Emady

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

The Emady artisan group originally included three women and has now grown to five women who have a sewing business that specializes in products made from Shipibo, a hand-painted cloth that is produced in the Peruvian jungle. Grupo Emady buys the cloth directly from Shipibo women and sews placemats, runners, purses, bags, vests, and other products that show off the incredible material.

The women, who have worked together since 2002, meet in a room of one of their homes each day for a couple of hours.  From their sales, Grupo Emady has invested in sewing machines and materials in bulk so they can produce steadily throughout the year.  As a small group they make their decisions by consensus and rotate each year the location of their workshop and who is responsible for the finances.

Fair Trade has taught the group how to file taxes and how to manage and operate a legal business. Grupo Emadi often goes 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 Lima fairs).  Grupo Emady's good recordkeeping and willingness to sell has been deeply appreciated by others.

The women of Grupo Emady met each other through an after-school and feeding project that their children attended. Maria was a seamstress who worked in her home sewing for neighbors. 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. 

Maria has 3 children and her husband makes jewelry. Eluteria has 4 children and her husband does day work when there are jobs available. Dionisia has 3 children, one of whom is now able to attend a special school for those with Down's Syndrome thanks to the income she receives from her Fair Trade creations. "The children seem very proud of their mothers' work and have become quite adept at selecting quality Shipibo fabric," said Ruth Farrell, staff for Bridge of Hope.