The Macrame Project
The Macramé Project
Making Connections with Threads of Hope
What started as a grassroots effort to support women caregivers in rural Ecuador has grown into a global movement of artistry, empowerment, and solidarity. The Macramé Project is about more than bracelets and beads—it’s about rebuilding lives, reclaiming dignity, and creating sustainable, community-led solutions across borders.
Our Origin Story
The Macramé Project was born out of heartbreak and hope.
In the rural and Indigenous communities of Tosagua, Ecuador, a network of women caregivers was operating children’s care centers for infants and children with special needs—despite extreme poverty, no government support, and broken promises from aid agencies. When paychecks stopped and critical supplies were cut off, these courageous women kept showing up, caring for the most vulnerable among them—for six more months, unpaid and unsupported.
When The Eden’s Rose Foundation arrived, we saw not only the deep need—but the immense strength and potential of these women. Rather than imposing outside aid, we chose to invest in their talents, stories, and leadership.
A Simple Idea with Global Impact
We began with a powerful, yet simple idea:
- Organize the women into a cooperative
- Teach them the culturally significant craft of macramé
- Build capacity in both artisan skill and community organizing
- Send them back to train family members of at-risk children
- Use proceeds from macramé sales to sustain training programs
- Empower local families to run their own cooperatives and protect their rights
Through creative expression, these women began to rebuild their communities from within, turning knots of string into symbols of self-sufficiency, pride, and possibility.
Tour, Trade, and Transformation
With our very first collection of handmade macramé jewelry in hand, we hit the road—selling pieces on the Grateful Dead Tour to raise awareness and resources. The response was overwhelming. Supporters kept saying, “It’s been years since we’ve seen real, from-the-heart macramé like this!”
That’s when our friend Sarah Lewis of Adorn Jewelry stepped in. She believed in the women, believed in the mission—and connected us with Free People for our first paid production. The momentum was unstoppable.
What We’ve Built
From that one collaboration, we were able to complete a Community Basic Needs Center in a high-risk community in Ecuador:
- 4 showers and toilets with clean running water
- A commercial kitchen for food distribution
- Special rooms for infants and children with disabilities
- Emergency shelter for floods and natural disasters
- Community training and gathering spaces
- A 13,000-liter purified water system now serves the entire village
In 2012, this center became the epicenter of emergency aid—distributing food, water, and shelter to dozens of displaced families.
Connecting Across Continents
The Macramé Project didn’t stop in Ecuador.
In 2012, we began partnering with Muslim and Hindu artisan communities on the borders of India and Pakistan, where families have cut and polished stones for generations—often for extremely low wages and under exploitative conditions.
We found a way to reclaim the value of leftover semi-precious stones—buying unused, high-quality gem cabochons and sending them to our macramé artisans in Ecuador. In exchange, we sent back colorful Brazilian wax linen, opening up a whole new world of design.
Through this international trade partnership, we doubled incomes, sparked global collaboration, and empowered over 400 artisans across multiple continents.