Bryseida’s home in Oaxaca stands proudly along a dirt road that curves through her rural community. Inside, the living room has been transformed into a studio. The walls are lined with vivid bursts of color: embroidered blouses, dresses, and denim jackets, each one adorned with intricate flowers that seem to bloom right out of the fabric. Mannequins stand proudly along the wall, modeling Bryseida’s latest designs. She smiled as she guided us toward her embroidery stand, eager to show how each stitch came to life under her skilled hands.
“I used the seed money from Trickle Up’s FUERTE project to buy materials.” She paused for a moment to thread her needle and continued, “My embroidery business has grown so much that I now employ 15 women. With the income and savings we’ve built, my husband and I were able to build a larger, safer house for our family.”
Trickle Up’s FUERTE project, supported by MetLife Foundation, works with thousands of women like Bryseida across Oaxaca and Chiapas to strengthen their livelihoods and financial resilience. Through a combination of coaching, seed capital, and savings groups, FUERTE helps participants turn their skills and ideas into sustainable businesses that build lasting change within their families and communities.
Bryseida’s house itself told that story. To the right was a cozy kitchen, and at the back were two bedrooms—spaces of comfort and pride compared to what they once had. Before, she told us, her family lived in what she described as a hut closer to the center of the community: a small, cramped house that barely fit them all. Now, their new home offers safety and space.
Her husband joined us, speaking with admiration about how much the business had changed their lives. “Everyone in the community sees what she’s built,” he said. It was easy to feel at home there, surrounded by the steady rhythm of her needlework and the energy of a family who had worked hard to build something beautiful together.
Bryseida explained how she sells her embroidered pieces on Facebook Marketplace, shipping her work across Mexico and even beyond. Despite living far from large markets, she’s managed to connect her small community to the world through her artistry and entrepreneurship.
Her next goal, she said, is to take her business out of their living room and open a dedicated shop where her business can fully take shape—separate from her family’s space, and with shelves of embroidered clothing ready to ship and a workspace for the women she employs.
As we said goodbye, we looked once more at the colorful embroidery on the walls. Each piece was a testament to Bryseida’s determination and leadership. It wasn’t just fabric; it was her story stitched in every thread, a story of resilience and the power of opportunity.
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