A textile collective for Eldorado-Diadema, Brazil

Our team’s efforts to encourage greater independence within the collective are showing positive results. The group has remained focused on boosting local sales and organising fundraising activities within their own community. November and December were particularly busy but rewarding months, with much energy directed towards Christmas sales as well as joyful community events.

One notable initiative to increase local sales in a community with limited spending power was the installation of a product showcase in ACER’s reception area, where it would be visible to visitors. The group took great pride in decorating the space with balloons and streamers to create a colourful and welcoming atmosphere for the official launch of the showcase on October 25, which was a resounding success, both as a way of promoting the collective and of raising funds through selling handcrafted items at a wide range of prices. Shortly after the launch, they announced a follow-up event on November 29, this time featuring Christmas-themed products, and this was also well received. In another successful initiative, they are holding raffles for special items such as a beautiful patchwork quilt.

On November 8, the group took a trip to visit their former teacher, Carol, at her family home in the country, about 70 km away. Since the women rarely travel beyond the greater metropolitan area of São Paulo, the excursion was a wonderful experience for them, bringing back memories for some of a happy childhood spent in the country in the north east of Brazil before their families migrated to São Paulo.

Another highlight came in December when the women gathered at ACER for a social gathering where they received certificates of attendance for the year and Dona Jacira was presented with a birthday cake in celebration of her 77th birthday. Later, they held a smaller, informal end of year celebration in their workspace, exchanging gifts of purses embroidered with ‘Eldorado Têxteis 2025’, and in January they held another social for the five women whose birthdays fell during that month.

The photos posted by the women on their WhatsApp chat captured their sense of fun and camaraderie as well as their enjoyment and pride in participating in these events. A heightened spirit of motivation and self-confidence is emerging within the group, fostering a growing sense of self-determination that will surely support their continuing journey towards long-term sustainability.

It has now been over a year since our teacher Carol, who played a key role in establishing the Eldorado Textile Project, moved on. Since then our local teachers have been embracing new initiatives in innovation and growth. They have also worked hard to strengthen the Collective’s profile locally, for example by organising a highly successful traditional July winter festival at ACER. However, financial sustainability remains a significant challenge. Income from commissions and donations is insecure, and revenue through sales of artisan products at craft fairs has declined in recent years due to the growing dominance of online shopping in Brazil. To ensure the the project’s long-term sustainability, the Collective needs to focus more on increasing local sales within the São Paulo region.

With this in mind, we held a group meeting aimed at providing clearer insight into the various strands of funding that support the Eldorado Textile Project and the financial problems it currently faces. Since then we have worked together to find ways of raising the proportion of funding obtained in Brazil while maintaining a balance between the generation of funds and the support of an ethos that includes community values and creativity as fundamental elements.

We are pleased to report that our members have already come up with some promising initiatives. Gilvanete has facilitated the setting up of a display case for Eldorado Textile products in ACER’s reception area that will give visitors the opportunity to make purchases. Martah, a friend of Gilvanete who joined the Collective earlier this year, and has excellent social media skills, has created a plan for an online marketing and sales initiative. She has been encouraging members to participate using both voice and text messages on the group’s WhatsApp chat, which makes it easier for those with limited literacy to engage.

We are now looking forward to the official launch of the ‘Eldorado Showcase’ at ACER on Saturday, October 25. During this event, our stitchers and embroiderers will present their work, share ideas for future products and offer items for purchase starting from R$ 5.00 (approximately US $1.00).

There’s a growing sense of excitement on the group’s WhatsApp, which is filled with photos of creative new pieces, especially from some of the talented women who have been part of the project for a number of years and continue to expand their skills and mentor the newcomers. It’s inspiring to see this renewed energy emerging as we work together to build a sustainable future for our collective.