Pitumarca is a remote, rural area high in the Andes. Although the landscape is stunningly beautiful, in a rural location like this, there is little work for women. Our trading scheme has opened up a new opportunity for women to earn much-needed extra income.

Around 100 women in the village and surrounding areas are involved in knitting hats and scarves and making Christmas cards. This is where the traditional kanka and dibujo hats are made. They use hand spun sheep’s wool tinted with dyes from local plants. They also produce the beautiful alpaca scarves, alpaca and silk shawls and the fun finger puppets. Their label name is Puka Phallcha or red gentian, is a wild flower flourishing in the heights above Pitumarca in the Southern Andes. It symbolizes the beauty of the Peruvian woman and her resilience in the face of daily hardship.

The sale of their hand made products will help their families to live with dignity.