Oh My Maya Organization – Our Story

Oh My Maya, Inc. is a 501(C)(3) non-profit organization located in St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Oh My Maya raises money for charities serving Guatemala through the sale of beautiful beaded jewelry, fine textiles and clothing handwoven on backstrap looms, and other goods you’ll find in our shop. 100% of profits are donated and 100% of the work of the organization is done by volunteers.

Your purchases benefit those in need two times over. First, the purchase of goods from the artisans in Guatemala provides much needed income for those artisans.   And second, purchases by our customers generate monies for charities. While not yet certified as a fair trade organization, for the last few years nearly all our purchases have been from the artisans or through cooperatives.   Pictured above are some of the women beaders from Santiago Attitlan, who make all our beaded goods, working under a tarp in the rain. In June 2010, we expanded our inventory to include scarves/shawls purchased from the Asociacion Maya de Desarrollo, a cooperative of weavers in Solola.

We made a tentative start in 2004 as a way to stay in touch with and give back to the country that is the birthplace of our daughter; we sold at house sales, crafts fairs, and out of the trunks of cars, before launching this website in June 2009.

The primary recipient of funds has been Safe Passage, or Camino Seguro, an organization serving hundreds of children and families whose lives center around the Guatemala City dump. We have also supported Transitions Foundation which provides training and wheelchairs to disabled in Guatemala, as well as Guatemala Student Support Group which brings impoverished and promising students to the U.S. to learn English and receive an education with the commitment to return to Guatemala to enrich their communities.  In 2011 we added Mayan Families as a recipient.  This organization has a wide reach in Panajachel and around Lake Attitlan, feeding the elderly; installing fuel efficient, clean stoves in homes; supporting schools; running an animal shelter; and numerous other projects.

Thank you for visiting and please be sure to share this website with your friends and family.

Robin Freeman
Founder
Oh My Maya, Inc.