SoloHope: Spanglish for "Only Hope"
IT ALL STARTED WITH ONE BRAVE "YES"
SoloHope began in the rural mountains of Honduras in a small community called Buenos Aires. In 2012, after many years of traveling to Honduras and listening to the hardships and challenges women in rural Honduras faced, our founder, Emilee Connell de Umanzor, met with a woman named Dilcia. Emilee had a random idea of creating bracelets from pine needles and thread. She knew Dilcia was the one who could make this idea come to life. Emilee showed Dilcia her rough sketches and asked Dilcia did she think it was possible.
Dilcia said yes. Her yes was the beginning of SoloHope--the beginning of a new adventure that would go on to employ dozens of women but most of all that would build a deep bond, an unbreakable sisterhood.
(Shortly after, Dilcia said yes, she convinced her best friend, Maribel, to also say yes. Together they crafted the first "SoloHope bracelets." We honor them as our founding artisans. They are pictured below.)
WHICH LEADS US TO TODAY
Every day, we wake up and keep saying yes to this adventure. We celebrate many victories like new products (we make more than bracelets now!), graduations we never thought possible, additions to homes and families. And we share our hard days and losses together. As a team.
As a family.
Because of Dilcia's yes, today SoloHope not only partners with artisans in Honduras, but also has created a model for community development for communities so remote that often times the roads come to an end and the walking begins. You can learn more about that work here.
YOU ARE PART OF OUR STORY
Our story is a great big circle. Our artisans in Honduras create beautiful goods for your home + body. As they create with their hands the products you'll soon hold in your hands, they pray for you. When the product arrives in the US and you shop SoloHope, you are connected to their story and they, to yours. This is our story. This is your story.