does have some health issues and spends some days in the hospital but when she is home, she is scrubbing floors and washing dishes. We can hardly keep her resting like the doctor have ordered her to do! At 60-years-old, she has already lived a very full and exhausting life—mostly without a roof over her head.  

• Meet Marilu

Marilu is one of our youngest Makers and only sews when she isn't doing school work. She would also be very upset if we did not include her on our list of Makers.  Marilu is the daughter of Mariana and granddaughter of Maria Luisa. She is the oldest child that lives at home out of Mariana's 9 children. Marilu has a full workload between school and helping her mother take care of her younger siblings as well as the two street children they have taken into their home.  

Before Marilu's mother started sewing for One Common Thread, she was sleeping on a dirt floor because her siblings and mother shared the only two beds that they owned. Now she has her own bed, a cement floor under her feet and finally a roof over her head to keep her dry from the consistent rain that hits Honduras.

Marilu enjoys sewing but like all teenagers, she wants a phone and assures us it is necessary for school. We think a computer is better in helping her to finish her school work, but we love her tenacity! 

• Meet Karin

Karin is a mother of three boys ages 6, 4, and 2.  Karin is 24-years-old and started sewing with One Common Thread about a year ago. She has really enjoyed the opportunity and has recently gotten a new roof for her house through your donations. She is saving for a refrigerator and other supplies to improve her home.  

• Meet Marta

Marta is such an amazing person. We first met her as we were walking though the slums and spotted her sewing in her home. We didn't recognize her so we introduced ourselves and found out she was sewing in "secret" by helping a friend who already sewed for One Common Thread. She was so dear that we had to get her all signed up right away with a bank account and projects of her own.  

Marta has enjoyed working and recently purchased a refrigerator with her own money. Now with a refrigerator, she started a frozen chocolate banana stand from her home. She is able to make a small profit from selling her bananas to the children in the slums. Marta is 37-years-old and the mother of three children.  

• Meet Maria

Maria is 30 years-old and the mother of three, one boy and two girls. Maria was Introduced to One Common Thread when she saw her neighbor, Marta sewing and making changes in her life and in her home. She was so impressed with the improvements, she asked if she could help her sew. Soon Marta taught her how to sew and got her a job working with us.  

Maria is enjoying her time working and the opportunity it gives her to stay home and care for her children while still contributing to the household income.  

• Meet Mercedes

Mercedes is 42-years-old and is what we here in the states would call a "jack of all trades". We have never seen a woman have so many ways to make money!  Before the pandemic hit, we would see her pushing her stroller with her youngest son all over town as she sold balleadas (lunch) to guards and workers all over the city. Then as her son got to be a little older, we would see her with him teetering on the center bar of her bike as she rode around town making deliveries.  

She doesn't sew very much for One Common Thread (because I'm sure it is just too slow for her) but she does take some time to sew hexagons for quilt kits in the evenings. Mercedes is the mother of 4 boys and also takes care of her 10-year-old niece, Tonya. Mercedes keeps one of the cleanest houses that we have ever seen in the slums. It is completely organized and she has so much love for her children.  

• Meet Norma

Norma is the mother of our "jack of all trades" Mercedes.  Norma spends some of her time in the Pedregal Bordo with Mercedes and part of her time in another slum with some of her other children. When she is in San Pedro Sula, she sews and helps Mercedes with her family. She recently received a new bed from her earnings from One Common Thread. If it isn't being used by her, it is being used by one of her four grandsons when she is away. They are very grateful to have use of "Abuelas" bed when she is out of town!

• Meet Kendy

Kendy is 26-years-old and she has three children who are 6, 5 and 3. She and her husband Elmer, also take care of 2 of Kendy's sisters and her little brother. Her sisters are 14, and 12 and her brother is 9-years-old. Right now Kendy is trying to save enough money to get a washing machine. With the tropical weather in San Pedro Sula, there is a lot of rain and that creates a lot of laundry! She is so grateful to work for One Common Thread.

Kandy has also built her own brick oven and cooks food that she sells in the Bordo. Her brick oven is quite impressive and it shows how much ingenuity she has. Recently, One Common Thread provided her with cement for a new floor for her house along with material for a new roof. She also was able to get a toilet that flushes! A rarity in the Bordo. It has been a great blessing to her with a family of 8 all under one roof!

• Meet Maribel

Maribel is 34-years-old and the mother of four children. Right now her husband of a common law marriage is not employed. She has always cooked and taken care of her children. She has a 6th grade education and her goal is to be happy with her family. Because of donations to One Common Thread, she was able to re-roof her house and put cement down on her floors. That has brought her a lot of happiness because she is able to keep dry in San Pedro Sula's tropical climate.

Maribel's four daughters are absolutely precious and her oldest is Diana who helps a lot with sewing. At almost 15-years-old, Diana is looking forward to her quinceañera in the next few months.  

• Meet Teresa

Teresa is 29-years-old and a mother to one daughter.  She has lived in the bordo her entire life. Teresa only has a 6th grade education because she is one of 11 children and her mother could not pay for her school uniform expense past the 6th grade. Many women in the slums of Honduras are not able to continue their education after 6th grade because middle school comes with more expenses that many can not meet.  

She is grateful for the opportunity to work for One Common Thread because she has learned how women have value and can help contribute to the expenses of the home. She loves to cook and take care of her daughter. Her goal is to see her daughter grow up and receive an education.  

Before Teresa started working with One Common Thread, we noticed her because of her adorable pink house in the slums.  Her house was the only one that was painted and she is the most meticulously clean Maker we have. Unfortunately, Teresa suffers from a lot of health problems due to suffering from malnutrition when growing up in the Bordo. She is SO grateful that she is able to get the medical care she needs through One Common Thread's efforts. 

• Meet Xiomara

Xiomara is 24-years-old and the mother to her one darling 7-year-old daughter, Julia Estefeny. Xiomara's mother is Mariana and her grandmother is Maria Luisa. who all sew for One Common Thread (As well as all three of Xiomara's sisters— Teresa, Marilu, and Meary). It has made such a difference for all of the women in these families because they are able to have their own income and help support their children. Xiomara just recently got a new bed and a new roof on her home. 

• Meet Isabella

Isabella is one of our newest Makers and is only making hexagons right now as she is learning. Isabella is 26-years old and has one daughter who is 2-years-old.  Isabella enjoys working out and does some weight training with clients who live close to her slum. She is very impressive with her diet and workout routine and enjoys being able to sew at night as another source of income.  

• Meet Zoila

This is Zoila and she is 33-years-old. Zoila has lived in the bordo for 14 years  She has a daughter, Yacxiri, and she is 13-years-old, and a 12-year-old step son named, Julio. Yacxiri and Julio were both born in the Bordo and they go to school close by.  

Here is a sweet message from Zoila:

"I am very grateful to God first because he put in my path to good people like Courtney and her family because thanks to them I can have a job by way of making the quilts helps me a lot for our support to buy what we need in our home.  I also thank them for buying my quilts, I sew them with a lot of love with my heart.  Every design on the quilts fills me with a lot of enthusiasm to be able to finish and sell them. My hobby is to be sewing for you and free moments I work in my humble little house that I share with my daughter.   My dream is one day to be able to have my own humble little house and that my daughter can complete her studies. I only managed to go to sixth grade and I am very grateful for your great blessing. Thank you for being part of the group of enterprising women fighters, that today helps us to survive. I give you infinite thanks for your great support."

• Meet Janderee

Janderee is 16-years-old and just gave birth to her first child. She is such a beautiful girl and is doing so much to protect her sweet child. Sewing has been a way for her to keep herself fed as she was awaiting her baby boys arrival.  

• Meet Johanna

Johana is 21-years old. She has a 4-year-old daughter and is from San Pedro Sula. She has a 6th grade education and she is grateful to have an income by working for One Common Thread. Her goals are to go back to school to finish the basics, get a degree, and to give her daughter a better future. 😊  

Her common law husband was recently injured in a motor cycle accident and lost the use of one of his legs. He often helps Johana with her sewing. We have been able to build Johana a much safer home away from the river she was living 10 feet away from. During rainy season her home almost washed away many times but now she is up on the cliff side and in a much safer location in a house that is about as big as a childs room but has cement floors and a new roof.

•  Meet Mariela

Mariela is 22 years-old and has one son. She has a 3rd grade education and fears for any time her son gets sick. The best thing that has ever happened to her was having her baby.

Recently she has been able to get a new roof and a new floor in her home. We also purchased her a new oven range so she can cook without being on an open fire. She is loving the improvements she has been able to make because of her work with One Common Thread.  

• Meet Claudia

Claudia is 23-years-old and the mother of two of the cutest twins you have ever seen. Katie and Kaylee are four years old and they love to keep their mother busy!  Claudia was born with hearing problems and has never received the medical help she has needed. She is very prolific with reading lips but with Covid and masks it has made communication so much more difficult for her.  

Claudiaa has never had steady work but enjoys the opportunity she has to sew.  She counts her greatest blessing in life being her twins and also as one of her biggest challenges!

• Meet Oneida

Onayda is 28-years-old and the mother of three.  It seemed natural for her to start sewing for One Common Thread since her sisters Claudia and Mariella and her sister-in-law Maribel all sew as well. She enjoys the new bed she has been able to purchase and the milk and food items that she can now afford because she has regular work. 

• Meet Karen

Karen is one of our newest Makers and is 20-years-old and mother of a three year old son named Zayn. She is grateful to have work because her son is receiving milk on a regular basis. She enjoys that she can do it from home and take care of her son at the same time. 

• Meet Geidy

Geidy, pronounced Hay-dee is 21-years-old and does not have any children. She is married and her husband gets work sometimes but nothing consistent. She says the hardest trial she has ever experienced was losing her child and her father.  She says the best thing that has ever happened to her was celebrating her quinceñera when she turned 15!

Recently, she added onto her tiny house with wood siding instead of the plastic landscaping tarp she was using for walls. She was also able to put cement down on her floor. She has very little but you will never see Geidy without a smile on her face. She also purchased a commercial style range/grill so she can cook food and sell it on the weekends. This opportunity has given her so much self worth and she is grateful she can sew for One Common Thread. 

• Meet Blanca

Blanca is not married and currently works as a housekeeper during the day. She has one son, she is 27-years-old and has a 6th grade education. She wants to sew so she can provide more for her son and she says the best and the hardest thing she has ever experienced was having her son!

• Meet Neidy

As a mother of three, Neidy is grateful to have the opportunity to work.  She is 36-years-old and has been helping her sister sew, so she is excited to make her own creations. She is grateful for her children because they bring her the greatest happiness.  

Neidy's oldest child is Tito and he has graduated from high school. Recently, One Common Thread helped him find a job so he could save to pay for an education at the University of Honduras. Tito is also very promising because he made it a goal to learn English and has done that mostly from watching TV in English. He also has two little sisters that are 13, and 6 so he helps his mother with supporting them as well. 

•  Meet Rosa Guadelupe

Rosa has been helping her sister-in-law, Isabel, sew for awhile now. She has three children and a 6th grade education. Sadly, she lost her home and everything she owns to a terrible fire that burned 10 shacks in the bordo back in October 2021. It has been such a struggle for her this past year because of the fire and the pandemic.  

She is grateful to sew because she says she likes to sew a lot and it provides for her children.  She also takes care of her father who is elderly and very ill. She is a very hard worker and is trying to save for a weedwacker so her oldest son, who is 14, can do yard work and help earn an income.  

• Meet Clivian

Clivian has been sewing with her sister Delia for awhile now, to support her three children. She is 26-years-old and does not have a husband or boyfriend to help support her or her children. Her boys are 11, 7, and 5 years-old. She is so grateful to have employment where she can work from home to support her children and lists having these boys, and raising them on her own, as the hardest thing she has ever done, however they are also the best thing that ever happened to her. 

She went to school until 4th grade. Her mom died so she stopped going to school. At the age of 15 she got pregnant with her first son. She dreams that her boys will continue studying and that they can get opportunities she didn’t have growing up. Her oldest son dreams of being and architect. Clivian also makes tortillas daily to sell to other people in the slums.   

• Meet Yanori

Yanori pronounced, "Janori" and is 24-years-old. She has 1 son named Alex. She is so grateful to sew quilts because she has no money. The father of her son has a job but he does not always give her money for food, so she knows she needs to provide for him and for herself. Her son is in kindergarten and just barely went back to in person school. She is grateful to have this work because she was able to re-roof her home recently and buy a new refrigerator. One thing she is saving for is to purchase is a new stereo.  

•  Meet Kendy.  

•  Meet Perla

She is part of a group of Makers who live our of San Pedro Sula. It is an 8 hour bus ride to San Pedro Sula to drop off her quilts. She is a mother and works so she can buy food for her children.  

•  Meet Maria

Please meet Maria Fernanda. She is working so she can make money to continue her education. 

• Meet Leslie

She is a new Maker with the group that is 8 hours outside of San Pedro Sula. She is working to provide food for her children.

• Meet Evin Aloha

This is our dear sweet Evin Aloha.  Evin is 19-years-old and has four children, and only has an 8th grade education.  She is grateful to have employment where she can stay home and take care of her children. When asked what was one of the hardest things she's ever done, she mentioned getting work. She also listed that working for One Common Thread is the best thing that has ever happened to her!  She just recently gave birth to her fourth child. One Common Thread helped her pay her hospital bills so she could have her baby.

• Meet Belkis Mirella

Belkis is 32-years-old and has one child. Her "husband" is a bricklayer but has not had work for awhile because of the pandemic. She has completed the 9th grade. The hardest thing she has experienced in her life was losing her mother and but she is grateful to have her husband and her daughter to comfort her. 

Belkis has three daughters who are a great help to her. Recently, Belkis was able to purchase a dining room table with funds she received from One Common Thread. That has been a real joy to her because now her family can sit around a table as they eat their dinner.  She really loves to have family dinners. She also now has a stove top so she doesn't have to cook over an open fire.  

• Meet Bersairia

We call her Bersa and she is the mother of two girls and a boy. Bersa is 38-years-old and the grandmother to one sweet little grandson. Bersa and her two daughters Fannie, 20 and Miriam,19 who also sew hexagons and make quilts for One Common Thread.  

• Meet Miriam

Miriam is 19-years-old and lives at home to help support her mother, sister, brother and nephew. She first began sewing when she was introduced to it by her good friend Belkis. She has a 6th grade education and we are hoping to help her continue her education. 

• Meet Fannie

Fannie is 20-years-old and the mother of one young son, Elias. She lives at home with her mother, sister and younger brother. She enjoys sewing and spends her days sewing and taking care of Elias. She has many responsibilities but is grateful she can contribute to the household expenses.

•  Meet Nery Vanessa

She is 21-years-old, has a 5th grade education and is a single mother. She is excited to sew to support her daughter and considers her daughter the greatest blessing in her life.

•  Meet Olga

Olga is 35-years-old and the mother of two children. She is one of our newer Makers, though she is not new to sewing. Olga is not married but has been with her common law "married" boyfriend for awhile. He does not currently have work because there is no work available for him. Olga is grateful to have found work and says not having work as the hardest thing that has ever happened to her. She says the best thing to happen to her is having her children. She has completed the 5th grade. 

• Meet Yensi Magdaly

Yensi is 30-years-old and is the single mother to one son. She is excited to sew because she really needs a way to make money. She has experience sewing in the past and only has a second grade education. The hardest thing she has ever experienced has been raising her son by herself without any support. The best thing that has ever happened to her is having the chance to sew for One Common Thread.  

• Meet Jeimy

Jeimy is 20-years-old and the mother of a one year-old daughter, Anna Camilla.  When Jeimy first started sewing for One Common Thread, she didn't enjoy the work very much and quit right away. That was fine because we did not want to make anyone do anything they did not have a desire to do. However, a few months later,  Jeimy had searched and searched for work that she could do and soon realized that with a small baby at home, that sewing was the most convenient for her to get money to take care of her daughter. Soon she was asking us to sew for us and has been doing it ever since. 

Jeimy and her common law husband live in a one room house that they rent from a home owner and share common areas like the kitchen and living room (Which are both outside). Recentl, Jeimy was able to buy a new bed and she is so grateful to have something substantial to show for her efforts.  

• Meet Mirna

Mirna is 38-years-old and the mother of 4 children. Her oldest is 22, and her youngest is pictured here—sweet little 2-year-old, Ashley. Mirna lives under the same roof as Jeimy and started sewing when she saw her neighbor working from home. She has enjoyed learning how to sew hexis because she is able to watch Ashley at the same time.

• Meet Vanessa

Vanessa was born on Valentine's day in 2002. As a 20-year-old, she does not have any children and she and her husband are both feel very fortunate to have work.  

• Meet Ana Larissa

Ana Larissa is 22-years-old and has two children. She completed the 6th grade and has recently begun sewing with One Common Thread. This is her first real employment that she has ever had. One of the hardest things that she has ever experienced was losing her grandmother because she was such a big part of raising her as a child. The best part of her life has been her two children. 

• Meet Ruth Nohemi

Ruth is 31-years-old and the mother of one child. She hasn't ever sewn before but she is excited to learn because she enjoys learning how to do new things. She is very educated for having been raised in the bordo and graduated high school with an emphasis in business administration.  

She suffered a great loss during hurricane Eta and Iota when her house collapsed. That is second only to losing her brother when she was younger. The best thing that has ever happened to her is having her son.  

• Meet "Mirna" Jamileht

Mirna is 38-years-old and has four children.  She has already had some experience sewing before she began sewing for One Common Thread. Mirna is glad to have work now because she needs to buy milk and diapers for her youngest daughter. She completed the 6th grade like most women in Honduras and says she has normal problems people have and the best part of her life are her children.

• Meet Claudia

Claudia has three children and she is 33-years-old. Claudia doesn't live in San Pedro Sula but is neighbors with one of our Makers who had to relocate out of the city when her family was threatened. Claudia feels very fortunate to have learned how to sew hexagons from her new neighbor.  

Claudia finished the 6th grade and was very disappointed to lose her fridge and stove when hurricanes Eta and Iota hit in November 2020. She started sewing in hopes to buy food for her family and save money to buy a new stove and fridge.