rural women and economic rights. bulletín n° 001 • year 2 • a pril 2012

7/31/2019 Rural Women and Economic Rights. Bulletn N 001 Year 2 A pril 2012

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The Rural Women and Economic Rights Bulletin

has been improved due to the contributions and

suggestions o readers, provided in the evaluation

survey carried out in December 2011. Now the bu-

lletin contains more pages that include the workexperiences o rural women rom other areas o

the country. The content is richer in analysis and

includes research regarding the economic rights o

women. Enjoy!

In this edition you will nd inormation about the

campaign Without economic autonomy there is

no true autonomy, an analysis o the meaning o

carnival according to the Aymara worldview, the

main results o a socioeconomic study o women

artisans in Puno, and the experiences o women

in Huancavelica and their incursion into knitting,

among other topics.

Rural Women and Economic Rights Bulletin

Issue 1. Year 2. April 2012Edition: Alicia Villanueva, Vanessa Laura

Translation: Patricia McDonaldwww.casadelamujerartesana.com

Visit us on Facebook.

Latest News:Puno recognizes womens economic autonomy ..... 01

Articles:Carnival in the Aymara area o Puno ............................ 03

Knitters, a dynamic orce in the rural economy oHuancavelica ........................................................................ 04

Toward a greater understanding o women artisans

in Puno ................................................................................... 05

Knitting stories:I want to be an entrepreneur ......................................... 06

Recommended readings:2010 National Time Use Survey ..................................... 06

News:Casa de la Mujer Artesana in Google Maps ............... 07

Hand knitted ornaments were used to dance in

honor o the Virgin o Candelaria ................................. 07

Artisan womens work was recognized ....................... 07

Smiles and gratitude on a dierent 8th o March ... 08

Artisans in Puno will participate in

Per Moda 2012 ................................................................... 08

From Hunuco to Ro+20 Earth Summit .................... 08

Presentation

Contents

Puno recognizes womenseconomic autonomy

The campaign Without economic autonomy there is not true autonomywas carried out with the goal o visibilizing the economic contributiono women through their artisan work and un-paid housework. The mainconerence with three large-scale activities was held on Monday, March19th, Day o the Artisan.

The sensibilization workshop Women and Economy was held in

the government building o Puno rst thing in the morning, beginningwith a ceremony or Pachamama (Mother Earth or Tinka in Quechua) andattended by 173 women artisans rom around the region.

Jennie Dador, director o Manuela Ramos, stated in her mainpresentation that women must overcome many obstacles along their longroad to autonomy. She pointed out that this journey requires minimumconditions in order or it to be successul or a government guarantee thatsuch conditions are generated and enorced.

The workshop was attended by Dr. Sal Bermejo Paredes, Regional VicePresident; General Wilman Anda Benavides, IV Mountain Brigade o Puno;Ricardo Alvarez Gonzlez, Town Hall administrator o Puno; EngineerLourdes Abarca Fernndez, Director o Dircetur Puno, who praised thework o the artisans as income earning agents or their community andamily.

Following the workshop, artisans bearing signs, posters and bannerstook to the streets in a colorul parade through the main streets o Puno,generating a positive response rom the public, who echoed and cheeredtheir slogans.

The march culminated in the atrium o the Cathedral where artisanleaders spoke to their companions emphasizing the importance owomens work and economic autonomy.

Alongside the parade, a presentation called the Clothesline oEquality was made in order to gather opinions about the work o artisanwomen and their economic autonomy.

Strategically located just in ront o the Municipal building o Puno, theClothesline received over 200 opinions rom Puno residents and tourists.Opinions were also received through Facebook during the entire month oMarch to elicit greater public participation.

The campaign was co-organized by Manuela Ramos, the RegionalO ce o Foreign Trade in Puno and the Artisan Board o Alpaca Knitting.It orms part o the project Access and Improvement o Economic Incomeo Quechua and Aymara Women Artisans in Puno, unded by the EuropeanUnion and co-executed by Economists Without Borders.

This publication has been carried out with the technical assistance o the European Union. Contents are the exclusive responsibility o Movimiento Manuela Ramos and in no way refect the point o view o the European Union.

Rural Women andEconomic Rights

1

Bulletn N 001 Year 2 April 2012

UNIN EUROPEA


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Carnival is celebrated in themonth o February. According to theAndean calendar, this month is calledanata phaxsi, which translates intoEnglish as the Month o Play. Thisconcept o play is not the same as thatusually dened in dictionaries; ratherit is commonly understood as a timeo joyulness or all that Pachamama(Mother Earth) oers through crops,

animals or nature. This is the reasonwhy communities and populationscelebrate with dances dressed inbrightly coloured costumes that aresimilar to the colours o nature: green,red, pink, etc.

In the Aymara communitieslocated around Lake Titicaca peoplevisit each other, dancing rom armto arm. Young women and menclasp hands and dance aroundreshly planted crops. Older peopleserve wine or chicha, with streamerswrapped around produce in order to

promote the regeneration o seeds.In accordance with the Andean

worldview, young people o child-bearing age help ertilize the soiland the produce harvested rom it.They dance to the beat o quenas andchacallos. Elders say that the sikuriand the zampona must not be playedduring the rainy season becausethese instruments summon the coldweather and keep the rain away, andmay damage ruits and vegetablesthat are ripening.

In addition to dances, a series o

rituals also take place:On Carnival Monday, women

rom Aymara communities visitthe arms. Prior to doing so, ourknots are tied around each ploto land to prevent the energyand spirit o ruits and vegetablesrom escaping. Ater a plant isharvested, the new shoots areremoved and placed in a bundleor incua. At this point, the entireamily gathers around the bundle

and participates in a ritual o

gratitude or the generosity o

Pachamama. Called challa, thisceremony consists o spreadingsugar, wine, fowers, blends and

Carnival in theAymara Region

of Puno

Articles

chicha o kusa (in Aymara), dependingon the area. Ater decorating thearms, women and men joyully dancearound the planted crops.

Since ancient time, Aymara peopleperorm challa on arms, cattle, andtools during Carnival as a solemnoering to Pachamama and theAchachilas (guardian hills or Apus) ortheir help and protection.

Meanwhile, in the urbanperiphery o Puno, buildings aredecorated with fowers, balloons andstreamers. Rooms are perumed withincense, especially where commercetakes place. Prayers are made toPachamama or all the goodnessshe has invoked and or continuedprotection through ood, health andharmony.

It is important to remember anaspect o this estival that has been

lost. Traditionally on this day peoplehug each other wishing or sumac

qoqo mara which translates intoEnglish as may it be a good year orcrops, or may you have all the oodyou need this year.

In the Andean world, peoplebelieve that women, Pachamama andseeds are one and the same and allowor the regeneration o lie. Perhapsthis is why these rituals are usually ledby women due to the relationship totheir lie cycle.

The entire celebration is carriedout in gratitude or all that isprovided by Mother Nature and hercontribution to humans.

This estival in the Andean worldreveals a way o living in peaceand harmony with nature. For theAymara people, nature is not only aresource: rather, it is a deity that mustbe respected and only that which isnecessary or lie is removed. There

is a permanent commitment to theprotection o nature, to guaranteerebirth and provideproducts or the nextgenerations and orMother Earth hersel.

Women artisans

who work with Manuela

Ramos share this lieconcept and worldview.

As a result, carnival

celebrations during

the month o Februrarythat involve oerings

to Pachamama are o

utmost importance.

2

Vernica Glvez Condori

Without economic autonomy there is no true autonomy.


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greater signicance is the way inwhich women have gained controlover these resources, progressed indecision-making, income management,productive technology and discoveredInormation and Communication

Technology (ICT) or clientcommunication, knowledge o ashionand relationships with other womensnetworks.

The importance ovisibilizing the work oknitters

Knitting is a millenarian Andeanpractice that expresses cultural aspects,in this case the culture o Huancavelica,through texture, color, design andiconography. In this region, knitting isan activity traditionally carried out bywomen and men that demonstratesa characteristic polichromy, mainlypreserved by the Choppcca nation(community).

Further, one hundred hand knitterscomprise ten associations located indierent districts o Huancavelica andAcobamba. Loom weavers make upa smaller group organized into sevenassociations. In the Region, the loomis a very complex masculine activity,producing important garments orindividual and amily use, and is asignicant source o income.

The decision o women to incursioninto weaving has meant a break withtradition. They have done so despitethe negative reaction o many amiliesin their communities, because ...women are capable o learning the warptechnique and, just as men, we weavelarge garments such as blankets and othergarments that are very delicate, such asscarves, in colorul, alpaca fbre with upto 192 thread count. Women are just asintelligent and hard working as men, weraise our amilies, and with training we

are able to do what our husbands do andtogether produce that same as they do onthe arm.

Mrs. Juana Mallqui, knitter romAntaccocha community, province o

Huancavelica.

Womens work days areincreased

Economic activities carried outby women who work with the Houseo Well-Being do not prevent themrom carrying out other work in the

home and the reproductive sphere. Athome, these women continue to carryout various activities, consequentlyextending their work day. In general,this situation is not resolved equitably.In some cases, prot rom the knittersproduction and her position in themarket provokes a restructuring oroles at home. Consequently, thereis a redistribution o domestic work

between other members o theamily, including men.

Other avorable possibilitiesexist including the promotion andvisibility o womens productionin dierent spheres (thoughsupport rom the municipal orregional governments, publicityin a catalogue that displays theirproducts, business networks,trips, etc.), which impacts how thisactivity is valued by the communityand amily. Recognition is evidentwhen the community observesthe purchase o goods, thetransero bags o garments, andtravel by women to towns beyondHuancavelica, etc.

Knitters, a dynamic force in the rural economy ofHuancavelica Juana Pro

3

Now I sell each week in the Acobambaair. I sell my sweaters, scarves and hats. Isell more than last year; people rom the

community come to my house to makeordersnow I have my own money that I

manage, I decide

Mrs. Jessica, Choclococha community,Acobamba province.

The context

Seven years ago Manuela Ramosbegan the Casas del Bien-Estar (Houseso Well-Being) in the HuancavelicaRegion, co-managed by a networko 30 women rural promoters in theprovinces o Acobamba, Angaraesand Huancavelica. 90 promoters romdierent peasant communities werealso added to this network. All o thesewomen had received training andbegan to provide services to womenwho required inormation about sexualhealth and reproductive health, andawareness about diverse types oviolences against women.

Throughout the years, the

promoters have built individualand collective capacities and skills,inorming, orienting and trainingalmost 10,000 women to be able toexercise their rights. They have alsopromoted womens participation inaspects o coordination and vigilancewithin their municipalities and in otherstate institutions such as the WomensEmergency Centre, Police Station,Justice o peace, and healthestablishment.

A concurrent process is thestrengthening o rural womens

economic entrepreneurshipas a strategy o citizensempowerment, expandingopportunities through technical-productive training in traditionalactivities such as guinea pig-raising and knitting. Buildingproductive capacities andincreasing knowledge andmarket management haveacilitated ways o adding valueto production. Consequently,some enterprises have registeredan increase in productivity. O

Articles

1 The Casa del Bien-estar (House o Well-Being) is a space built by women and or women o quality multiple health services, led by promoters specializedin health, legal orientation and economic entrepreneurship or the exercise o their rights. It is aimed toward strengthening the participation o women indecision-making spaces and to providing an organized response to the main problems they ace in terms o sexual and reproductive health, violence againstwomen and acess to justice, as well as in income generation.



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Some knitters have experienced thisprocess and are now proud o the changesthat have occurred in their amilies. Yet, orthe majority o women it remains an issue oconstant negotiation.

Knitting is easy...selling is thedicult part

Traditional tastes in knitting have unitedwith modern productive techniques such asdesign, the use o a diverse color palette, thecreation o a catalogue, management andinterpretation o technical requirements,and new stitches and improved nishingtechniques.

Participation in airs is a signicantlearning tool used by artisans, as well as

training about tastes and tendencies o thelocal, regional and national markets, salestechniques and product valuation.

Progress is being made but newchallenges always arise. In 2011 severalknitters took the additional step oparticipating in the business network oPromperu and experienced the intenseinterrogation o potential clients who laidout their conditions: Scarves, OK, butchain-stitched; shawls, OK, but knit on aloom..., gloves up to the elbow.

Latest developments

Women knitters produce their garmentsin a complex synchrony o objectives:knitting links the preservation o culturalidentity with the creation or recreation omarket-oriented designs that are aestheticand unctional.

The measurement o time used toproduce each garment has been includedin production costs and in the suggestedselling price, in order to measure individualand collective productive capacity.

Women have increased their incomeby approximately 30 percent, and manyhave been able to capitalize on their prots

investing in xed assets (or example,looms) and production materials (wooland thread). Some have ormed businessesand issue payment receipts, have accessto credit and have an increased basicunderstanding o the value-chain dueto direct commercialization (local airs inHuancavelica, Huancayo and occasionallyin Lima, by means o export companies).

Strengthening womens enterpriseat the community level has resulted inthe contribution to, and in some cases,leadership o communal economicdevelopment. Knitters are increasingly

recognized as a dynamic economic orce inthe rural sphere. 1 Perceptions and responses rom the 14 groups that participated werecollected using quantitative (surveys) and qualitative (individual and groupinterviews) methods.


Between December, 2011 and January, 2012, 173 womenartisans rom the districts o Juli, Mazocruz and Moho, located in the

Aymara area, and the district o Vilque, in the Quechua area o Puno,participated in the Socioeconomic and Production Evaluation oWomen Artisans in the project Access and Improvement o EconomicIncome o Quechua and Aymara Women Artisans in Puno.

Sociodemographic characteristics o thedistricts

O the our districts rom which inormation was gathered, Julihas the largest population (23,741 inhabitants) and shows thehighest percentage o urban population, 34.4%. The inhabitantso this district have the highest level o study, 14.5% o whom havebeen able to continue with or complete some type o post secondaryeducation. Economically speaking, 62.1% o the population isconsidered to be in conditions o poverty. Farming is the main

economic activity or hal o the population.In Santa Rosa de Mazocruz (6,663 inhabitants), the population

is mainly rural (81.6%), and a large percentage has completed onlyprimary education (46.0%). Only 9.6% have some type o postsecondary education (including incomplete). In this district, thepoverty level reaches 59.1%, and the main economic activity isaplaca raising (76.6%).

Moho, the second most populated district (17,042 inhabitants),has educational characteristics similar to those o Mazocruz,although it has the lowest percentage o post secondary education(5.3%). With regard to economic indicators, this district is thepoorest (80.9%); three quarters o the population are engaged inarming activities.

Vilque, the least populated district (3,123 inhabitants) has similarcharacteristics to those o the above districts. However, the maindierence is a lower poverty level, (around 50.1%) and the maineconomic activity is arming (70.4 %).

In all our districts, the predominant mother tongue is consistentwith its corresponding cultural group: Aymara in Juli, Santa Rosade Mazocruz and Moho; and Quechua in Vilque. The study showsthat those belies and practices that comprise the Andean religioncontinue to be practiced in all communities and are carried outduring the entire arming or livestock rising cycle in the communities.

Almost all women have been born in the district where theycurrently live and 71.6% o these women are rom 21 to 45 years old.


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5

Toward a greater understanding of the

women artisans in puno


Studies

Almost all the women are bilingual:three ourths speak the same mothertongue as the predominant one inthe district, Aymara or Quechua, asthe case may be, and 92.5% are ableto speak, read and write in Spanish.

The majority o these women lives ina common law relationship (37.0%) oris married (35.8%).

85% o the artisans interviewedare mothers: 27.0% have one child,23.1% have two children and 19.7%have more than our children.With regard to level o education,most artisans have a lower level oeducation than their partners. Alarge percentage have only a primaryeducation (27.2%) or have completedhigh school (17.3%) and only 3.5%have completed a program o postsecondary study.

Socieconomiccharacteristics o artisanwomen

52.6% o women artisans havetheir own dwelling and 28.9% livein the home o their parents. Threeourths o houses have adobe walls,tin roos and an earth foor (46.8%)or a cement foor (43.4%). Only60.0% have running water, accessto a sewage system and electricity.

In the economic sphere, 52.0% oamilies carry out arming activities,while other signicant activitiesinclude business (8.1%) and artisanproductions (6.9%), the latteroccurring mainly in the district o Juli.According to economic income levelsand INEI criteria, most amilies arepoor and may even be in a situation oextreme poverty: hal o the amilieshave an income o less than S/.200new soles and only 12.2% o amilieshave income o more than S/.801 newsoles.

In terms o artisan activity, mostwomen do not yet represent a signi-icant income generating category,except in the case o Juli, whichshows a more sustainable income.50.2% o all women claim that theyhave no income, while 25.4% claimto have a monthly income lowerthan S/. 50 new soles, earned in asporadic manner.

In terms o gender relations,women state that they makedecisions regarding householdexpenses (35.8%), are responsible orhousework (70.5%) and participate insocial aairs (43.9%), demonstratingthat women continue to be linkedto domestic activities. However, it isimportant to emphasize that 26.6%

o those interviewed stated that bothman and wie are responsible orcarrying out household chores.

On the other hand, there is a greaternumber o women who participatein social activities, and an increasedlevel o women`s empowermentin decision-making. Further, menshow an increasing tendency towardsupporting the involvement o theirwives in economic activities, training

and other social activities.

Finally, in terms o interculturality,only 14.6% o women have even

heard o the concept. However, atleast 65.0% demonstrate interculturalcapacities o respect, tolerance andadaptation. All women have theintercultural capacity o knowedge o

a second language and show a desireto learn a oreign language such asEnglish or have access to Internet - thedream o three quarters o women sothat they can nd out what is goingon in the world and be able to oertheir products or sale.

Next steps

Results obtained rom this studywill allow the project (executed byManuela Ramos and EconomistsWithout Borders and nanced bythe European Union) to establishstrategies that are most suitable orensuring the achievement o expectedresults. They will also help the projectto benet women and their amilies,boosting artisan activity in responseto national and international marketdemands.

Source:

Final report o participants inthe Socioeconomic Evaluation oQuechua and Aymara women. LuisEnrique Rivera Vela. Puno: February2012.


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6

2010 National TimeUse Survey

My name is Martiza Condori. Iam rom Collini (Pomata, Puno), Iam 25 years old and I want to tellyou how I became an artisan andwhat my dreams are.

Since I was a little girl I alwayswanted to be an artisan, but in myvillage women didnt knit, onlymen could work, and I took care othe cattle just like the rest.

Until one day in Pomata I sawtourists buying sweaters andminiatures. I began to think why Icouldnt do this as well, so I joinedother women and we began toknit.

To begin with, the garmentswerent high quality, we would goto the airs and nothing else. Wedidnt earn much money and withwhat our husbands earned it justwasnt enough.

Then once day I met ManuelaRamos and they trained me in

knitting and sel esteem. I alsolearned that women have rights,that by knitting we can earnmoney and with our work we canmaintain our amilies.

Although I only nished gradeeleven, with what I have learned Ieel as good as a proessional. Evenmy husband tells me to go to thetrainings so I can improve.

I am happy being a knitterbut I dream about becoming anentrepreneur.

Knittingstories

I want to be an

entrepreneur

Without economic autonomy there is not true autonomy.

Readings

6

Ater more than 50 years odemanding and achieving theirrights, women today are increasingly

becoming protagonists o the publicsphere. However, this is not thecase in the private sphere whereasymmetrical power structures arealmost the same as those o un-paiddomestic work.

In May 2011, the Ministry oWomen and Social Development,MIMDES, (now the Ministry o Womenand Vulnerable Populations, MIMP)and the National Institute o Statisticsand Inormation o Peru (INEI, or itsacronym in Spanish) released themain results o the 2010 National Time

Use Survey (ENUT, or its acronym inSpanish).

The ENUT established animportant baseline or studyinggaps in the distribution o womenand mens time use by allowing ora measure o the overall workload- domestic and remunerated workcarried out by both in order tocalculate the economic value owomens contribution to the countryas domestic work.

This survey was applied to allamily members rom 12 years

old or more, o the 4,580 selecteddwellings in urban and rural areas othe entire country during the period

o December 15th to December30th, 2010.

Diferences that generatepoverty*

In the entire country, men spend15 hours doing housework whilewomen spend over 35 hours in thistype o work. When calculating overallwork, which means housework pluspaid work, women work 8.42 hoursmore than the total working time omen. In conclusion, women work oneday more than men each week.

These results allow us to observeother dierences. For example,

while women in urban areas spendmore than 23.34 hours per week onhousework than men, in rural areasthere is a dierence o 26.58 hours.

In this same period, workcarried out by women caring orpeople with a disability representsan average o 16.47 hours, whileit represents only 8.55 hours ormen. Consequently, women spendalmost twice the amount o time inthis activity as men.

The only housework activity wheremen spend more time than women

is home repair and maintenance. Inurban areas, men spend 1.22 hoursmore than women on this type o


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News

Without economic autonomy there is not true autonomy.

Evarista Pacco Jove, presidento the Quechuayllu Organization

rom the district o Azngaro, andYolanda Apaza Apaza, leader o theAlpaca Wool organizationrom the district o Lampa,were recognized by theRegional Government oPuno in the InternationalWomens Day celebrationsor their work as artisans.

Bothwomen participatedin the Project Puno Artisansimprove the Quality o Lie,executed by Manuela Ramosand nanced by the La CaixaFoundation rom Spain.

This project is now a yearand a hal underway in ve

provinces o the northern area o thePuno Region.

So ar, 1300 women haveparticipated in the project, gainingskills in artisan work and handknitting. 500 o these women alreadygenerate export quality artisan work,obtaining an additional income thatbenets their amilies and providesindividual and collective economicautonomy.

Although these women weretrained in 2 needle knittingtechniques, they have alsodiscovered and developed newpersonal skills, such as leadership

and sel esteem through workingor the beneit o women in theirarea.

household work; in rural areas theyspend more than 2.16 hours.

It is relevant to mention that

women always spend more time onhousework than men in a similarposition in the same amily group,regardless o the amily structure androle held by women (grand-daughter,daughter, wie or grandmother).

This issue shows the persistence ostereotypes linked to a traditionaldivision o labour in amilies, as wellas intragender and generational gaps.

Further, the excessive work burdendoes not allow women any ree time.

This is an obstacle or womenspersonal development because it

does not allow time or training, socialparticipation, recreation and rest,among other activities. Men, on theother hand, have more ree time dueto this sexual division o labour.

The intersection o data withsocioeconomic level also shows adirect relationship between povertyand an increase in household work.When in poverty, not only do womenhave more children to take care o, theymay also lack support rom anotherperson, electric appliances, and thechallenges o basic services. However,statistics show that the condition opoverty does not substantially aecttime spent by men on housework.

The 2010 Peru ENUT, supportedby Manuela Ramos, UNFPA andUN Women, is a source o valuableinormation.

*Source:http://www.mimdes.gob.pe/index.

php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1707

:peru-encuesta-nacional-de-uso-del-tiempo-2010-

conirma-que-las-mujeres-trabajan-mas-que-los-

hombres&catid=45:dgm-prensa&Itemid=395

Download the 2010 National Survey o Time Use

(ENUT) rom: http://www.mimdes.gob.pe/les/

DIRECCIONES/DGM/ENCUESTA_NACIONAL_DE%20

USO_DEL_TIEMPO2010.pd

Tourists and potential buyerswill have easy access to knitproducts oered in the store o the

Casa de la Mujer Artesana in Puno,thanks to the act that it now has itsown map in Google Maps.

With this tool, inormationrelated to our stores (address, hoursand website) will be visible rom cellphones, laptops or computers withinternet connection around theglobe.

Another benet oered byGoogle Maps is that it locates theexact street or route necessary orone to get to the store rom any parto Puno without getting lost.

Casa de la Mujer Artesana in Google Maps

Further, clients may rate the store,post photos and make commentsabout the service, the price and thequality o our products.

Artisan womens work recognized

Art, culture and handicratscame together to produce beau-tiul pins, earrings, rings and hatornaments hand-knitted in alpacaber, worn by the group o guestsrom Morenada San Martn in themost recent Festival o the Virgin oCandelaria.

S k i l l e dPuno women

artisans, trai-ned by

M o v i -miento Ma-nuela Ra-mos, werein charge omaking the-

Hand knitted ornaments used or dances in honor othe Virgin o Candelaria

se knitted ornaments rom alpacaber. They spared no eort in orderto produce beautiul articles in ho-nor o the patron saint o the city.

The results could not have beenbetter. The knitted fowers attractedthe attention o dancers rom othergroups participating in the contestand the general public during theimportant veneration held in honor

o mother Candelaria. Upon seeingthem, many women exclaimed: Howpretty, I want one just like it!.

This was the rst time ornamentsaccompanied the costumes worn inthe estival, thus revaluing local pro-ducts (alpaca ber) and handicrats(hand knitted by women).


8/8This publication has been made with the technical assistance o the European Union. The contents are the exclusive responsibility o Manuela Ramos and in no way do they represent the point o view o the European Union.

8

News

REPEM, the Network oPopular Edcuation amongWomen, will participate inthe Rio+20 Earth Summit,ocally called the UnitedNations Conerence onSustainable Developmentto be held rom July 20th to22nd in Rio de Janeiro, Brasil,carrying womens voices romrural popular urban sectors

rom Guatemala, Nicaragua,Salvador, Honduras, Costa Rica,Bolivia, Colombia, Venezuela, Peruand Paraguay.

In preparation or this Summit, aworkshop was organized in Bogota(Colombia) or the ten leaders,members o the Latin AmericanWorking Group on Gender andEconomy, REPEM, who will carry outsimilar projects in their own countries.

Elina Verde Estrada, winner o theNational Competition this is howits done in 2009, and subsequentlya member o the Latin AmericanWorking Group on Education, Genderand Economy, will be in charge o

During the InternationalWomens Day awareness campaignthat ormed part o the project, Puno

Artisans improve their Quality o Lie(La Caixa Foundation), in additionto heartelt smiles, the womeno Puno responded with spokengratitude: Continue demandingwomens rights! Thank you or thisrecognition! A hug or you!Beginningvery early in the morning, projectparticipants walked through thestreets o the Altiplano city andvisited the main public institutions,handing out purple ribbons and

Artisans rom Puno toparticipate in Peru Moda2012

Victoria Mayta (Azngaro) andCandelaria Quino (Pilcuyo) are thetwo artisans rom Puno who will visitLima to participate in the teenthashion air, Per Moda, to be heldrom April 26th to 28th in the JockeyClub Convention Centre o Peru whereover 400 companies will display theirproducts.

The artisans will present their latestcollection o new designs createdin 100% alpaca and baby alpaca.

They will also display accessories orwomen, garments or girls and boysand a large variety o knit toys incotton and cotton/ alpaca bres.

Peru Moda provides the artisanswith an opportunity to take ordersand/or make contact with potentialnational and international buyers.With income earned rom textileproduction, many o these womenare taking control o their uture anddemonstrating to their amilies andcommunities that change is possible.

Manuela Ramos accompanies theprocess undertaken by the artisans,who were trained and advised inknitting and business management,and personal development andtechnical assistance as part o theproject: Access and improvement oEconomic Income o Quechua and

Aymara Women Artisans in Puno, withthe support o the European Union,

and Artisans o Puno improve theirQuality o Lie, nanced by La CaixaFoundation o Spain.

Date: Thursday April 26th to SaturdayApril 28th.

Place: Jockey Club o Per (Monterrico)

Stand Number: 87 and 88.

Smiles and gratitude on a diferent 8th o March

balloons with the slogan Withouteconomic autonomy there is no trueautonomy. In many public andprivate institutions, this activity wasthe only tribute received by workersor the 8th o March. The artisansconsidered the experience to beunusual or the city.

The campaign culminatedin the participation o MayteRomero, head o the project inPuno, on local TV (TVUNA andChannel 51), who publicallyendorsed the conerence.

From Huanuco to the Ro Summit+20

the workshops in Peru. The rstworkshop she holds will be in her owndepartment o Huanuco, o course!She has been able to coordinatewith dierent regional authorities toobtain the support necessary to carryout this project. She is hopeul thatthese workshops will be held in theprovinces o Huanuco, Lima and Puno.

We are condent thatcontributions taken by Repem to

Rio+20 will be important or womendue to the act that they deal with theissues o work and care-giving ethics.

Without economic

autonomy there is

not true autonomy.

rural women and economic rights. bulletín n° 001 • year 2 • a pril 2012

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