Threads of Community: Building Bridges Through Textiles
August 20, 2026 at 2:00 PM US Eastern Time
Continue the journey of the music behind the threads and meet artist Martha Carmen López Nimacachi, a Kaqchikel speaker who began weaving as a child playing with izote leaves then mastered the difficult art of backstrap loom brocade through years of practice. Learn how Handmade by Friendship Bridge connects her art with new markets and opportunities.
This discussion will take place on Thursday, August 20 at 2:00 PM Eastern.
Please note that if you are unable to attend, please register and a recording will be emailed to you as soon as it is available.
This event is free and open to all. If you would like to attend but are unavailable at the time listed, register anyway and you will receive a link to the recording as soon as it is available.
Panelists:
Nicole Eubanks joined Friendship Bridge’s Global Communications and Partnerships Team in 2016. She has since served as Relationship Manager, Associate Development Director, and Development Director. Today, Nicole leads the Global Communications and Partnerships Team, which oversees development, events, U.S. marketing, Handmade by Friendship Bridge, volunteers, and grants. Before joining Friendship Bridge, she spent five years advancing women’s and girls’ empowerment at Girl Scouts of Colorado, where she held roles including Volunteer Manager, Program Specialist, and Statewide Manager of Retail and Customer Service. Nicole earned an Associate of Applied Science in Business Administration and Management from FIT in New York City.
Sussan Hrozek is a Guatemala-based innovator focused on technology, sustainable development, and women’s empowerment. With a decade of marketing experience and a strong academic background, including degrees and postgraduate studies from institutions in Guatemala, Argentina, and the University of Pennsylvania, she bridges business, community development, and social impact across Latin America. Since 2023, Sussan has served as Senior Coordinator of Handmade by Friendship Bridge, where she leads initiatives that empower Indigenous artisan women in rural Guatemala to transform their craft into sustainable income. Her work builds entrepreneurial skills, strengthens women-led businesses, and creates pathways out of poverty, investing not only in artisans today, but in the education and opportunity of the next generation.
Martha Carmen López Nimacachi, from Santa Catarina Palopó, is a Kaqchikel speaker who began weaving as a child playing with izote leaves and thread scraps, then learned in earnest at age 10, mastering the difficult art of backstrap loom brocade through years of practice. From selling on the streets and in local markets, she has built her own textile business producing huipiles, fajas, and table runners in her town’s traditional red, while innovating new products like bookmarks, earrings, and keychains through the Handmade program. With support from Friendship Bridge, she has helped two of her children finish high school, created steady work for other women in her community, and is now passing down her craft to her own daughters, one of whom has already learned her technique. She also shares her skills through workshops in her home and at the Friendship Bridge offices, working closely with quality control each time she delivers her orders.
