Donate to empower the women of Maras, Peru
Our weaving program brings sustainable education and business skills to the women of Maras.
Our weaving program brings sustainable education and business skills to the women of Maras.
Your generous donation helps the women of Maras become masters of their culture and leaders of their community
Our Weaving Program has been one of our most successful offerings to the community of Maras. We are so proud of our weaving graduates, who are experiencing their first levels of financial independence because they have a marketable skill. Their success is an excellent example of our vision at ARI, through focused educational programs, to empower the restoration of self-directed prosperity in Maras and similar communities in the Sacred Valley while helping them maintain their cultural continuity.
Your donation allows ARI to provide the looms, the wool, the plants for natural dyes, as well as the traditional pots and cooking stoves for creating the dyes and coloring the wool. The teachers' salaries are also covered by your donations, and we have two master weavers, natives of the Sacred Valley, who are heading up the program. Under their expert guidance, the women of Maras have created a beautiful inventory of weavings, which they first sold individually in local markets, and now sell in their own cooperative store in the Maras market. We have helped them learn to sell more effectively and confidently, and now that they are running the business they are able to provide more richly for their families.
It's wonderful to experience the gratitude and joy of our weavers, but we also must remember that these beautiful members of our community are still struggling when it comes to basic resources and financial independence. Your donation helps them preserve the ancient tradition of weaving, which is core to their culture and a timeless way of preserving their wisdom, for the wisdom of the culture is encoded in the weaving patterns. At the same time they are learning improved weaving methods, they are learning to make natural dyes and prepare fine natural fibers. As they develop these skills, they learn a marketable trade they can use immediately to support their families and simultaneously participate in the wider Andean commerce.
Your contribution of $100, $250, $500 or more will help us continue this vital program. We have students waiting to begin their training! Please donate now!
We are honored to share the thoughts and feelings of our weaving teachers and students in this most recently translated video.