The Casa from which Casa de la Mujer Artesana operates opened in 1993 and aims to contribute to improving the quality and standard of living of women artisans. Women are taught to knitting skills and techniques, and are given training in business management, organization and personal development. Importantly also they assist the women in finding access to markets domestically and internationally, meaning that their work is economically sustainable.
Casa de la Mujer Artesana was formed to equip women to face the future in times of uncertainty and instability. Most of the women work from the southern highlands of Peru, in the Puno region which is well-known for its hand-knitted and hand-embroidered handicrafts.
Individual Story: Lucia Puma (Peru)
Prior to working with Casa, Lucia says that she used to lack any confidence in her abilities, but through the training that Casa provided she learned about her rights and about hand-knitted crafts and how to generate income with them. She says that she used to just sit at home worried about how her family was going to survive, but now that she knits she can participate in generating income; she is finally receiving support from her husband and her children are beginning to help with the knitting.
Lucia is eager to share all that she knows about handicrafts with other women so that they, too, can generate income. She also wants to encourage other women be united and confident in their work, and to defend their rights as women.
Lucia wants those that buy Casa products to know that the work that the women do, they do with pleasure.
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