From frosty Andean peaks to dense Amazon rainforest, Peru is a country of geographic extremes.
Diversity is found in its communities, too.
Urban and coastal areas have seen recent economic growth, but rural, indigenous communities still struggle. Today, the poverty rate in the Peruvian Amazon and mountain areas hovers at 55 per cent and approximately one quarter of all children aged six to 14 are forced to work.
And while Lima’s streets pulse with revelers during city festivals at the foot of skyscrapers, the city of 10-million has a darker side too. An estimated one-third of its families live in city slums without access to proper sanitation or health care. Families buy water by the barrel while pit toilets share space with makeshift shelters.
Fortunately, two of Ten Thousand Villages’ artisan partners, Intercrafts Peru and Manos Amigas, are doing their part to give hope to some of the country’s marginalized people.
Ever check out our little knitted finger puppets? We have Intercrafts Peru to thank for them. The marketing and export arm of CIAP was founded by artisans in 1992 to improve the living and working conditions of independent artisans. Today, CIAP is made up of 700 different workshops, employing over 2,400 individual artisans throughout Peru, including marginal areas in Lima, Ayacucho, Huancayo, Cuzco, Puno, Piura, Pucallpa and Arequipa. They handcraft pottery, nativity sets, jewellery and much more.
The organization offers higher than minimum wage, medical care, pensions and even a Christmas food hamper as a bonus. It also pre-pays artisans 35-50 per cent so they don’t have to wait months for their income.
In one case, Intercrafts subsidized two month’s worth of wages for its oldest employee until he was able to obtain his government retirement pension.
Amelia Aruapaz Cruz, a 31-year-old mother, joined as a member of CIAP in 2002 and is known for her speedy work creating finger puppets.
“My economic situation has improved thanks to the orders we received via Intercrafts,” she says.
Manos Amigas, which means “Hands Joined in Friendship,” is another fair trade handicrafts organization in Peru.
It works with family workshops and with small business groups that make a variety of pieces in impoverished regions. Manos Amigas also offers training sessions so makers can develop new, marketable skills. Founded in 1991, Ten Thousand Villages was one of its first customers. Today you’ll find its dried gourd ornaments, nativity sets and knitted alpaca scarves and gloves on our shelves.
Manos Amigas is known for coming up with fun and whimsical designs that appeal to North American and global buyers. Have you seen our new Wide-Eyed Nativity? Believe it or not, that was a Manos Amigas design!
Felipe Enriquez knows firsthand how important fair trade organizations like Manos Amigas are. During the Sendero Luminoso (Shining Path) uprising in the 1980s, he moved his family to a “new town” – a community of displaced people on the outskirts of Lima. Without money, but with fine ceramic-making skills, he eventually approached Manos Amigas, which helped him find export customers.
Today Felipe employs up to seven other artisans and supports his own family with the income he earns. Every products that leaves his workshop has been crafted and painted by hand.
Discover handcrafted knitwear, nativities and ornaments from Intercrafts Peru and Manos Amigas – all new for the holidays.
