Daría, an Artisan in her 40s originally from the highlands of Peru, has been hand-looming her unique textiles for over 17 years. Through the Huaywasi Artisan Project, she is able to provide income for herself and her two daughters while working from home.
Nélida loves to knit. She first learned how to knit at twelve years old by watching her grandmother. In her free time, she enjoys taking a few moments to herself to practice yoga in her home, which she learned by attending yoga workshops with The Light and Leadership Initiative. Through the Huaywasi Artisan Project, she has learned new knitting skills and enjoys teaching them to her children.
Saida, an artisan that joined the Huaywasi Artisan Project in 2014, is the project's ceramicist. Learning from both LLI painting and ceramic workshops, Saida has developed impressive skills. Some of her favorite LLI workshops include Financial Education, Painting, and Nutrition. She is proud to help support her children and her husband thanks to Huaywasi.
Guillermina, an artisan in her 30s, learned to sew over ten years ago. Through her work with Huaywasi, she has developed her skills as a seamstress to make fashionable clothing using Andean fabrics. When she has the time, Guillermina likes to make a big Ceviche lunch for her and her family to enjoy. She uses the income she receives from the Huaywasi Artisan Project to support her two children and her nephew.
Through the Huaywasi Artisan Project, Herminia, an artisan in her 40s, has learned to craft a variety of accessories using authentic Peruvian fabrics. What she loves most about being part of Huaywasi is working from her own home, where she is able to comfortably care for her two daughters and contribute her earnings to her family.
Alejandra, an artisan in her 50s, first learned to knit in high school. When she isn't busy knitting, Alejandra also likes to cook. Her favorite Peruvian food to cook is Pachamanca - a traditional Andean dish that uses layers of root vegetables, meat, and potatoes, slow-cooked in the earth with hot stones - yum! Through the Huaywasi Artisan Project, she has learned new knitting techniques to help supplement the income from the local flower shop that she and her husband own.
Elena, originally from the Amazonian region Iquitos, has lived in Huaycán for over 25 years. Elena first learned to sew by watching her mother, and also studied sewing for a short time in school. In her free time, Elena loves to cook, particularly baking pastries! She sees the Women's Program workshops as a time for learning and relaxation, and especially enjoys psychology and nutrition workshops. Elena says that Huaywasi helps her to grow not only as an artisan but also as a person.
Thank you for supporting Huaywasi and its mission. All products will ship within 5 business days, often less! If you need your product in less turn-around time, please contact Huaywasi@lightandleadership.org immediately after placing your order and we'll see what we can do!
Taxes: Illinois residents will be charged sales tax.
Shipping: Shipping is calculated based on United States Postal Service real-time carrier rates--ensuring you get the best available shipping rate from USPS. You may choose the shipping option that suits you best. At this time, we do not ship via other carriers.
Free US shipping for orders $75 or more!
International Buyers – Please Note:
Import duties, taxes, and charges are not included in the item price or shipping cost. These charges are the buyer's responsibility.
Please check with your country's customs office to determine what these additional costs will be prior to purchasing.
Returns and Exchanges:
FOR ALL PRODUCTS:
Please download this form and review our policy below.
Returns:
Our policy lasts 30 days. If 30 days have gone by since your purchase, unfortunately we can’t offer you a refund or exchange.
To be eligible for a return, your item must be unused and in the same condition that you received it. It must also be in the original packaging.
There are certain situations where only partial refunds are granted: Any item not in its original condition, is damaged or missing parts for reasons not due to our error.
Refunds:
Once your return is received and inspected, we will send you an email to notify you that we have received your returned item. We will also notify you of the approval or rejection of your refund. If you are approved, then your refund will be processed, and a credit will automatically be applied to your credit card or original method of payment, within a certain amount of days.
Late or missing refunds:
If you haven’t received a refund yet, first check your bank account again. Then contact your credit card company, it may take some time before your refund is officially posted. Next contact your bank. There is often some processing time before a refund is posted. If you’ve done all of this and you still have not received your refund yet, please contact us at huaywasi@lightandleadership.org.
Sale items :
Only regular priced items may be refunded, unfortunately sale items cannot be refunded.
Exchanges :
We offer exchanges on all items within 30 days of purchase for unused and unworn products. If you need to exchange an item, please download this form. It must be included in your exchange.
Shipping:
To return your product, you should mail your product to:
Huaywasi: Handmade in Peru
6819 W. 167th Street, Tinley Park, IL 60477
The customer is be responsible for paying for the return shipping costs for the item. Shipping costs are non-refundable. If you receive a refund, the cost of return shipping will be deducted from your refund.
Depending on where you live, the time it may take for your exchanged product to reach you, may vary.
If you are shipping an item over $75, you should consider using a trackable shipping service or purchasing shipping insurance. We don’t guarantee that we will receive your returned item.
Our mission is to educate and empower. Learn more how Huaywasi accomplishes that through the breakdown of our formula:
Seven Women
Huaywasi formed as a collective effort between several women from Huaycán, Peru and international volunteers working with the Light and Leadership Initiative (LLI), an education based nonprofit. After several years of developing artisan skills and products, seven women are now the face of Huaywasi.
Huaywasi women are strong, talented and passionate. They know their craft. Get to know them through our The Artisans page.
Fair Wages
Artisans are trained to keep careful track of their hours plus the cost of materials. Each artisan is paid a fair wage for their products, enabling artisans to provide for themselves and often times, their children and extended families. Products are ordered on a monthly basis, also providing better financial stability.
Education
Huaywasi works as a component of the Women's Empowerment program within LLI. Through LLI, educational workshops are offered in the areas of Career Development, Health, and Art and Expression. LLI invites women over the age of 18 to participate in these workshops, free of cost, every Saturday and Sunday.
Today, each of Huaywasi's seven artisans attends a minimum of one Women's Program workshop a month, and most of them attend several. Favorite workshops include yoga, painting, financial education and nutrition. In addition, artisans can participate in the Computer Literacy Certificate course held once a week for 8 weeks.
The purchase of each Huaywasi product directly supports not only Huaywasi artisans' financial future, but also ensures personal and professional growth by providing bi-weekly educational opportunities.
So there you have it...
seven women + fair wages + education = Huaywasi.
Huaywasi's Commitment to Diversity
Huaywasi recognizes the beauty and value of individuals regardless of size, racial background, or socio-economic status. When you purchase Huaywasi products, you are not only supporting female artisans in Huaycán, but also helping to break down conventional ideas of beauty and promote authenticity and diversity in fashion.
