Creating a Pathway

of Hope

hen a woman spins, she transforms individual strands of weak fiber into strong, resilient yarn, which holds infinite possibilities creates beauty and warmth for her family.

When a woman purchases a skein of Esperanza Yarn, she inspires hope in the hearts of impoverished women in the highlands of Peru by empowering and uplifting them with opportunity.

Just like the individual threads of yarn, the creators and consumers of this product become inextricably woven together in a network of support, love and strength.

EsperanzaQuechua Benefit has been walking the highlands of Peru since 1996. Our mission has been finding ways to help the Quechua pastoralists who shepherd alpacas in one of the most remote corners of the world. The charity has provided free medical and dental care to 100,000 patients and constructed Casa Chapi, a children’s home and school in the Colca Valley that currently nurtures 50 children. From the beginning, our focus has been on women and children. Today, after 19 years of passing through the Andean highlands, we see a path of hope appearing. We call it

WHope is like a path in the countryside. Originally, there is nothing ----

but as people walk this way again and again, a path appears.—LU XUN, Chinese Essayist, 1921

Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow.

Isaiah 1:17

The Andean Pastoralists of Peru are often women of immense talent with little prospect of lifting themselves and their children from the heart breaking poverty of everyday life at

15,000 feet above sea level. These women are keepers of the ancient art forms – spinning, knitting and weaving.

Weaving pathways of hope: The women of the highlands spend hours a day on their floor looms weaving baby blan-kets, shawls, ponchos and bedding for their families. The patterns are timeless, flowing from memory to the threads stretched in front of them. Their products are meant to be utilitarian, but when complete, they become precious works of art. Esperanza’s goal is to bring them to your home and family. Spinning pathways of hope: Spinning yarn on a drop spindle is timeless and ever present in the daily lives of women who shepherd alpacas, take care of as many as 12 children, and cook and sew their way through daily life. As you feel this yarn and admire the uniform quality of its handmade quality, Esperanza believes you will gain a new appreciation for the ancient skills these women possess.

Knitting pathways of hope: Feel the delicate luxury of the shawls, ponchos, and blankets that have been created by women who began knitting at their mother’s knee.

Stitching pathways of hope: The women of the Colca Valley are unique in all of Peru. One glance at their straw hats or brightly colored bell skirts and intricately embroidered vests tells you they are dressed in timeless fashion dating back hundreds of years. Esperanza has joined with these women to recreate this ancient art into stitched appliqués for the worldwide home goods market.

Esperanza is a collaborationbetween Quechua Benefit, Paz Peru and Quechua women’s groups of the Colca Valley, Puno, Carabaya and Arequipa.

Quechua Benefit and Paz Peru organize groups of women weavers to create Esperanza’s yarn, shawls, rugs, pillowcases, sofa throws and cushions with unique traditional Peruvian textile designs.

Their social justice programs include:

Casa Isabella home for abused girls in Arequipa, Peru

Casa Chapi children’s home and school in the Colca Valley of Peru

Esperanza Women’s and Children’s clinic in Arequipa, Peru

Alpaca breed improvement programs in the Highlands of Peru

Ongoing medical and dental campaigns in more than 50 remote towns in the high Sierra of Peru

Weaving Knitting Spinning Stitching

Esperanzajoins these talents with guiding principles of fair trade, living wages, gender equal pay, children’s health, nutrition and educational programs to create products fashioned with

love from their hand to yours.

The products they offer from this pathway of hope are

Hand spun, hand crafted yarns

Hand knitted specialty products,

including toys

Hand woven, one of a kind, fashion items and home goods

Embroidered quilts, accessories and home goods

Alpaca teddy bears

Alpaca socks

These high quality products represent yarn as an art form fashioned in the ancient tradi-

tion of Quechua culture.

100% of all profits from this brand go to social programs for women and children

in Peru!

Esperanza pays gender equal fair wages and provides opportunities for health care and education

for the families of the women in the project.

100% of all profits will be dedicated to social justice programs for

Quechua women and children in the alpaca growing highlands of Peru.

CASACASA

Children's VillageChildren's Village

a familiar woman’s name in Peru, is Spanish for

Hope, promise, prospect, anticipation, and confidence.