Aidé Ayala

Aidé Ayala, 57, is the president of the Asociación de Tejedoras de Paurito, a group of women dedicated to weaving traditional accessories from palm leaves. Recently, she has been in the news due to severe flooding that has destroyed local saó palm plantations, leaving her and her fellow artisans unable to produce and sell palm branches for the upcoming Semana Santa celebrations. This situation marks the first time in many years that they have been unable to fulfill orders for the important religious observance, forcing them to seek alternative sources of income.