Meet Our Women Entrepreneurs

Women showing some of their traditional garments in rural Peru.

The Alpaca Pan Peru Project is training a group of ten women in Pampas Grande, Peru, a rural village 12,000 feet above sea level in the Andes Mountains. Many natives of Pampas Grande speak Quechua, an ancient Incan language, as their first language. Agriculture is the main economic sector of Pampas Grande and opportunities to advance and increase a family's income are limited. Many of our women see the Alpaca Pan Peru Project as en opportunity to contribute to their family’s income and improve the nutrition, clothing and education of their children. We are pleased to share the stories of our women entrepreneurs with you.

Jhunet Garcia Vallagares

Hi! I live in the Pampas Grande district of Peru. I am married and have four school-aged daughters. Our primary source of income is farming and herding; which is only enough to feed us and cover some basic expenses. Knitting is something that I enjoy and my dream is to be able to produce and sell these items. With the profits I want to improve my daughters’ nutrition, clothing, and education. My specialties are crocheting sweaters, scarves, caps, and quilts.

Gloria Gardemia Ardiles Alegre

I am a single mother and responsible for supporting my son while he is in technical school in Lima. I’m participate in the Pan Peru program, which has been a massive help for us financially. My dream is to turn my knitting projects into an activity that will lead to advancement for me and my son. I crochet and knit sweaters, caps, scarves, mittens and booties.

Sonia Chincay Vasquez

I am a housekeeper and have three children. The main difficulty our family faces is the lack of opportunities to improve our financial situation. Fortunately, the Knitting Women Project gives us the ability of turning our work into an additional source of income.

Gudelia Heredia Chilca

I’ve been knitting for many years—my mother taught me when I was just a girl—and I now see it as an opportunity to contribute to my family’s income. The objective of Pan Peru’s Knitting Women Project is to consolidate the production of handmade garments into a small business and sell to those who want to support us.

Santa Margarita Guerrero Torres

By knitting, I’ve been able to dedicate my free time to an activity that has provided sweaters, scarves, vests, and other articles of clothing to my eight children for years. It is now an activity to which I dedicate most of my time. The Pampas Grande Knitting Women Project is a project which, thanks to our hard work and the selfless help of Pan Peru, is creating a team of women capable of producing high quality clothing. I like to crochet quilts and create custom-made designs.

Juana Luisa Giraldo Yauri

The main economic activities in Pampas Grande are farming and herding; which cover our family’s basic cost of living. I am the mother of three children and am responsible for their education, food, medicine, and clothing. I also belong to the Pan Peru Knitting Women Project, which provides us the opportunity to make and sell different articles of clothing. I like to knit and crochet all the different pieces.

Diony Aurea, Yauri Tamara

I am the mother of a young daughter, responsible for her education, health, food, and anything else she needs. I love knitting; it’s a productive activity that greatly helps the mothers in the Pan Peru Knitting Women Project. We have worked to become an effective team, capable of producing sweaters in ten days, vests in eight days and caps in one day. My specialty is knitting each of the pieces and designing shapes and words on my projects.

Nova Heredia Caceres

I care for our livestock on our family farm. Our animals are the only sources of income we have to support my two children and elderly mother. Knitting allows me to contribute to our family’s income. I like to knit sweaters, caps, vests, booties, and other garments. The Knitting Women Project has taught me a lot and I want to keep improving the quality of my products.

Aquina, Heredia Chilca

I have two children—one is in higher education and the second is preparing to apply—and my husband’s job isn’t enough to support us. Pan Peru has helped us form a supportive group that works daily to generate additional income for our families.

Narciza Leyva Tahua

Knitting is an exciting hobby that I use to support my young children. My days consist of raising young animals and occasionally working on farms to help pay for basic expenses like food, education, and medicine for my children. I consider myself a crocheting and knitting entrepreneur, selling high-quality articles of clothing to whoever wants them.