I initially sourced and met Awamaki in 2019 when I was looking for a social impact partnership for Andeana Hats. Awamaki is a US and Peruvian non-profit based in Ollantaytambo, Peru.

High in the Andes mountains, indigenous Quechua women live in rural villages where they weave and farm. Many have never been to school. Most do not read, write, or speak Spanish. There are few economic opportunities in their villages. However, the women are highly skilled artisans. For generations the women in their families have produced incredibly complex woven textiles.

Awamaki works to empower these women so that they can earn an income, care for their families, and transform their communities. I have formed a strong partnership with Awamaki and Andeana, by developing over 10+ styles of woven intention bands for Andeana Hats.

WHAT DOES AWAMAKI DO?

Awamaki's work connects artisans to markets through our programs in sustainable tourism, fair trade craft sales, and volunteering. The women's artisanal cooperatives program provides skill training and education to the cooperatives and also connects them to local and global fair trade markets for their crafts. Awamaki's sustainable tourism program trains rural and indigenous women to host visitors, sell their hand-woven products, teach Spanish and Quechua and lead Peruvian cooking classes.

Many of the communities we partner with are tucked away high up in the mountains around Ollantaytambo, with only steep dirt roads as access to the town and limited public transport. The community members lead very simple lives, with little access to materialistic goods. They live with a strong sense of community, educating their children about their native language and culture and how to live amongst the surrounding nature.

The communities spend their days cultivating potatoes or herding sheep and growing whatever else the weather will permit. However, the high-altitude, cold climate limits their farming practices. The families are able to eat the meat from their sheep or alpacas and use the fleece to weave their clothes and home textiles. The women keep busy with their crafts, gaining supplemental income by selling their products to tourists. Meanwhile, many of the men work as porters for treks to Machu Picchu and around the Sacred Valley.