Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Power to the People: Economic Empowerment for Women

Like the famous John Lennon sung, “She got to be herself so she can free herself,” women working in Awamaki liberate themselves through economic stability. With little or no education, these women provide another paycheck by an alternative path (from a Western perspective), using cultural traditions they learned as niñas. As the knitters, weavers, spinners, and homestay families continue to lift themselves out of poverty, their lives and their families’ lives change dramatically. Traditionally, the men of the household work as porters along the Inca Trail. Receiving payment as porters is typically unreliable, and the men are working away from home for most of the year. Because of this, the family sacrifices either education for the children, sanitary bathroom facilities, or other necessities from a Western view. Women in Awamaki receive more economic opportunities, resulting in increasing access to health and education for them and their families. Their children will attend school in Urubamba or Cusco; their diets will contain more variety; and their homes will be improved.

 (Photo from awamaki.org)

If you teach a woman skill workshops, she will be empowered.
by Liz Fieschko


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