Founding "Mujeres en Movimiento" (Women in Motion)
Creating a collective from scratch.

LAFLA Directing Attorney Nona Randois and Dolores Carlos originally met at a conference. Dolores is a case manager for Maternal and Child Health Access (MCHA), which works with low-income, pregnant women and new mothers to ensure a safe pregnancy and a healthy start for infants.

Grateful mothers often gave handmade gifts to the staff. If, thought Dolores, she could teach the women to make other things and then market them, it would bring a little extra cash into their homes.

Explains Dolores, "We organized a group of 15 to 20 women and they started to make beautiful little sculptures." Eventually the women became a collective, "Mujeres en Movimiento" (Women in Motion). Dolores found an artists' gallery. The sculptures sold, as did their other crafts.

How to handle the money? Dolores called Nona, remembering that her job was to assist small businesses become self-sufficient. There were tax and structuring issues, decisions about incorporating and other questions.

Nona says that she was excited from the moment she heard Dolores talk about how the women were discovering their artistic talents and benefiting from the crafts. The collective brings them cash, self-esteem, and an education because, as they work together, the women discuss child-rearing, health-care, domestic violence, and learn about solutions.

Recently the collective received a grant to purchase materials. "We were able to answer all the funder's questions," says Dolores, "because of the help we'd had from Nona."

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