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ARTIZAN Peru : a social enterprise providing training and income-generation for adults with disabilities |
Laura Baxendale, has a degree in textiles & is an experienced jewellery designer-maker
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Laura Baxendale, our dedicated volunteer in Peru, is training people with physical disabilities in high-quality jewellery and textiles. The trainees come to the office each week, receive instruction and materials, plus an opportunity for meeting up with their friends and colleagues. For many of them, it may be the only time they leave the house so this is a vital opportunity for some fun and fellowship. We pay the participants every week for the work they've done, allowing them to support themselves and their families with dignity and pride in their work.
New centre with a shop & cafe :
Thanks to the kindness of many people over a period of 3 years, we've managed to purchase a beautiful old building in Arequipa, which will become our new training centre, cafe & shop. Here we'll be able to train many more differently-able people who are desperate for a way of supporting themselves without having to resort to street begging. We'll be able to give them skills, hope and a future.
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Deaf people in Peru are amoungst the poorest and most vulnerable in their society, excluded from employment due to the stigma of having a disability. Most Deaf Peruvians do not even finish school because they cannot afford to, or they live too far away from the very few schools for the deaf. The vast majority are unemployed or receive lower than minimum wage. Their life is a daily struggle of trying to understand and be understood, as almost no-one knows any sign language. They are often looked down upon by hearing society and live in the poorest parts of the cities, travelling long distances to seek work, usually to no avail, consigning them to a life of poverty.
Our new cafe, based at our Artizan Peru centre in the beautiful mountain city of Arequipa, will provide vital vocational training and employment for deaf people who long for these opportunities, giving them hope and a future, whilst also changing negative attitudes towards them in their local society. We've done this successfully before with our deaf-run cafe in Tanzania. This has had a profoundly positive effect on local attitudes to deaf people, as well as providing full- time employment for many deaf people in the town of Iringa where it's based.
Our menus will be in Spanish, English and sign language symbols, so our customers can learn to communicate with their deaf waiter or waitress, breaking down barriers between deaf and hearing people in their community. The cafe will become a beacon of light and hope for deaf people and for all the other differently-able people that the centre will serve, with it's shop, cafe and crafts workshops. The cafe is the final step that will bring the wider community into closer contact with our artisans, opening their eyes to how capable and employable they are. This means that in time, other local employers will consider employing deaf people too, whereas before this would have been unthinkable.
After 4 years' fundraising we've already purchased a beautiful old building in Arequipa to house the centre, and have refurbished the spaces to a high standard. The cafe space has a large downstairs area and a roof top terrace with incredible views of the snow-capped volcanoes on the horizon. To equip the kitchen & cafe with all the cooking equipment, counter fridges, cafe furniture, coffee machine, crockery and cutlery etc, will cost around £16,000. To employ two deaf teacher-trainers for the first year will cost £14,000. We have already had £2000 donated, so we just have £28,000 left to raise. Please give whatever you can, every little bit adds up and helps us get closer to our target. Thank you so much for your support.
Our new cafe, based at our Artizan Peru centre in the beautiful mountain city of Arequipa, will provide vital vocational training and employment for deaf people who long for these opportunities, giving them hope and a future, whilst also changing negative attitudes towards them in their local society. We've done this successfully before with our deaf-run cafe in Tanzania. This has had a profoundly positive effect on local attitudes to deaf people, as well as providing full- time employment for many deaf people in the town of Iringa where it's based.
Our menus will be in Spanish, English and sign language symbols, so our customers can learn to communicate with their deaf waiter or waitress, breaking down barriers between deaf and hearing people in their community. The cafe will become a beacon of light and hope for deaf people and for all the other differently-able people that the centre will serve, with it's shop, cafe and crafts workshops. The cafe is the final step that will bring the wider community into closer contact with our artisans, opening their eyes to how capable and employable they are. This means that in time, other local employers will consider employing deaf people too, whereas before this would have been unthinkable.
After 4 years' fundraising we've already purchased a beautiful old building in Arequipa to house the centre, and have refurbished the spaces to a high standard. The cafe space has a large downstairs area and a roof top terrace with incredible views of the snow-capped volcanoes on the horizon. To equip the kitchen & cafe with all the cooking equipment, counter fridges, cafe furniture, coffee machine, crockery and cutlery etc, will cost around £16,000. To employ two deaf teacher-trainers for the first year will cost £14,000. We have already had £2000 donated, so we just have £28,000 left to raise. Please give whatever you can, every little bit adds up and helps us get closer to our target. Thank you so much for your support.
Here's some examples of specific things you could support (starting at £5):
Coffee pot /Tea Pot: £5 (x 20)
Set of crockery: £25 (x 40)
Set of cutlery: £10 (x 40)
Saucepans: £25 (x 6)
Chopping boards: £30
Chefs Knives: £40
Cooking Utensils: £50
Kitchen Sink: £100
Set of chef's whites for deaf trainee: £50 (x 6)
Tea-towels and other linens : £30
Kitchen Counter Tops: £300
Kitchen Shelving: £40 (x 10
Tiling: £150
Kitchen Fridge: £400
Kitchen Freezer: £350
Counter display fridge: £1000
Physical counter build cost:£400 (x2)
Coffee machine : £2500
Coffee Grinder : £160
Industrial Oven: £600
Industrial mixer:£140
Smoothie maker: £120
Hot chocolate machine: £180
Double Panini Press: £ 120
Cafe Table: £80 (x 8)
Cafe chair: £50 (x 20)
Cafe uphostered benches: £60 (x 6)
DIY tools to make pallet furniture for cafe roof terrace : £120
Cafe lighting: £350
Cafe paintwork : £300
Do you really need another pair of socks for Christmas? Why not ask your friends and family to give you a teapot or even a Kitchen sink, for Peru instead?! :D Our deaf trainee chefs would truly apprecaite it. If you're buying a gift on behalf of someone else, please let us know and we'll send them a card to say thanks and let them know what their gift is supporting. Thanks so much for your support!
Coffee pot /Tea Pot: £5 (x 20)
Set of crockery: £25 (x 40)
Set of cutlery: £10 (x 40)
Saucepans: £25 (x 6)
Chopping boards: £30
Chefs Knives: £40
Cooking Utensils: £50
Kitchen Sink: £100
Set of chef's whites for deaf trainee: £50 (x 6)
Tea-towels and other linens : £30
Kitchen Counter Tops: £300
Kitchen Shelving: £40 (x 10
Tiling: £150
Kitchen Fridge: £400
Kitchen Freezer: £350
Counter display fridge: £1000
Physical counter build cost:£400 (x2)
Coffee machine : £2500
Coffee Grinder : £160
Industrial Oven: £600
Industrial mixer:£140
Smoothie maker: £120
Hot chocolate machine: £180
Double Panini Press: £ 120
Cafe Table: £80 (x 8)
Cafe chair: £50 (x 20)
Cafe uphostered benches: £60 (x 6)
DIY tools to make pallet furniture for cafe roof terrace : £120
Cafe lighting: £350
Cafe paintwork : £300
Do you really need another pair of socks for Christmas? Why not ask your friends and family to give you a teapot or even a Kitchen sink, for Peru instead?! :D Our deaf trainee chefs would truly apprecaite it. If you're buying a gift on behalf of someone else, please let us know and we'll send them a card to say thanks and let them know what their gift is supporting. Thanks so much for your support!
And our other project in Peru : An in-house therapeutic crafts workshop for men with learning disabilities living in community in Arequipa
The local Anglican church opened this home in December last year, to provide a caring environment for the 19 men with learning disabilities who now live there. Almost all of them had been abandoned on the streets of Lima, the capital, at various stages in their lives and picked up by the police, before being incarcerated in over-crowded conditions. The church opened its doors to provide a spacious, welcoming home for them and we’re delighted to be helping them to set up a paper-making workshop on the roof of their building, to provide therapeutic craft activities for the men to do whenever they want to, whilst at the same time generating an income for themselves.The pictures above show Laura teaching paper-making at the house, on the flat roof of the building. We're helping them to set up a paper-making workshop, to provide therapeutic craft activities for the men to do whenever they want to, whilst at the same time generating an income for themselves. We're grateful for Lydia Trezise, our former Ecuador volunteer, for going out to Peru after returning to the UK, to share her skills and expertise with Laura and the new trainees (pictured above with Laura). What a team! Lydia now works in our UK office as our Volunteer Coordinator.
Why PERU ?
In October 2014, Susie, our director, was invited by Latin Link to visit a small Peruvian church who wanted help to set up a project for disabled people in their city of Arequipa. She was deeply moved by the large numbers of disabled people she saw begging on the streets of the city, and recognised the potential for setting up a training and employment project for them.
Tried and tested
Susie previously set up a project for people with disabilities in Tanzania, called Neema Crafts, which started with just 3 young deaf men and went on to employ over 120 people with varied disabilities. Our projects overseas are tailored to meet the needs in their local context, but are very much inspired by what we have shown to be possible in a similar developing world context in Tanzania.
As in Tanzania, people with disabilities are amongst the most marginalised, the most vulnerable, and the poorest of the poor in their communities. In April 2015 , Susie returned to Peru with a team of trained volunteers to start a pilot project, training a group of disabled out-workers in high quality bead-work and jewellery; and helping to market their products in Peru and the UK. THe rest, as they say, is history... !
In October 2014, Susie, our director, was invited by Latin Link to visit a small Peruvian church who wanted help to set up a project for disabled people in their city of Arequipa. She was deeply moved by the large numbers of disabled people she saw begging on the streets of the city, and recognised the potential for setting up a training and employment project for them.
Tried and tested
Susie previously set up a project for people with disabilities in Tanzania, called Neema Crafts, which started with just 3 young deaf men and went on to employ over 120 people with varied disabilities. Our projects overseas are tailored to meet the needs in their local context, but are very much inspired by what we have shown to be possible in a similar developing world context in Tanzania.
As in Tanzania, people with disabilities are amongst the most marginalised, the most vulnerable, and the poorest of the poor in their communities. In April 2015 , Susie returned to Peru with a team of trained volunteers to start a pilot project, training a group of disabled out-workers in high quality bead-work and jewellery; and helping to market their products in Peru and the UK. THe rest, as they say, is history... !