Warmipa Maki

Warmipa-Maki - La Oroya, Junin
Adela Yachachm Amaro, Bertha Ledesma Chavez, Petronila Guere Aguilar, Camila Soto Flores, Herlinda Atachagua Silvestre, Adelina Bueno Ponze

The La Oroya Knitters are a group of six women who always dreamed of running their own business but were never able to attract enough orders to make their business succeed. Their group's name is Quechua meaning "Women's Hands".
The principles of Fair Trade (working together regularly, producing uniform products, supporting each other, etc.) helped the women organize themselves, establish their prices, and manage their production costs and cash flow. As the group's creativity grew, so too did their efficiency and solidarity.

The group works together twice weekly - more frequently when there is heavier demand. La Oroya is located 4 hours east of Lima at an altitude of 12,000 feet, and is one of the most contaminated cities in the Western Hemisphere (The New York Times included La Oroya in the top 20 most polluted cities in the world in 2007). The source of the heavy metal pollution is a smelter owned and operated by the U.S. lead producer Doe Run of St. Louis, MO.

Now, thanks to Fair Trade, Warmipa-Maki’s dream of running a business has come true!