Capacity-building for rural women artisans in Peru

Dear GlobalGiving donors,

I am writing to thank you for your generous donations to our “Capacity-Building for Rural Women Artisans in Peru” project and to share with you the incredible progress we’ve made with the members of our Fair Trade Women’s Cooperative.

As our reputation continues to grow, and our number of orders and clientele increases, it’s extremely important that our cooperatives continuously broaden their product knowledge base and technical skills. As always, the goal of this particular project is to provide technical help, product development advice, skills training, and appropriate tools to members of our artisan cooperatives.

Awamaki is currently administering a pilot program of quality assessment workshops to the women of our weaving cooperatives. Generally speaking, the women of the Patacancha lack the proper critical thinking skills to analyze the quality of the products they create for Awamaki. Through these workshops, the women are learning important skills such as how to standardize product measurements, recognize the distinction between straight and rounded edges, read custom textile design orders, and maintain color consistency in their weavings. We will also provide rubrics with detailed instructions, and additional tools to ensure utmost accuracy for the orders we place with each cooperative.

In administering this project, we hope to create greater transparency on the reasoning behind Awamaki’s product orders and payments. Giving the women quality assessment skills not only empowers them to better manage their production process, but also allows them to make informed decisions to overcome any administrative or technical issues within the cooperative.

Your support through GlobalGiving allows Awamaki to support the women of our cooperatives with skill building and knowledge training.  Workshops like these translate directly into increased economic opportunities and a better life for the women and their families. Please stay tuned for more updates about our quality assessment workshops!