These women break out of prison
The women’s prison in Ayacucho, Peru, houses women who have made a mistake out of sheer poverty. Sometimes the women are addicts and have been arrested for something related to drug trafficking or possession. But there is also a woman in this prison who, after years of domestic violence, tried to kill herself and her children out of desperation.
Nearly 70% of all adult women in the Ayacucho region live in poverty. In fact, more than half of this group live in extreme poverty. They speak Quechua (and therefore no Spanish) and if they have any education at all, it is often only basic.
This means that they cannot find a good job anywhere and are unable to live their lives the way they want to. Often, they are stuck in a relationship where the man is the boss of the house, while he hardly brings home any money and does not take care of the children.
A terrible choice
Stealing, dealing or prostitution is the only way to earn money for themselves and their children. A terrible choice, sometimes with terrible consequences….
Our partner organization, Asociación Manta Tejedoras Perú, offers these women a chance to earn money with a decent job. In prison, the women are trained to make clothes. They use them to pay for basic services in prison and to send some money home.
More independent and stronger
Recently, Wilde Ganzen and Solid supported the expansion of this project. 250 women outside the prison were trained as weavers, with the goal of making them more economically independent and socially stronger.
Lourdes Cristan was one of the participants. Like all the other women, she was afraid to stand up for herself and found it difficult to raise her children.
“Thanks to my work as a weaver and the workshops I have received, I have become more independent. I decide for myself now! I also learned that saving is essential. With my colleagues, we decided to create small savings pots. That way, we save monthly for big expenses or for emergencies.”
Incredibly valuable
