Casa de la Mujer Artesana

La Casa de la Mujer Artesana (Women Artisans’ Center) is an enterprise project, managed by Movimiento Manuela Ramos, in order to promote and market handicrafts produced by women in the local and international markets. Its objectives are: To contribute to the improvement of the quality of life of women artisans and to appreciate handicraft work carried out by women; to stimulate consumption and appreciation of handicrafts produced by women.

A dream come true

In Manuela, the dream of a center for women artisans begins to take shape at the beginning of 1990, as a means to provide support to the marketing of handicrafts produced by women. We wanted to have a venue where women artisans would find, in addition to a sales point, a place where they would be welcomed, especially in times of serious economic crisis and terrorist action. Someone had to offer women the possibility of a better present, since the future was uncertain.

The Belgian cooperation agency (FOS) supported this dream, donating US$65,000 to purchase the building for La Casa de la Mujer Artesana and on June 1993, we opened with a great fanfare. All the rooms in the first and second floors were conditioned to exhibit and sell handicrafts and the mass media covered the event extensively. The opening was sponsored by Eliana Chávez, President of COPEME, and the Ambassador of Belgium, Baron André de Virón.

Later, the sales space operated regularly only in the first floor, and the courtyard was also conditioned for fairs. Each year, we have organized the Christmas Fair and sales exhibits. We have also participated and organized fairs in other countries, such as Ecuador, Colombia, Spain, Germany and the USA.

Some testimonies

The women artisans who have used this marketing and promotion strategy tell us:

“I had never received a check in my name; I didn’t know I could be paid with a piece of paper. Here in Manuela, they taught me how to cash a check and my husband, now that I have money on account of the sales, wants me to bring more products”.

Felicita Sánchez
Ceramist from Ayacucho
Lima, April 1996

"The Casa de la Mujer Artesana is no longer a novelty. For the past five years, this exhibition and sales center, located in Pueblo Libre, gathers the most diverse and exquisite work of artisans from all over the country… with much inventiveness, creativity and good taste, the five rooms of this center become truly welcoming spaces during each campaign."

Article in the newspaper El Peruano
April, 1998

"If it weren’t for Manuela Ramos, I would never have left Peru. That’s why I will always remember this. My daughters also encouraged me and told me that nothing was going to happen; that I shouldn’t be afraid and that the women from Manuela Ramos would look after me. That is why I am very grateful to them".

Juana Sosa
Ceramist from Chulucanas
Trip to New York, June, 2000

Movimiento Manuela Ramos is a feminist institution that attempts to contribute to human development and to the consolidation of democracy with gender equity through women's empowerment.

We consider that the access to economic resources and to social justice is an inalienable human right.

Women Knitting their Future

Mercomujer is an institutional project that originated in 1997, as a result of the work experience with rural women in the issue of sexual and reproductive health.

The income generation component was necessary and its relevance was validated.

Reprosalud/USAID supported this experience.

In 2004, with the financial support of FONDOEMPLEO, the work in Puno was reinforced in the field of hand-knitted products.

The goods to be produced are previously determined according to market demand. Women are then trained in technical productive, marketing, personal development, organizational and business management aspects; thus facilitating women’s empowerment. Finally, we offer them support in marketing products.

The products knitted by women are made in pure alpaca wool and cotton, with exclusive designs for export.