Last week, my teammate, Kelly, invited me to join her Spanish lesson as they visited a local hammock shoppe where one could watch hammocks being made. This intrigued me and so I accepted her offer! After touring a ceramic museum, we arrived at Tio Antonio’s Hamacas. The more I learned about this place, the more I loved it. And so I would like to share with you, just what Tio Antonio is up to…
Tio Antonio’s Hamacas, along with the neighboring cafe, Café de las Sonrisas, employs men and women with visual and auditory disabilities. In Nicaragua, most people with disabilities are overlooked and hard pressed to find employment. Tio’s not only gives blind and deaf men and women the opportunity to earn an income for their families, but it provides them with a chance to learn a skilled trade that will benefit them throughout the duration of their lives.
A blind man weaving a hammock. Hammocks usually take a day to make, but those who are very skilled can make two hammocks in one day.
Tables at the Café de las Sonrisas. These tables have puzzle pieces on them with labels (for the deaf), and they are placed in a particular order (for the blind). Each piece is used by the customer to communicate with their server when needing assistance. For example: “need a refill”, “check, please”, “sugar”.
Antonio also has a school here for sign language.
Tio Antonio’s Hamacas is also a big advocate for the cleanliness of their community. Not only do they make hammocks from cloth and rope, but they also make hammocks out of plastic bags as a way of recycling. Antonio says that they will not stop weaving these hammocks until the “national flower of Nicaragua is no longer the plastic bag,”. Littering is a huge problem in this country, and what better way to reuse “trash” than to make a fun, colorful hammock?
There is something so beautiful about a community coming together to make their city a better place. To learn more about Tio Antonio’s Hamacas and their impact on their community, you can visit: www.tioantonio.org
This hammock was made to fit 17 people!
