Alpaca Teddy Supports Amantani – With a firm belief in Fairtrade, ethical trade and the skills of Peruvian Artisans, Alpaca Teddy supports the Peru charity Amantani by donating annually to this important cause.
Amantani is an award-winning charity that works to defend the rights of indigenous Quechua young people and artisans in the Andes of Peru.
Established on 20th May 2008, the charity works to defend the rights of young people in the Peruvian Andes. They enable them to access high-quality education and fair employment, helping to stimulate social development for Peru’s rural communities. They also work hand in hand with talented artisans who weave beautiful hand-made bracelets enabling women to foster their financial independence. Their intercultural philosophy promotes social inclusion, whilst encouraging autonomy and cultural pride.
Amantani’s Values:
- Youth participation: They ensure young people are heard, become agents of change and are actively involved in the decision-making process at Amantani.
- Strength perspective: They focus on the individual talents of each young person.
- Responsibility: They encourage that participants and team members act responsibly exercising mutual respect, honesty and commitment.
- Interculturality: They respect and promote the diversity and cultural heritage of the communities we work with.
- Social Justice: Their work stems from recognising the talents and skills of the people they work with.
- Gender Equality: They firmly believe in gender equality and actively work towards encouraging fair opportunities for everybody, regardless of their gender.
- Ayni (reciprocity): They integrate this Quechua principle to promote horizontal relationships or reciprocity across all their work.
- Individualised Support: They create highly personalised strategies for each participant in their programmes.
Amanatani’s Strategic Objectives:
- Psychosocial: They strengthen the participants’ emotional and psychosocial skills that will allow them to freely and confidently participate in society.
- Academic: They support the transition of young people from school into higher education through scholarships and academic support.
- Employability: They promote work environments that are inclusive and fair to the participants of Amantani programmes.
- Organisational: They work from Peru to create and implement financial, organisational and operational strategies.
Ethical Trade Project:
Through this project, the artisans transform wool into beautiful and colourful hand-woven bracelets. They currently sell the bracelets in over 180 shops in Peru and the United Kingdom, creating a reliable source of income for the artisans as well as contributing to Amantani’s financial sustainability.
This is how they define ‘ethical’:
- They work with people who stem from vulnerable backgrounds and need the financial support the project provides to maintain and develop a decent standard of living.
- Men and women are treated equally regardless of their roles as participants.
- Transparency and participation are upheld at all times with participants and they are informed and consulted in regard to project development and expenditure.
- Participants earn a fair income for their work. This is calculated based on the national average wage, the time spent on production and in relation to similar products in the market.
- They work with a group of people that feel supported on a professional and emotional level and have the freedom to participate or leave at any stage.
For more information regarding Amantani visit: https://www.amantani.org.uk/
