The Pulsera Project buys hand-woven pulseras from Central American artisans and then partners with student groups to sell them through U.S. schools. We provide sustainable fair trade employment and have dramatically expanded economic opportunities for hundreds of artists since 2009. We also educate U.S. students about Latin American culture and the importance of Fair Trade practices.
With the money raised from pulsera sales we fund a wide range of social impact programs that empower people through secondary education, university scholarships, housing programs, healthcare, disability rights advocacy, women & youth leadership, funding for environmental initiatives, and more. We partner with groups & non-profit organizations who share our belief that economic aid is just one part of a mutual exchange among people who share knowledge, ideas, and life experiences for the benefit of all.
Our projects are guided by a philosophy of empowerment. Rather than giving things to people, we empower people with the skills, opportunities, and education that allow them to provide for themselves and their communities.
Since 2009, Pulsera Project volunteers have raised more than $6,000,000 to empower Central American artists & their communities. Volunteers support fair trade, job opportunities, educational programs, financial empowerment, and embrace rich and progressive ideas about volunteer service.
Pulsera Project volunteers define service as more than a “feel good” experience focused on the things that we give. We value those we serve as compassionate and giving people in their own right, able to affect us, change us, and enrich our understanding of the world. We open our hearts and minds to the gifts of others and we value them as equal partners in a shared journey. We deliver aid with humility, understanding that economic aid is just one element in an enriching exchange.
We embrace the world of service with curiosity – searching for bright ideas and novel ways to create a just, uplifting, and colorful world. We explore Central American neighborhoods and U.S. classrooms, textbooks and village elders, the past and new frontiers, in search of better ways to support and connect with people of all cultures.
Pulsera sales create leadership opportunities for students interested in social justice and international service. Scores of sale leaders have organized thousands of volunteers at more than 3,600 public and private schools, and have sold over 1,000,000 pulseras since the first pulseras were sold in 2009.
The Pulsera Project's success is due to student leaders and activists who organize and bring to life successful sales on behalf of the Central American artisans that we work with.
The Pulsera Project is a colorful testing ground for those who want to experience the challenges and rewards of leadership.
Pulsera Project leaders emerge from all walks of life: community service clubs, fraternities and sororities, Spanish clubs, Student Councils, Human Rights Clubs, universities, middle and elementary schools, and high schoolers undertaking senior graduation projects.
The Pulsera Project team and student volunteers educate many people about life in Central America. Through documentary films, student travel writing, social media, school presentations, & photos emphasizing the positive side of life in developing nations, we dissolve U.S. borders and open students' minds to life abroad.
Students learn about economic poverty in Central America, but they also learn to see beyond economics to the value of broad cultural exchange. Nicaraguan culture is rich in easy rhythms, friendly people, and vibrant colors that can teach us all to become better people.
The Pulsera Project is "service learning" at its best. Students learn by solving real world problems through action and civic engagement.
The project specializes in bringing compelling Spanish language curriculum to classrooms through bi-lingual project films and stories about Latin American culture.
Schools receive everything they need to set up a pulsera sale completely free--one of many reasons why over 3,600 schools have joined us in coloring the world since 2009.
