Emady

Maria Castro, Eluteria Rameres, Dionisia Ramos, Ester Huaringa, Rita Cholan

The Emady artisan group, established in 2002, consists of five women who run a sewing business specializing in products made from Shipibo, a hand-painted cloth that is produced in the Peruvian jungle. 

The artisans meet in the workshop the group has built on the second floor of Dionisia Ramos’ home.  From their sales, Emady has invested in sewing machines and buying materials in bulk so they can produce steadily throughout the year.  As a small group, they make their decisions by consensus and annually rotate who is responsible for the finances.


Their participation in Fair Trade has taught the group  business skills like how to file taxes, and how to manage and operate  their business. They often go to fairs in Lima to sell their products (they also sell for other artisan groups who live outside of Lima and otherwise wouldn't have the opportunity to sell at these fairs).  Emady's good recordkeeping and willingness to sell have been deeply appreciated by other artisan.

The original three members of Emady met each other through a feeding and after-school care project that their children attended. Maria was a seamstress who worked in her home sewing for neighbors, while Eluteria and Dionisia cooked in the project's kitchen as volunteers so that their children could get one free meal. When the business grew, two other mothers, Rita and Esther, became members.

The women are able to provide support for their families through their sewing. Eluteria’s family consists of four children and a husband who does day work when jobs are available. Maria and her jewelry-making husband are raising three children. Dionisia also has three children, one of whom has Down's syndrome. She and her husband were able to send Victor to a school for special needs children thanks to the income she receives from her work in Fair Trade.

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