North American Charity Stimulates Economic Growth in Guatemala Online Enabled
by Shopster e-Commerce - Social Networking for Products

CALGARY , Nov. 13 /CNW/ - In the chaos of a 37-year civil war, traditional weaving for women of the Maya culture had become a lost art. A group of local women from Taltimiche, in Comitancillo, Guatemala , hoped to change this, and formed a co-op to teach each other the skill, supplementing their families' incomes through sales of the finished weavings. A Calgary based charity group, Dentistry for All (DFA) came across the beautiful crafts while working in Guatemala , and knew they could help the women's sales by introducing their products to North America .

Having raised money to build the co-op its own building and purchase new weaving looms, DFA teamed up with Shopster e-Commerce to bring these third world treasures to the online market (http://dentistryforall.secure2cart.com). To date, DFA accounts for 80% of the co-op's sales, and sales of the hand-woven goods have allowed the co-op to increase the number of Guatemalan women it employs from 35 to 140.

"The world uses Google," says Canadian DFA Director Brad Krusky, "Anytime anyone asks anything about us (DFA) they ask for a website. Shopster provides the building blocks we need to get online."

"We are pleased that DFA has used our software to help such an amazing team of women in Guatemala . Shopster was built to enable producers of unique goods get their products to market, and we look forward to seeing their sales grow as they build their presence online." says Shopster CEO, Sarath Samarasekera.

About Dentistry for All

Dentistry for All provides independent and sustainable dental care to the world's poorest nations, including Guatemala and Nicaragua . In 15 years, they have seen over 12,000 patients. DFA is hosting the 6th Annual Guata-Gala on November 14, 2009 , in Calgary , Canada .

About Shopster.com

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