We are now selling these adorable knit alpaca ornaments, handmade by a not-for-profit social enterprise called Global Goods Partners. GGP is is committed to providing sustainable jobs for women, and as stated on their website, they have tapped into the rich well of skill and artistry that is passed from one generation of women to the next.
Since GGP first launched in 2005, they have partnered with over 60 artisan groups in more than 20 countries throughout Asia, Africa and the Americas, helping to design and bring to market the fair trade, handcrafted products they produce. Each artisan earns reliable, fair living wages, and gains experience that can add benefit to all aspects of her life.
Alivicha Peru provides artisan jobs to women in Peru’s rural areas while providing the Alivicha community of hand-knitters access to training in reproductive, political, and economic rights. The organization gives Peruvian women an opportunity to leave the domestic sphere and “build a relationship with the world,” so that they can realize their full potential and exercise their rights as women.
Artisan Voices
“Before, artisan crafts were not valued as income-generating work. Today, for me, it is a job which permits me to send my four daughters to school and pay the home expenses; now I am very happy because I am not a cattle herder working for others, I am a woman artisan in charge of quality control and teaching the members to ensure production quality. ”
— Señora Isabel
Give your friends and family a gift that has the power to lift women out of poverty and bring lasting positive change to artisans and their families around the world, and they’re cute too! Click the images to purchase.
Find out more about the work of Global Goods Partners in the video below:
Interesting in learning to knit your own critters? Check out this class to get you started!
