Women's project Mujeres De Tierras Chimú

We take responsibility! The history of the Mujeres women's project in Peru

The neighborhood on the hill “Cerrito de la Virgen”

The women in our project live on the “Cerrito de la Virgen” (Hill of the Virgin) on the edge of Huanchaco on the coast in northern Peru.

Huanchaco, an original fishing village, is very popular with tourists and is particularly well known for its famous surf waves and ancient Chan Chan archaeological site. Above the fishing village, not visible from below, lies the slum “Cerrito de la Virgen”.

The hill was once a desert-like place with lots of sand and no plants. At the end of the 1990s, destitute families gradually immigrated illegally in order to build a home for themselves on the empty land. Many of them came from the mountains in the hope of a better life, some had to give up their old homes in the village after their houses were flooded by “El Niño” floods.

The women of the Mujeres de Tierras Chimu project

The women and their families live in a precarious situation. Their houses are very basic and there is no public infrastructure, i.e. no paved roads, no water or sewage supply and sand everywhere. This also affects the hygiene and health situation of the families. There are many street dogs, which can also be very dangerous. The water comes in lorries and is stored in rain barrels. This contributes to the rapid spread of diseases such as dengue fever.

Around 50 women have come together here on the hill and founded a self-help group.

Through the Chasqui e.V. organisation, we support the women in developing self-help measures so that their living situation can improve in the long term. No running water, unstable working conditions, inadequate pay, no support from the government and little prospect of an improvement in the situation - these are just some of the challenges that the community faces on a daily basis. We want to make an active contribution to giving these people hope again. Hope for stable and satisfactory living conditions for themselves and their descendants.

For every completed order we donate €2.00 to the women's project (at least €1000 per month).
Would you also like to make a direct contribution? Then you can support the women's project with a direct donation.

Our goals for the project

Improving the living conditions of women

Vocational advancement of local women residents

Development of civic participation

Strengthening neighborhood organization

Conflict resolution

Strengthening women's gender equality

Our focal points of development work

Every euro brings us closer to our goal of constructing a communal building. What is needed is accommodation where the women can cook together, socialise and carry out handicrafts. At the moment, they come together in a shelter made of earth, which is in danger of collapsing and is not burglar-proof. The planned building will include a large kitchen, a common room, sanitary facilities, a shower and a laundry.

Procurement of technical equipment & other materials for craft work

Up to now, handicraft work has been carried out entirely without machine support. Sewing machines are needed to be able to work more efficiently in terms of time. Fabrics such as (cotton) wool, yarn and coffee bags, as well as materials such as knitting needles and crochet hooks are also needed. The materials are used to make bags for electronic devices and private use, for example.

PSYCHOSOCIAL CARE

An important goal of the association is to provide a space where women and children feel safe to talk about domestic problems. In addition to two permanently employed psychologists, volunteers who complete their internship semester on site as part of their psychology studies offer their support to the people through personal conversation.

We make it possible to maintain this important offer by covering the monthly travel costs for the volunteers.

In future, specific series of courses over five months are also planned, each costing €450. The focus here is on supporting the women to develop more self-confidence and to prevent and counteract domestic violence against women and their children. Individual counselling and support will also be offered to the women.

IMPLEMENTATION OF EDUCATIONAL MEASURES

Specific educational measures are planned to increase the literacy rate and improve the overall level of education. For example, during the pandemic-related school closures, around 60 children were supported with tutoring and the provision of materials. In addition, courses for learning to knit and crochet have already begun and local educational work has been started to promote the emancipation of women.

The project envisages that the educational measures that have already been started will continue and be expanded. As domestic violence is unfortunately not uncommon in families and this is sometimes reflected in the behaviour of the children, there will be more offers on topics such as 'What is violence' and 'Non-violent communication' (for further measures, see psychosocial support). In order to increase the acceptance of the organisation and the commitment of Chasqui e.V. on the part of the male population, education and exchange with the men of the families will also be increasingly pursued.

In the future, the educational program is to be expanded to include an environmental focus.

Prospects

As soon as the local water supply is secured, the long-term goal is to grow fruit and vegetables for our own consumption in a community garden.

In order to build up a personal relationship with the local people, to get a better overview of the local circumstances and other possible support possibilities, as well as to participate practically in the development measures, we would like to visit the people on site ourselves in the near future.

Of course, we will keep you up to date on our various communication channels.

For us, Suyana means living hope. Hope as a trust in life itself, in "Aquí y Ahora".

Help for self-help

Despite the precarious situation, the women are full of hope. They show strength, the willpower to change things and they have their own ideas on how they can improve their situation, their lives and those of their families. The women from Cerrito de la Virgen are not looking for handouts, they are longing for concrete help to help themselves. They want to learn to read and write and take part in communication and education courses. They also want building materials so that they can build the planned Ollas Comunes.

Las Mujeres de Tierras Chimu are highly motivated and want to take control of their lives and those of their descendants. Taking part in educational programmes enables them to actively participate in the survival of their community in Peruvian society (& their local community). The handicraft workshops not only create jobs for the women, but also improve the educational opportunities for their children. In the future, they would also like to plant an organic fruit and vegetable garden so that they can grow their own healthy ingredients for their meals.

The Chasqui e.V. association supports the projects of the local women and ensures the concrete implementation of necessary development measures. In addition to constructing the building for the women, the current focus is on teaching the women to sew and procuring the necessary equipment and accessories so that they can practise their artistic skills by making so-called artesanías (handicrafts). The local demand for such hand-sewn products is high, which offers the prospect of financial independence for the women.

Through concrete measures like these, living hope is not just wishful thinking with vague promises. Hope becomes a transformative and creative force for a better life.

Making the so-called artesanías

HOPE IS BEAUTIFUL.

Trust in the certainty that we can shape the future and improve the lives of many people. That is why we want to use some of our profits to give hope and provide people with the resources they need to lead their lives with dignity and responsibility. The "Mujeres de Tierras Chimu" project in Huanchaco/Trujillo in northern Peru is an initiative that reflects our corporate values and where hope is lived. Suyana supports this project wholeheartedly and with funds that go directly to 100% for the women and are used specifically to realise the stated goals. The German-Peruvian cultural association Chasqui e.V. acts as an intermediary and supports the project on site.

Violence in the families, unwanted pregnancies and psychological problems due to the overall life situation aggravate the situation of the residents.

Handicraft workshops to improve the educational opportunities of their children

One COOKING POT FOR ALL

Around 50 women in the precarious "Cerrito de la Virgen" neighbourhood have joined together to form a neighbourhood self-help group in order to provide better care for their families. There is no functioning infrastructure in the neighbourhood and the residents, most of whom have moved to Huanchaco from the countryside, receive no support from the local authorities. So what else could they do but take action themselves? Initially, the women set up an "Olla Comun", a very simple communal kitchen, usually consisting of just one cooking area, to cook food together for their families on weekdays. On Sundays, they prepare food for sale in order to buy new food with the proceeds. If the women have paid work at all, it is usually in the informal sector with low earnings and a high degree of instability.

As the women had limited access to education, which was usually of a low standard, many of them have not learnt to read, write or do maths. As a result, they are unable to complete important official formalities and assert their rights. For the children, the situation is also very challenging and hopeless, as school conditions are poor, there is little prospect of vocational training and there are no meaningful employment opportunities in the region. Violence in the families, unwanted pregnancies and psychological problems due to the overall living situation exacerbate the situation of the residents.

Our understanding of sustainability

We want to be sure that our values are reflected in all company activities.

Eva & Elias