Name: Association of craftswomen Kuyanakuy
Location: Pamplona Alta, San Juan de Mirafloes, Lima
Products: Burlaps, pictures, portarevistas, foot of arbol and other articles with applications of burlap.

Kuyanakuy is a word quechua which means "Amémonos", it is a group of women who come from the zones struck by violence during the Eighties, mainly of the rural zones of Ayacucho. Here the testimony of Mrs Juliana Quijano.
"They was the years of violence, more or less into 1988 arrived the Mesdames, they came from Ayacucho, of Huancavelica, Yauyos, Cora Cora, Vischongo, Acocro, Cangallo. at one time in my house there were 12 families, others were placed in family house.
In the Parish of the Child of Jesus they organized a place of reception, Mrs. Avelina and Miss Ángela Hernández helped, they gave medicines of bases, little by little the Mesdames increased by 15, 20, 35.
They had a space to play, they tried to distract the Mesdames who were traumatisées by the facts of violence, played the canicas, with those dissimulated, jump of the cables, adivinanzas, and were difficult because the majority could not speak Castilian.
My aunt made Hessians, we then start to teach with the Mesdames to make Hessians, they were not good quality and nobody bought to them. When Miss. Ángela left holidays we start to make Hessians of 25x25 cm, the portions at the market of the Navy, I knew a Madam who bought, when we explained our problems to them they bought them to us. By deducing the materials the remainder between the Missies, with that we distributors we it commencing to improve us. CEAS then gave us a small capital, instead of playing now we commencing to make Hessians, we sold with the Navy, we contact then Minka.
Between years 91 and 92 we leave the parish and we were established in our zones: Crowned heart (in the zone of May 5), Jesus Child (in Los Angeles), San Shine (in Huanta), the 93 in Nazaréen (Virgin of the Graces) and the 95 in Americas (those which came from Vinchos).
In the Crowned Heart we form a dining room called "Mamacha Carmen", Caritas supported us with food, in Americas they also formed the dining room "Acuchimay". PRONAA also started to help the dining rooms with food.
In 1993 one formed ONG SUYASUN on the initiative of CEAS Episcopal, this ONG was created to support so many women who fled violence; they used programs of therapy to help the women psychologically. SUYASUN also supported us with the sale of the Hessians to the interdependent friends, but did not know anything the costs.
The majority of the Mesdames were illiterate, to receive their payment they were to sign, I then taught to them to sign with their initial, they were to then put their initial and were to make a hook like hen, some wanted others not, we then retained their tables for the funds of the group, one went but then one turned over and signed, they thus learned how to sign. Then we begin courses of elimination of illiteracy, one recorded more than 30 Mesdames and they finished the year á only 2.
We initially start to celebrate the usual festivities of our people, that was the habit of Parccahuanca in Acocro which is the people of Sra Angelina, they bought anise, they prepared chicha and meals, the Mesdames cried by remembering their people, the second year did we it with tooting-stone and violin and the third year with an orchestra, we decorated already holy water the virgin, they came from other sites and helped with many things.
In 1995 we knew CIAP in a meeting of RELACC, we knew Miss Graciela and Mr. Moner, with CIAP we improve quality and the design, to leave our costs and start to train the Directive Parliament, with Graciela we chose the name, we chose among 40 names. We also start to leave our costs, to make new designs ".
They formed the central Directive although they always worked in the 4 sectors with persons in charge in each sector. Recently on May 24 2002 they obtained their legal personality.

The organisation

Currently the group is centralized for the effects of the production. They have general assemblies monthly and hold meetings according to circumstances’. The Directing Council is composed of 7 members and they meet to see the emergency businesses.

Production and commercialisation

Association is made up of 45 women, 38 are currently active, all work the speciality of the Hessians.
For the design they meet between several people to leave the ideas, to note that all the women have the same abilities.
When arrives an order they meet to organize the production, one names a commission to buy the material. The material is bought as a whole and distributed according to the products which each person will make, when they does not have there an order the women make fellows of another part.
7 people undertake to arm the Hessians, this do it in the central workshop, when they are armed they are distributed as far as possible to all the partners.
The women are divided on three levels according to their ability and speed, when there is a pressure with the order, does it the women which of it are able and fastest. When the order exceeds the capacity of the group they distribute to the women of the Community which they know already, they possibly work for the group.
The women do the work in their houses, with the assistance of all the family, the couple who do not have work or who have spare time they also help, they are experts in seam, and the wire in the schedules which they also do not study help with small things like embroidering grasses, the clouds, etc.
A commission of 10 people undertake to revise and to control quality and at the same time make the completions. The payment is by labour and it is made by delivering its products.

Services and benefits that receive the partners

The principal benefit that the women have is their work, is the important source of receipts because sometimes the couple are without work.
Help mutual. - When the partners are sick they organize an activity to gather funds for the partner, they are obligatory.
Basket of Christmas. - One grants to the partners a basket with food for Christmas. Melt of urgencies. - These is funds which is used to give loans to the partners in the event of diseases, accidents and other urgencies.
Many women improved their residences, inform their sons and have especially the Community of companions where they were developed and they improved much their car-estimates.

Activities and social projection

They carry out various social activities and of fraternity; they take share also with activities for the benefit of their partners in emergency cases.
They support the Community by preparing the meal in the dining room parish.
They collaborate with the neighbours in emergency cases.
At Community level they do not have much promotion because they fear an avalanche of people seeking work and support, because they are in a very poor district.