we all have the ability to make change and do something. it might be a small something at the beginning, but help one person in this world and your something just turned into something huge.
send us a photo of you and your bag, along with your bag number, and we'll post you online.
Prostitution is a problem world wide, but the issue of prostitution in Costa Rica captured our attention. Prostitution is legal in Costa Rica at the young age of only 16. And as tourism grows in this beautiful country so does the problem as travelers feed the industry - prostitution has been watered down from taboo to culturally acceptable, and men flock to submit to their lust in a place where they can feel like it is okay.
we wanted to do something. that's where MAE-bags came from: recognizing so many beautiful people just needed hope; just needed something to help them Make An Escape from what's increasingly becoming so common.
we started making MAE-bags in may 2009. each bag is hand-crafted and hand-numbered, constructed from recycled burlap coffee sacks. made from coffee sacks from all over the world, every single MAE-bag is unique - no two bags look the same.
joined with groups that already have a presence in Costa Rica like Students International and local churches, we're giving support directly to the women who need it, not funneling it through giant corporate aid organizations. we plan on setting up a bag production studio in Costa Rica too, so the young women escaping prostitution will be able to learn skills to sustain a new lifestyle.
the goal is simple: to Make An Escape for these young women and their children. $25 from every MAE-bag sold goes directly to support, resources and empowering these young women with skills to become self sufficient.
we only hope to give them options, to give them a choice other than selling their bodies. we want to love these women who have nothing to offer us. we want to give to them, give them opportunities to escape, to learn, and to better themselves, breaking the cycle that is so frequently passed down to kids.
we hope to give to them rather than take from them as so many others have.
june 2009:
MAE-bags now available here!! we just launched the online shopping tool through Paypal, so buying bags is super easy and secure. Keep scrolling down to buy your bags!
may 2009:
we're currently working on a 'tour' around california to visit churches, coffee shops, parks and beaches, pretty much anywhere there are people to hear our story. check out the 'mae-bags tour' list above to see where we'll be so you can come visit with us.
check out the dates above to see where we'll be hanging out. come find us. say hi. we can talk and hug and tell stories and be merry and bond and it'll be awesome.
and if you would like us to come to your town or church or local coffee shop, let us know. go to the CONTACT section to send us an email.
Sorry, the shopping cart is temporarily down for maintenance. Please email us to order a bag.
Hey jeremy (or whoever owns this account)!!!! Just bought my first MAE bag today and im pretty stoked about it! Such an inspiring idea and also a good way to spread among people here at home about chirst. Keep on going with this, its the little things that change the world. Hope everything goes well, thanks Jeremy(or whoever)
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