Two of our Quechua staff members, Martha and Mercedes, have been invited to present about working with artisan cooperatives at a textile symposium in October in the U.S.. Martha is an artisan whom we hired from one of our cooperatives to help manage product quality, and Mercedes has managed women's groups for years. Help us invest in their leadership and empower them to share their impactful work.
Mercedes and Martha are part of the leadership team that run our women's cooperatives programs. Their vision over the past several years has helped the groups grow in maturity and technical capacity. They speak Quechua and understand the artisans' work. However, they have little experience with the international textile community, which limits their ability to guide the artisans' work.
Now, we hope to send Mercedes and Martha on their first-ever trip to the United States. They have been invited to lead a panel discussion about our approach to facilitating women-owned artisanal businesses at the Textile Society of America's Symposium in Savannah, GA. They will share their experiences and connect with other respected artisans so they can grow as leaders. They will also share Awamaki's work so that we can grow our reputation in the textile world.
An investment in Mercedes and Martha is an investment in the 150 women artisans with whom they work. By empowering Martha and Mercedes to travel to the U.S. and share their experiences, we strengthen their leadership skills and give them the opportunity to learn how to better carry out their work. They will improve their ability to help their artisans make world-class textiles, and artisans will be able to increase their income and provide a better life for their families.
