An Artist in El Salvador is Empowering Women in Rural Areas to Gain Financial Independence

Lula Mena is reviving local economies through artistic expression, having established a brand and business over the past decade.

Already an artist making traditional handcrafts, the idea for her business career started with an aid project that gave her the opportunity to travel throughout El Salvador: “If you don’t know your country, you don’t love it,” says Lula, aged 47.

During her travels, Lula saw that many women were living with little financial support. There were few work opportunities for them in rural areas, meaning many women had to leave their homes and families to find work in a city.  Lula, a new mother at the time, felt that every mother-child moment together was vital and she wanted to find a way to support these families. 

Her first project “Seeds of Joy,” started in 2011 with six women in San Salvador making jewelry from locally grown seeds. The success of this project was the spark for the company: Once the communities saw what was being done, the women brought their own seeds to Lula to make new projects. “It was like magic," says Lula.  

Now Lula employs some 100 artisans to create handcrafts – jewelry and artwork – to sell in over 15 countries. Her female employees have found a reliable revenue stream – some earning triple their partner’s income – giving them a measure of financial independence and, in some cases, increased ability to make family decisions.

 As an artist, Lula wanted to share her art with the world but as a practical business matter, she also wanted to protect the families supported by her new business. Her friend Roxana Romero de Gamero, an intellectual property law specialist, helped Lula register her name as a trademark. Lula paid for her services with handcrafted jewelry. The success of the collaboration inspired Ms. Romero de Gamero’s law firm, Romero Pineda & Asociados, to support innovation by providing pro bono IP legal services to small businesses all over El Salvador. 

All of the materials used in the products are sustainable, either naturally occurring or through recycling, Lula says. Sustainable materials, methods and distribution are key to the principles of Lula Mena.  “In order to be sustainable, my business needs to be sustainable, for my country and for my workers,” she says.