Mi Esperanza - The Women of My Hope

Purchase with Purpose!

By purchasing a Mi Esperanza product YOU are providing education to women living in extreme poverty in Honduras.

The Mi Esperanza store began in the summer of 2004.  It is a concept that began with the desire to create an on going source of income for the Mi Esperanza program and employe Mi Esperanza’s sewing graduates.

In the spring of 2004 co-founder Lori Connell brought an idea for a handbag to the Mi Esperanza sewing instructor and together she and Cecilla developed the bag and put it into production for the summer of 2004.  With the connection Mi Esperanza has with Torch Missions they were able to share the Mi Esperanza story with 100’s of USA volunteers that came to Honduras during the summer.  Mi Esperanza sold 100’s of bags and the rest is history so they say!

Each year we have continued to add products to our line and advance our effort in developing the brand of Mi Esperanza. Mi Esperanza women in Tegucigalpa, Honduras make all of the textile items in our on-line store. 

We launched our on-line store in 2005 when Joel Steidl helped launched the Mi Esperanza website.  Joel has since totally redesigned our site as we have grown and expanded our store and program. 

In the summer of 2009 Mi Esperanza opened a physical store in Tegucigalpa, Honduras.  It is located at the city center of the Mi Esperanza program.  This has allowed individuals and groups from all over the U.S. to come to our center, see our program and then shop in our store.  It has been very exciting for all of us at Mi Esperanza, but especially the women who make our products.  For them to see their work in a store and on the Internet is of great pride to them.

The money generated by the sale of Mi Esperanza products go to two places;
1)  the cost of creating the product (materials and our seamstresses) 
2)  the Mi Esperanza program.  The money that goes to the program helps to fund our classrooms by buying supplies and equipment and paying our instructors.

Mi Esperanza strongly believes that a purchase made with a purpose is money well spent, because it is a purchase that goes on to empower women and provide opportunity where there once was none.