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