Awamaki is comprised of a Peruvian “Asociación Civil” and a U.S. 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Organization working together to promote community development in Ollantaytambo, Peru. Awamaki works with women and rural and indigenous families in Ollantaytambo and the surrounding communities through two programs in Women’s Cooperatives and Sustainable Tourism. In our Women's Cooperatives Program, we organize women's cooperatives (in spinning, weaving, and knitting), provide skill-building workshops and market access through our Fair Trade Store in town as well as an international wholesale collection, thereby allowing women to earn a reliable income. Our Sustainable Tourism Program benefits community members by promoting culturally sensitive tourism for visitors passing through Ollantaytambo, granting foreigners with a unique insight into Quechua life and providing local families with additional income and pride in their culture. The Sustainable Tourism Program offers various in community experiences such as weaving lessons and small hikes. We aim to give our partner women artisans the opportunity to build skills and access knowledge that will allow them to increase their incomes and quality of life. Our Volunteer Program brings skilled international volunteers to support the daily operations of Awamaki.
External link for Awamaki
Calle del Horno 618
Ollantaytambo, Urubamba Cusco, PE
4600 92nd Ave SE
Mercer Island, WA, US
Awamaki reposted this
“Today you are tourists!” It was a privilege to share this trip to Machu Picchu with sixteen mamas from Huilloc Alto, Peru. Despite living in the Sacred Valley, many of them had never been on a train let alone visited the Incan city. With thanks to Intrepid Travel and Awamaki, Peru for the experience shared with local communities, addressing some of the unintended consequences of tourism development.
Awamaki reposted this
When 95% of local people in the highlands of Peru haven't visited Machu Picchu, you know tourism hasn't been developed for the benefit of all stakeholders. This wonderful article by Michele Jarvie brought back so many fond memories of my time in Peru, and it's impossible to read it without smiling at how much it meant to these local women to see Machu Picchu for the first time. However, so much needs to change for tourism to genuinely benefit more local people, and so thank you Michele for shining a light on this. We started conversations with the women of the Huilloc Alto village back in 2020, and I'm so pleased that we're now supporting the women of that community in a sustainable way through our Intrepid Foundation partner Awamaki. Thanks to the work of Awamaki and the tourists that Intrepid Travel brings to Peru, these women can now afford a better education for their children, so that in the future they have a better life. Spectacular and impactful photos (as always!) by Ryan Bolton, and loved seeing my colleague Norma Caller getting so much recognition in this article: https://lnkd.in/ee5gyBYM #Peru #tourism #travelindustry #WeAreIntrepid
Awamaki reposted this
This is one of the stunning textiles woven for us by women in Quechua in the Peruvian Andes. Awamaki support the communities who make these textiles, and which form the basis for our new collection of notebooks and diaries. . We spent an afternoon with the master archivists Cultural Heritage Digitisation to get these beautiful scans. The quality and precision of this process is something to be marvelled at, and will make our stationery something to be treasured for a lifetime. . We want to focus our work on the women who create fabrics across the globe, and this new relationship with CHD is a huge step forward in our mission for excellence. . We have licensed these fabric designs and will pay a royalty fee of £2 every time we sell an Awamaki Collection product, revolutionising the way artisanal textile pieces are used internationally. . #pattern #design #textile #art #awamaki #peru #Andes #womenfirst #stationery #wool #fabric #luxury #weave #beauty #rebelswithacause
Knit and Crochet Workshops with Awac Phuna Upon evaluation of our Awac Phuna knitting cooperative, we found that they didn't have the knit or crochet skills or equipment to make some of our bestselling products. Thanks to generous donations we were able to plan a series of workshops teaching the artisans the llama play toy. This is a top-seller and we work with very few artisans who know how to crochet, so our production time can be slow for this adorable llama. We were very lucky that our partner artisan, Fiorella, agreed to lead the workshop teaching the Awac Phuna cooperative. It is incredibly validating and rewarding for us when we are able to hire artisans who have been through our training program to train other artisan partners. Now, a few weeks in, our crochet workshops have become a vibrant place where creativity and skill flourish. Each session has been a step towards mastering the delicate art of crocheting intricate toy llamas. Here’s a glimpse into our recent sessions: Workshop 1: Laying the Foundation Workshop 2: Building on the Basics Workshop 3: Creating the Belly Workshop 4: Perfecting the Legs Workshop 5: Evaluating Progress You can support these talented artisan women by purchasing a Llama Knit Play Toy - the perfect companion for a little one in your life. To read more about the Knit and Crochet Workshops click the following link: https://lnkd.in/eSf7da7M