Day 4: “I Can’t Believe I Did It”

Watch the live video blog above, or catch the highlights below!

An Early Goodbye

One of the women who has been in our programs for 8 years is getting released in July! We talked a bit about her release today and how she’s really excited to go to her home, in the North of Peru, and see her daughter who is now 8 years old.

As we chatted, we both got a bit emotional about this being the last trip that I’ll see her. She did promise to find me on Facebook but, still, the sense of having of known someone for such a long time and knowing that you won’t see them regularly any more is bittersweet.

Also, she reminded me that she has a photo of me holding her daughter when she was 6 months old and living in the prison! That reminder impacted me, because I realized how long and deep our relationship has become over the years.

“I Can’t Believe I Did It”

There’s a new woman in our programs, Erika, who is a riot! She has a very positive attitude about everything and is a light hearted jokester. Yesterday, she tried to learn the more difficult leather braiding technique and after 45 minutes (and several round of having to take everything apart) she gave up and went back to the easier braid.

However, all day, you could sense her disappointment and she even said she was surprised at herself because she’s usually very good at picking things like that up.

Today, she tried again. At first, she didn’t get it. But after 30 minutes she finally got the technique and was giddy with excitement about getting it! She kept saying, “I can’t believe it! I can’t believe I did it!”

This is a perfect example of a secondary part of our programs, which is learning how to learn and showing the women that they can trust themselves and their skills. This is crucial for the women when it comes to leadership building, self-esteem building, and trusting in a sense of what’s possible for the future.

Ripples of Impact

On the way home, Senor Alberto reminded me of something that I didn’t realize: One of the women from the leather sandal making class is now part of a small sandal making enterprise in the prison!

Senor Alberto said to me, “What I love about working with you is that even though the women don’t always sell what they learn to make, it expands their ideas of what’s possible and what they’re interested in.”

This woman was in our sandal making class in August, and now just 6 months later, her and group of women are making sandals. It’s a different technique, but the class opened up something for her about making and selling sandals. And while it wasn’t a linear path of take the class-> sell leather sandals, the ripple effect is something far more sustainable because it’s based on her desires and interests.

Day 1: Soaked

This trip we are experimenting with a live video blog on Facebook! You can watch the full video above or catch the highlights below!

Collaborations

This trip is our first trip collaborating with Maki, another organization working in the prison with in-country staff. Our agreement is that they will help us organize our paperwork for our programs and all their women will automatically be able to attend our workshops. Which is a win win for all! We get to help more women and we get the in-country support we need!

Role Models

We start our classes on Thursday and for our very first day of classes we’re going to have two special visitors- Doctor Castro, who is in charge of all of our paperwork and authorizations, and the prison Director.

They will be observing the class and taking photos of the classes to send to the head bosses of INPE (Peru’s national penitentiary system). When we were here in August we found out that there’s a group who is fighting to change regulations in the prisons so that NGOs and buyers can more easily connect with the interns.

They want to send pictures of our class to show INPE how beneficial NGO programs can be for the prisons in Peru. I’m totally okay with being a role model for this!

Leather Class

Starting on Thursday we’re starting a 6-day leather working class with the women! What makes this class extra special is that Alberto, our leather professor, designed this curriculum based on his own ideas about what would be beneficial to the women.

Alberto’s idea is that he wants the women to get to the point where they can independently produce a product that is sellable in the local market. His long-term goal is to order these items from the women and sell them in the markets, but to get there the women need to learn to produce a product perfectly.

Which is exactly what he’s teaching them this trip. They will focus on one product (a leather bracelet) and they’ll focus on first learning the techniques and then perfecting them.

On Being Released

One of the women who has been in our programs for many years is being released in several months. Today I asked her if she was excited about leaving and she said, “Yes and no. I’m scared.”

As we talked more she shared that she’s afraid of what it will be like after she leaves the prison. Her biggest fear is finding work and worrying about what she’ll do after she’s released.

But she’s also afraid of starting a whole new life after being incarcerated for 15 years. She stepping out into a world that she doesn’t know. And that’s scary.

I’m sharing this to acknowledge that the trauma of incarceration doesn’t end with incarceration itself, but spills over in life after the prison. It’s our hope at Ruraq Maki that we can be there for the women both while they are in prison and afterwards.

Day 6- Stamped Cuffs

Today was an exciting collaboration between Alberto and I, as we integrated metal stamped jewelry and leather working! To be honest, this design was sketched out on paper and that was about it, so we didn’t quite know it would work.

The leather stamped cuff are beautiful and the women had a blast with the design element!

Leather Stamped Cuff-2

These bracelets lent themselves to a more creativity because the women had to think about the micro and macro design. First they had to design what would be stamped on the metal blank, then consider how the blanks would sit on the cuff, and finally the designs on the cuff itself. If you’re an artist, you know that that’s a lot to think about!

Needless to say, the women were thrilled with a project that required so much creativity. And I was thrilled that the women were combining various techniques- metal stamping, riveting, and leather work. Working with multiple medias not only stretches the women’s imagination, it also pushes the boundaries of their skills.

Leather Stamped Cuff

For me, it was very satisfying to work alongside another artist and collaborate on design. We bounced ideas off of each other about how best to construct the bracelet and each played to our strengths when it came to the design. We both agreed, however, that the design can be improved and are going to work towards that next year.

Unfortunately, we have to cut our leather working class a day short because Alberto’s wife needs to go to Lima for medical care. Of course I’m sad that we won’t have class tomorrow, but it’s important that everyone who works for us is able to do so without worrying about the health of their family members. This is a part of fair trade practices that we value so much.

Although we won’t have leather class tomorrow, Alberto and I have some exciting ideas about the workshops next year. I spoke with Jessica about Alberto’s idea to do a class based on production and she agreed it would benefit the women tremendously. Now that we are all working together to support the women, who knows what’s possible!

Day 1- Chaos

Today we were set to start our metal stamping classes with a beautiful project introducing working with design stamps to create a mandala pendant. Schlepping 15lbs of jewelry making materials (including 3 hammers) on the rickety bus was not the most fun thing in the world but I’ve been really excited about this jewelry making round.

A year and a half ago I introduced metal stamping to the women and we worked with letter stamps to create jewelry with words or phrases that had special meaning to the women. This was one of my favorite jewelry making classes and where two of my favorite pieces were created: the ser grande pendant and rikchari necklace.

Rikchari Close Up
This year, we are working with design and letter stamps to create more complex designs. The women will also learn how to do cold connections with metal- which is a riveting technique that only uses rivets and a hammer.

Sadly, when I got to the women’s area to start our class chaos ensued! The women were notified only an hour earlier that they were having group therapy today. Metal stamping is really loud and, while they wanted to have class anyway, it seemed impossible to be banging on steel bench blocks with hammers during group therapy.

Therapy also conflicted with scheduled health check ups, lawyer visits, and visits to the administration. The result? 50 women yelling at each other to leave for their appointments, trying to line up while also making space for the therapists, and one poor guard desperately attempting to manage it all.

It was chaos and it didn’t let up for half an hour.

While waiting for the chaos to settle so I could leave, I noticed Lia running to and fro yelling people’s names. Marleni told me that Lia is now working as a llamador- a person whose job is to call for women when they have appointments or are requested by the administration.

She works 9-1 as a llamador and gets paid 2 soles…a day. That’s 50 centavos an hour.

And it’s a lot of work. Just during that half an hour she was running all over the women’s cell block calling out names and searching for people.

Lia with her finished bag

Lia with her finished bag

For contrast, we pay the women 6 soles for the most basic earrings that they can make in half an hour.

Yet, Lia is dedicated. She embroiders manta, attends all of our classes, produces beautiful jewelry pieces and makes extra to sell. She works HARD in every job she is given and she has to- coming to the prison as a child of the streets she’s always had to make her own way.

Which is something I admire about Lia. She’s determined to do her best and create a path of freedom for herself. She knows that her future is in her hands and she

It All Comes Together

You have read our posts about the cultural heritage of manta, how men and women in the Yanamilla Prison in Ayacucho weave and embroider the manta and now you are wondering how manta may be used differently in today’s modern world.

Manta Tote Bag

Although there are weavers and women who embroider manta outside the prison, the large majority of Ayacucho’s handwoven manta is made within the prison. Weaving and embroidery are passed on to new inmates when they arrive through informal apprenticeships. Unlike the men, who have an extensive workshop area, the women have few options for work in the prison. The most common is embroidering manta.

Men Sewing Manta

In the last three years, Ayacucho has seen a dramatic shift in the manta market. As Westernized clothes become more common, manta is seen less and less in use by young people, who prefer to use strollers and baby backpacks for their children. Also, a large portion of the manta sold is machine manufactured, which can be purchased for a lower price. Vendors bring machine made manta into the prison for the women to embroider.

Overall the market for handwoven and hand embroidered manta is on the decline. The work within the prison, and the informal apprenticeship system within the prison, is the primary way the tradition of handwoven and embroidered manta is being passed on.

Woman With Manta

Clearly, you can use the manta when going grocery shopping. You will be the star at any super market or farmers market when skillfully packing your veggies away and draping the load over your shoulders. The moms and dads among you can also carry your toddlers around, just like so many women did before you.

If you are not up for that (yet), manta are a great way to decorate your home. You can use them as wall hangings, as bed spreads, or table cloths. Your creative minds set the limits here. Know how to sew? Turn them into large pillow cases or floor cushions.

SFAM_Manta

Or just grab one and hang out in your favorite park, having a picnic.

Starting tomorrow, we will have a flash sale in our online store through Sunday and all of our products will be 50% Off. Just use the code WELOVEMANTA at checkout to get 50% off of your order.

This is an amazing opportunity to get one of these unique pieces of art into your home and support the men and women in the Ayacucho prison who are working so hard to keep traditional arts alive and provide for their families.