Austin, Tx – Esperanza Market is raising funds to start a social enterprise dedicated to improving the lives of women and children living in impoverished communities in Central America. The online marketplace will work directly with artisans, mostly women, to provide them with regular employment and fair wages. Fair Trade bags made in Nicaragua will be the first items sold. The Esperanza Market will also donate a solar-powered lamp to students in those communities who live in homes without reliable electricity for every purchase.
One-fourth of the world’s population lives without reliable electricity. That number is one-third in Nicaragua. Some of the population lives off the electric grid, while others might have access to electricity, but can’t afford to use it. Families without energy rely on burning candles, wood or kerosene for light, which can be expensive, flammable and can cause poor air quality.
Esperanza Market will distribute solar lights to students in efforts to improve literacy and education by providing students with light to read and do homework once the sun goes down. They will start with Education Plus Nicaragua, a school in the Pantanal barrio outside of Granada. Pantanal started as a refugee camp outside the tourist mecca of Granada. It has 13,000 residents, 8,000 are children. There are no paved roads running water and electricity is very limited. The children of this area are vulnerable for child prostitution, criminal activity and glue sniffing. Education Plus Nicaragua provides free education, nutrition and medical attention to the children of Pantanal. With the help of its Indiegogo campaign, Esperanza Market is trying to raise enough money for the 200 students to each have a solar-powered light.
Each light cost $9 to purchase and distribute. They are purchased from Unite to Light, a non-profit that is devoted to providing solar lights to people around the world who live without electricity on a daily basis. Campaign perks include travel magnets depicting life on the streets in Nicaragua and handmade bags from Nicaraguan artisans. For more information about the Esperanza Market and its Indiegogo campaign, visit www.esperanzamarket.com.
Jennifer Simonson
Founder
Esperanza Market
512-496-6649
www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-esperanza-market
#LightTheWorld
See Campaign: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-esperanza-market
Contact Information:
Jennifer Simonson Founder Esperanza Market info@esperanzamarket.com 512-496-6649 www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-esperanza-market #LightTheWorld