Josefa’s Story
In the heart of Pamaxan, a secluded and picturesque village nestled in the breathtaking Sierra de los Cuchumatanes, lives the remarkable Josefa Lux. At 23 years old, Josefa is a beacon of hope and inspiration for her entire community. Pamaxan, a part of the San Juan Cotzal municipality, is a place where dreams often seem distant. With its rugged terrain and limited access to basic necessities like running water and electricity, it seems unlikely to find a home with solar panels, and a family business with three looms for handmaking heritage textiles, and yet Josefa has made all this possible. Visiting with Josefa and her husband Saul, it is clear as day how their accomplishments have exceeded their wildest dreams. The short tour of their home highlights the comforts and little luxuries they have acquired such as the coffee tree in their tidy garden, or the wooden shed where they operate their weaving business. Josefa shares memories of working tirelessly to meet their goals of owning their land and a comfortable home. In the last year they opened their doors to Josefa’s younger brother, Sebastian, providing him with the support he needed and extending the hand up. As the tour continues, Josefa proudly shows off the weaving shed, adjacent to their home. The shed is open to the beautiful nature surrounding them and can snugly fit three tallera looms. Josefa and Saul are excited to show off the solar panel they have purchased, enabling them to have electricity which provides lighting in their workroom. They are now the only homeowners in the area with power in their home. Josefa is indeed inspiring others in her community, and shares that her dream now is to grow her business so she can acquire more solar panels and other tools needed to have greater quality control in every step of the weaving process. However, for Josefa and Saul it was a long journey to the stability they now have.
Josefa’s journey began with humble roots and has been an uphill battle just like the other families in their village, where providing for their loved ones was a daily struggle. When Josefa was just a teenager, family hardship meant that she couldn’t complete her education. Instead, she married and started a family at a young age. Saul took on the role of the breadwinner, working tirelessly as a construction worker, but the few dollars a day laboring was never enough to take any kind of meaningful action towards their dream of homeownership, land and stability and a brighter future for their children. Then, a glimmer of opportunity emerged. An elder from their community extended a hand, offering to teach Josefa the art of weaving. Josefa eagerly said YES to this opportunity and began weaving dreams of her own. Once she learned the art of weaving, Josefa saw opportunity everywhere and shared her newfound knowledge with Saul, and together, they embarked on a remarkable journey of empowerment and growth. First, they learned, then they acquired a loom through hard work and saving what little they could and did not stop there. Others may have said, that is great I have come so far, but not Josefa, her dreams were bigger still. They knew that they needed more resources to truly flourish. That’s when the Women’s Entrepreneurship Fund’s credit manager in their area introduced them to Agros. The prospect of receiving holistic support, including financial education and essential tools, was a dream they hadn’t dared to imagine. And the rest is history.
Their brighter future has arrived, Josefa is a community leader, and she knows that her two children, aged 7 and 5, will have something she never did, an education. Her eldest is thriving in school, while the youngest revels in the love and attention of her dedicated parents. The Lux family’s transformation has been nothing short of incredible.
But they aren’t alone in their journey. Josefa, Saul, and their community share an unbreakable bond with the Women’s Entrepreneurship Fund and Agros. They’re immensely grateful for the guidance, training, and support they’ve received. With the Agros team by their side, they look ahead with unwavering hope.
The Lux family, together with their community, eagerly anticipates the potential that the Women’s Entrepreneurship Fund has unlocked and continues to offer. With their hearts full of gratitude, they’re excited to walk hand in hand with Agros, creating a brighter future for their family and their beloved community.
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