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Sisters of Saint Joseph Peruvian Project

Ethica Accessories

Mission Statement

Ethica believes in giving marginalised and impoverished women in Peru the opportunity to earn an income by providing the resources to make products for sale in Australia and paying a fair wage for those products. It is a strategy for poverty alleviation and sustainable development that maintains the dignity of the women and teaches them skills for the future. Many of the women we seek out to help would be unemployed without this scheme.

The Sisters have established four groups around Peru that make products for the Ethica Accessories range: they are located in Lima, Pitumarca and Tarma.

What impact does the project have on the lives of the women involved?

The women receive cash-in-hand payment for their product as soon as it is completed, and many of them spend it on food, as this is their most immediate need. It is also often spent on medicine, medical fees and school supplies. The project gives women the chance to develop their skills and abilities, which in turn improves their confidence and opens doors to other opportunities and empowerment.

Our vision and policies:

• We believe it is more sustainable to give marginalized people the tools and resources to help themselves, rather than giving them a handout. We recognize their desire to work and use their skills to support themselves and their families.
• We concentrate on creating employment for women who have previously struggled to find a means of earning an income. This means we don't simply buy from established co-operatives where skilled artisans already have an outlet to sell their craft - we work with people who need help to develop their skills and their products. The training and support is given by Sisters Cathy Dean and Angela Carroll in Pitumarca, and by Sister Dorothy Stevenson in Tarma and by Sr Clare Conaglen in Motupe, Lima.
• We receive products on a monthly basis in small quantities, to offer a more stable workflow for our producers, rather than subjecting them to periods of intense work followed by periods of no work.
• We pay a fair price for the products - even if that means paying above the average market value for that item. We take into consideration how long items have taken to make and the skills involved. A fair price in the regional or local context is one that has been agreed upon through dialogue and participation - this is undertaken by the Sisters who live in the communities we work with in Peru, as they have lived there for years and understand market prices and values. As a member of the Fair Trade Association, we adhere to and uphold the standards of fair trade
• Our aim is to provide work for as many people as possible,
• We trade with concern for the social and economic well-being of the producers we work with. We maintain long-term relationships with our producers based on solidarity, trust and mutual respect.

The sisters who live in Peru and organise the co-operatives ensure that everybody gets a fair chance in producing the goods. The women are given the wool and other raw materials they need; trained to knit until they reach an export quality, and are paid on the spot a fair wage. This money is used for food, medicine, electricity and other basic needs.

Our biggest success has been to see the women regain their dignity and confidence, by working in the workshops. Project started with a small group and now there are over two hundred women. They have also entered a new phase and the sisters believe they are ready to take responsibility for their own future. For example, the collective in Pitumarca now intends to register in Peru as an official Association.

There are basically four communities in Peru that are supported by the project. Two of these are in the outskirts of the capital, Lima and two more are in remote mountain areas.

Casabet is in Lima and is probably the biggest. They produce all the handbags and small purses.

Cruz de Motupe is also on the outskirts of Lima. It is a very poor and marginalised area. The women do the work back home while they look after the children and come back once the product is finished. They made all the wristbands sold for World Youth Day at Mary MacKillop Place. They also make hats, gloves, hair-bands and beautiful Christmas tree skirts.

Pitumarca is in the Andes in southern Peru. They use hand spun sheep’s wool tinted with dyes from local plants. This is the region which produces the traditional hats with earflaps, (as seen in the ‘Golden Compass’ film). They also produce the alpaca scarves, shawls and finger puppets.

Tarma is about 6 hours from Lima, The women getting together every week. They make colourful kids scarves and hats.

There are many wonderful stories of women that have succeeded in their journey of regaining their confidence and power.

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