Capacity-building for rural women artisans in Peru

For the past few months we’ve been working to develop a new series of workshops for our partner artisans focused on marketing and media ethics. Most of our partner artisans do not have access to the internet, and we’ve found they want to better understand it. They also wonder how images of themselves and their work are used in our marketing here at Awamaki. This is why we put together a series of media workshops for the artisans to better understand the internet and ultimately be able to manage their marketing themselves.

The workshops were prompted by a new media policy that Brianna, our Marketing and Communications Coordinator, has been working on. Brianna has an academic background in Photojournalism and she feels very passionate about the ethical use of photography within our organization. The new media policy will govern the work of our staff and volunteers, and we will also share it with tourism, students and artisan product clients who visit us, and ask them to abide by it.  

“There wasn’t anything built in to protect our partner artisans. [An ethical media policy] was definitely something to make more formal and official. I wanted it to stay with Awamaki. I think it’s a very important tool for nonprofits to have, especially when working with vulnerable and indigenous populations,” Brianna explained.

The main takeaway included in the media policy is the requirement for consent from the subject.  Awamaki wants to make sure that people always ask the women we work with before taking pictures or interviewing them. “From there, a lot of the breakdowns are very simple concepts, like treating subjects with dignity and respect, alongside representing them accurately, not stereotyping or over generalizing anyone,” Brianna explained.

“Since we’re writing a policy that has to do with [the artisans] then they should understand what the policy means. We saw it as an opportunity to educate them on the policy as well as fill the gap on education of online platforms,” explains Mollie, our International Partnerships Manager who was worked closely on developing these workshops. We know training them in the concepts of marketing is an important next step for their growth and development as independent cooperatives.

Along with Mollie, Shara, one of our Monitoring and Evaluations volunteers, has also spent a lot of time developing the project. She has created powerpoints and activities to accompany the topics covered by the workshops. In all, we have crafted a four part series to empower women to be active participants in the global market and economy. The first part is about the general idea of the internet and social media, while the second revolves around marketing more specifically. The last two parts are focused on the policy Brianna created, to ensure that the artisans understand it and know what to expect from photographers who visit them.

“A lot of these communities have only recently gotten internet access and because it’s such an important part of having a business nowadays, I think it’s necessary that they learn the different parts. Ideally they will also eventually use it to further their business opportunities,” Shara commented.

These workshops are led by our Head of Women’s Artisans Cooperatives, Mercedes, both in Quechua and Spanish, to ensure active participation from all of the artisans in the cooperative. So far, we have been able to give our first part workshops with the communities of Rumira, Puente Inca, Patacancha and Huilloc.

“I think it’s important for the women to be informed. They’re not necessarily going to use the internet right away, we’re not aiming for that in the practical sense. Rather, we want to inform them so they know what the internet is,” Mercedes explained. These workshops rely heavily on the interaction and participation within the artisans. We think that the best way to teach about this, is for the women to collaboratively join in activities and learn as if “networking”.

In a simulation of how social media works, the artisans had to assign “likes” (paper hearts)  to photos of themselves and their fellow artisans. To demonstrate the idea of emailing, the artisans flew paper airplanes across the room. Laughter filled the room as we showed the artisans how each internet activity worked.

We are excited to be implementing these workshops and getting feedback on what we’re doing from the artisans themselves. Ultimately, we strive for the artisans we work with “to know that they can be advocates for themselves, to know that they have the right to say no,” Brianna concluded.

Links:

• Our Website

Awamaki’s mission is to provide sustainable economic independence to indigenous women through trainings and connecting them to the global markets. One of the ways we do this is by organizing and planning workshops for our partner cooperatives in their home communities. Recently we’ve received feedback from a few of the cooperatives regarding their interest in more workshops. In response, we developed a partnership with Pabel Aimituma, an economist from Cusco, to lead a series of five workshops varying in subject matter, such as self-esteem and business skills.

Pabel began working for an NGO and quickly realized that vulnerable groups, in this case indigenous women, were not getting the attention or accommodation necessary to achieve their goals or experience success in various professional settings. He decided to curate workshops that focused on skills that the women cared about learning, and ones that would actually benefit them in the long run. He began to design workshops he believed would make an impact by communicating with the women and asking them about their desires and their business needs.

When building the workshops, Pabel strived to incorporate games and group activities instead of lectures. He explained that he prefers being a facilitator to his workshops and encouraging the women to figure things out on their own rather than just telling them what to believe and how to think. He wanted to create a space in which the women could have fun and connect, while also learn valuable lessons about themselves and their communities. Before facilitating the workshops, he researched extensively about the women in their specific environments, allowing him to customize each workshop to fit a certain community’s structure, and makes sure the language he uses is clear, direct, and resonant.

Because he works in a social field, he is exposed to various displays of vulnerability and poverty. He explained that indigenous women are especially susceptible because of their limited access to sustainable economies. When I asked him about his main objective in creating the workshops, he replied, “to contribute to improving the quality of life of rural families through the reaffirmation of cultural identity and providing information to make better decisions.”

Pabel’s workshops aim to convey that success, freedom, and personal happiness knows no age, color, sex, religion, education level, or socioeconomic stratum.

Virginia, one of our partner artisans from the community of Huilloc who attended a full series of the workshops, mentioned her favorite part of the workshops were “the interactive activities centered around group dynamics.” Virginia started working with Awamaki more than five years ago. Now, at 30, she has begun to set up a support system for her children and her community. “It is improving our lives, so that we can gain what we want for our children,” she commented. In the workshops, she especially appreciated the parts of the workshop that explained the benefits of having a clean and organized life.

One of the workshops centered around organization and managing group dynamics. To begin the workshop, Pabel instructed the artisans to form a circle. A common first activity of Awamaki workshops is an introduction circle in which the women toss around a ball of yarn, while holding onto a piece to create a web, and then alternatively following the path of the yarn backwards untangling themselves as a team. The activity was meant to represent the ways in which people in a community are connected. Once each woman introduced herself, Pabel directed a group discussion about why organization was important for a successful business. He advocated for universal participation, and asked follow-up questions to encourage the women to further their critical thinking skills.

Pabel often works with large visual tools such as the posters he used to explain the cycles of organization. He portrayed the process in a way that was accessible for the artisans using large illustrations, and bright colors when possible. Whenever a woman had a question, Pabel was sure to answer in a thoughtful and deliberate manner to help encourage participation and questions from the artisans.

After the discussion, he asked the artisans to form groups of six. Once the groups were formed, he brought the first group to a table in the middle of the room. On the table was a marker with six strings attached to it and a blank piece of paper. Pabel instructed each woman in the group of six to pick up one piece of string. When all six were holding on to a piece, he told them to draw a picture; one group was told to draw a sun, and other groups were told to draw a moon, a flower, and other various seemingly simple items. Each holding on to one-sixth of the marker, the women had to work together to create an image, requiring not only teamwork but highlighting how vital communication can be for a group to succeed together. This exercise encouraged the practice of values like patience, cooperation, and flexibility. Once all of the groups had drawn their pictures, Pabel led the artisans through a group discussion about the takeaways from the exercise.

It is incredible to see the magnitude that a three-hour interactive opportunity can have on a community and its individuals, especially with consistency of a few consecutive workshops. It is inspiring to see the success of Awamaki’s business training and empowerment initiatives.

Links:

• http://awamaki.org