The Centro Artesanal Arte Cuseco is now open to the general public in the town of Benerito, on the road to Bayahibe and Higuey from La Romana. Most of the clothing and jewelry at the workshop are made using local materials like cow horn, shells, leather, seeds, sea and coconut shells. A daycare center for the craftswomen’s children and a crafts training center are located onsite.
Tourists can watch the crafts being made, and customized jewelry and crafts can be made to order.
At the inauguration of the new center, USAID economic policies advisor Duty Green said that the project helps improve quality of life for the inhabitants of Villas Padre Nuestro and Benerito towns, promoting sustainable tourism in Bayahibe through the sale of unique arts and crafts.
Ana Garcia, director of the La Romana-Bayahibe Hotels Association, said that the project came about thanks to an alliance between the AHRB, with the support of the Ministry of Tourism and the La Romana-Bayahibe Tourism Cluster.
The workshop and arts store received RD$2.6 million in funding from the Romana-Bayahibe Hotels Association (AHRB) working with the Inter-American Development Bank and another RD$2.9 funding from the USAID Destinos Fund for sustainable ecotourism.
ArteCuseco, which was founded as a micro-business in January 2008, has 40 members.