Margarita Torres, artisan

ACOOPRAC is a cooperative that is made up of several small artisan workshops. Their work began in 1991, after the signing of the peace accords in El Salvador. Today, most of ACOOPRAC’s members live in marginalized neighborhoods surrounding San Salvador. Poverty and increasing gang violence are part of their everyday life and job opportunities are scarce. Whether they are mothers earning an extra income for their families or youth learning a trade and putting themselves through school, the income ACOOPRAC’s artisans earn from sales of their crafts makes an important impact in their lives.

Margarita Torres, mother of 3 and one of the artisans working with ACOOPRAC explains the impact her craft work has on her life, “When SERRV places an order with us we are happy because there is work. It is a source of hope. There are moments when we feel hopeless.”

SERRV offers colorfully painted wood products from ACOOPRAC, a style unique to El Salvador.