About Us

The Light and Leadership Initiative

Huaywasi: Handmade in Perú is a fair trade social enterprise project working directly with female artisans in Huaycán, Lima, Perú. Our goal is to provide safe working conditions, fair wages for work, and support to the Light and Leadership Initative’s cause of free, high quality and accessible education for Huaycán families. 

Huaywasi profits filter back into LLI’s educational programs to provide free educational opportunities to children in the areas of yoga, coding, English as a Foreign Language, reading and more! Learn more about LLI’s work at www.lightandleadership.org.

 

Social Enterprise Mission

Our mission is to educate and partner with local female artisans in Huaycán to strive towards a more ethical and sustainable fashion industry. In addition to providing fair wages, we work collaboratively with our artisan partners to make sure that they are involved in all aspects of the brand and our decision making processes. We hold monthly artisan meetings to maintain constant communication and total transparency among all team members.

We are striving to be increasingly transparent and that means acknowledging our mistakes and how we have failed as an organization. Please read our Self Assessment to learn about the direct actions and commitments we are taking to become an actively anti-racist organization. 

Female Artisans

Huaywasi formed as a collective effort between several women from Huaycán, Peru and international volunteers working with The Light and Leadership Initiative.

At the time, LLI was running certain workshops related to crafts and knitting in Huaycán when several participants approached the staff and stated many of them already had certain skills, but they desired a larger market to be able to sell more of their products. To learn more about the founding of our non-profit and brand, check out our blog:

Huaywasi: Past, Present, and Future.

After several years of developing artisan skills and products, we are so proud of the female artisans that are now the face of Huaywasi. Huaywasi women are strong, talented and passionate. They know their craft. Get to know them through 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 hourly wage for their products, enabling artisans to provide for themselves and often times, their children and extended families.

We believe that part of being a fair trade project means that regardless of whether a product is put into production, an artisan should be paid for any amount of time dedicated to Huaywasi. This includes samples and unfinished products due to unforeseen complications on any side, whether it be operation & design teams or artisans.

Products are ordered on a monthly basis, also providing greater financial stability and allowing Huaywasi artisans to plan their financial futures.

To learn more about how we abide by fair trade principles, check out our blog, The Huaywasi Difference 

Education

Over the years, artisans have been involved in numerous workshops, including yoga, painting, financial education, nutrition, & self-esteem. Through LLI, educational workshops have been offered in the areas of Career Development, Health, and Art and Expression.

The purchase of each Huaywasi product directly supports not only Huaywasi artisans' financial future, but also encourages personal and professional growth by providing educational opportunities for the community of Huaycán.

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. Please learn more about our commitments to become an actively anti-racist organization in our Self Assessment.