Team Peru

Introduction: The Choquecancha weaving group

November 2, 2011

Meetings with the Choquecancha women’s group have always been pretty formal affairs, but I have never witnessed so much laughing, talking, and joking as I did during my two day experience with the women’s group as they began their first of several multi-day capacity building workshops. The workshops are a collaboration between the Andean Alliance and the organization Rufada consisting of Profesora Carmen and Helder Gutierrez.

Thanks to generous donations from The Becky Fund and Jessette Novero Paaga, Team Peru has organized a series of weaving workshops that cover everything from pruning sheep, to traditional dies to documenting local iconography. Profesora Carmen tells me that these women are already very skilled weavers and that we can progress more rapidly.  The workshops will increase the weaving capabilities of these women. Even in three days we have seen the emergence of something unexpected.

The women are making plans. They want to sell what they produce, and they want to make cases for Tina Novero’s INKAcase project. They also want to improve the sustainability of their work. Many of their sheep have died from disease and they are committed to collectively purchasing more and ensuring their health by building a corral. The idea of having a market to sell their goods is a huge step. We aren’t there yet but I think with so many minds working together we can do it.

~aaron

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