Ima Sumacc

Ima Sumacc - Torre de Melgar, Lima
Idelsa Guerra, Esperanza Perez, Isabel Zuņiga, Janeth Gamarra

The shantytown of Torre de Melgar in Lima's violence-prone Villa Maria del Triunfo is the site of an unusual experience for 5 women. Their story goes back a few years when a group of women received training from a non-profit organization which strengthened their skills in knitting.

The women work each morning washing other people's clothes or cleaning their own houses. They dedicate their afternoons to develop their knitting skills in the Fair Trade workshop. These enterprising women have created a place which not only houses their production of hand-made products, but has also become a place of important solidarity and sharing. For this reason, the women call their group "Ima Sumacc", which in Quechua means "How beautiful!"