In rural Ecuador, education has always been reserved for boys, but recognizing a pattern doesn’t mean you have to repeat it.

On International Women’s Day, we celebrate the quiet revolutionaries behind the ME to WE Minga Bracelet. For these young women artisans working to put themselves through school and advance gender equality in their communities, every stitch and knot is a subtle act of defiance.

Named for an Ecuadorian tradition of communal work and solidarity, Minga Bracelets are a call to action for women’s empowerment. Each bracelet empowers its maker with a sustainable income, and supports access to education, water, health, food and opportunity for her whole community.