handango was one of the first online software stores to sell mobile apps for personal digital assistants ( pdas ) and smartphones .

handango offered worldwide distribution , support , and e-commerce services to its partners .

company 's customers include consumers , software developers , mobile operators , and original equipment manufacturers .

supported mobile devices include android devices , palm handhelds , windows mobile devices , symbian os devices , and blackberry devices .

handango was founded in 1999 by randy eisenman .

early founding employees of the company included eric matzinger , james lowe , andrew blake , gabe bass , will pinnell , rusty butler , lindsay rall , laura rippy , jason wells , dustin brown and bob weber .

handango was a pioneer of mobile software distribution and is widely credited with many " firsts " in the distribution of mobile apps including a self-service developer management and reporting portal , the business model of a 70/30 developer revenue split ( changed to a 60/40 split in 2005 ) , over-the-air distribution of software with palm } , the industry 's first digital rights management deployed with nokia , and the handango commerce engine that facilitated ecommerce on behalf of the software developer directly from their web site .

handango inhand , available since 2003 for symbian uiq , since 2004 for windows mobile and palm os , since 2005 for blackberry and since 2006 for symbian s60 , is an on-device application store for finding , installing and buying software for your mobile device .

application download and purchasing are completed directly on the device so sync with a computer is not necessary .

description , rating and screenshot are available for any application .

software for using handango inhand is available for free for palm os , windows mobile , symbian uiq & s60 , blackberry , android .

handango pionereed this on-air business model for smartphones which achieved great success some years later with similar apple inc. 's app store and google 's android market .

on february 23 , 2010 , jud bowman of motricity , a durham , north carolina supplier of software and games for mobile phones , acquired handango , making pocketgear third behind apple inc. and google in the app market .

while pocketgear remained in durham , the company kept the handango offices in the dallas , texas area .

pocketgear.com , llc was started in 1998 by nathan miller as a teenager , and was later acquired by motricity .

bowman bought back the smart phone application business in 2008 when motricity moved from durham to the seattle area .

bowman remained a motricity investor .

in february 2011 , handango 's new owner pocketgear , inc. rebranded itself as appia and shifted its focus to " white label " mobile app stores - i.e. on-device oem-branded store apps .

handango 's traditional website at urltoken as well as urltoken appear to have been taken offline no later than december 2013 .

handango

handango <EOT> multi - platform smartphone content provider handango inc . has released its 2008 handango yardstick , a proprietary global trend index offering insight into the smartphone content industry .

handango released a version of inhand for symbian devices running the uiq interface last fall .

handango has changed over the years , but our core business values haven’t . below is a third party excerpt that we believe brings to light what handango was , is , and will be in the future . when you think handango , think innovation , variety , and unparalleled customer support .

european revamp in 2008 , handango revamped its european websites offering users a version of handango ' s retail website in four different languages , as well as more content and payment through local currency .

blackberry had the most new content titles in 2008 , adding 3 , 365 applications to the handango catalog .

in 2008 , handango added 1 , 300 developer partners to its roster of more than 23 , 000 .

the acquisition of level up ventures is a large step forward for handango to fulfill our goal of constant innovation and attempt to stay ahead of the curve by adopting technologies early . level up ventures has partnerships and licensing agreements that handango is currently working on transferring to the handango parent company with an expected time of completion by the end of q4 2017 .

handango ' s european sites include france at urltoken , germany at urltoken , spain at urltoken and britain at urltoken .

since its launch , handango has grown from a single distribution channel - - the web - - to reaching millions of customers through handango ' s inhand on device portal , via the mobile web and through its affiliates and channel partners .

handango ' s top ten list identifies the top 10 downloaded applications across all operating platforms and devices and sold through handango ' s multiple distribution channels . in 2008 , handango added an impressive 1 , 300 new content providers to its network with almost 10 , 000 new applications across all categories with an overall average purchase price of almost $ 20 per application .

handango is excited for what the future holds and sends a special thank you to all board members and employees of both handango and level up ventures for the approval of the acquisition , as well as other parties involved to make this acquisition possible .

handango is a provider of smartphone applications globally for the blackberry , palm , windows mobile , symbian os and linux platforms .

spooktacular savings at handango . com ! save 23 % when you spend $ 13 ! use code " spooky23 " at checkout . urltoken

while able to acquire the company in its entirety , handango has decided against doing so for the reasons listed above . handango management is not disrupting company operations and is keeping the same ceo , board of directors , and other talented staff . unlike other acquisitions , handango does not view this one as a turnaround of a failing company , rather , interest in a fast - growing , dominant company . we thank the board of directors and investors in both handango and selenium ventures for approving the purchase and look forward to future developments with the selenium team .

on monday , july 2 , 2018 , handango finalized a deal to acquire level up ventures , a delaware limited liability company ( llc ) .

android users : angry birds is now free ! grab the full version at handango . com . to download , click here > > > urltoken

handango is a third - party smartphone application retailer with multiple distribution channels , including the consumer web site at urltoken and the on - device client handango inhand . it operates more than 1 , 000 content partner storefronts and has a network of 23 , 000 - plus content partners whose apps it sells .

at the 3gsm world congress this week , handango introduced a version of inhand , its device - resident download client , for windows mobile - based smart phones .

the handango yardstick compiles and analyzes consumer activity from each of these channels , creating an industry index of smartphone content trends across leading platforms and most major devices .

handango has been the leading provider of mobile applications since the company’s inception in 1999 . saying that a lot has changed in the 18 years that we have been in business would be an understatement . 12 days marks the anniversary of the release of the first iphone , and in 2016 alone , sales of the iphone topped 210 million units . the world we are living in is changing fast , and handango has always been ahead of the curve . handango was one of the first online software stores to sell mobile apps for personal digital assistants and smartphones . handango offered and still offers worldwide distribution , support , and e - commerce services to its partners .

also , handango has more than 50 channel partners , including microsoft , verizon wireless , t - mobile , alltel , at & t , best buy and aol .

handango has a wide range of products and services , but chances are you know us for our largest service : the handango application market . this is where app developers meet potential buyers and can utilize an easy - to - use interface to purchase apps , or download free apps that may come with additional features through in - app - purchases .

handango is the leading provider of smartphone applications globally for the blackberry , palm , windows mobile , symbian , and android platforms . leveraging its 140 , 000 + apps , network of 23 , 000 + content partners , and vast distribution network , handango delivers top - selling mobile applications including games , business and entertainment apps and productivity tools to millions of consumers .

handango has been the leading provider of mobile software for everything from android to symbian os since 1999 . in that time , we have amassed a large market share in the mobile application space and our applications have been downloaded by tens of millions of individual users . in a market report in 2014 , more than 30 % of mobile phones contained at least one ( 1 ) handango go application . handango has been the largest provider of mobile applications , and in 2015 we were approached by a publicly traded software company to develop venuego , a venue management software .

handango ' s catalog now exceeds 140 , 000 apps spanning numerous categories including games , pim , personalization , video , education & reference , news & media , messaging and audio travel .

nokia ' s symbian gps was the no . 1 search term on handango for symbian devices up from no . 3 in 2007 showing the growing demand for gps products in the smartphone marketplace .

users can install inhand themselves off the handango web site , but the handheld software store is primarily marketing inhand to wireless carriers , who can license it for pre - installation on all their products .

handango was one of the first online software stores to sell mobile apps for personal digital assistants and smartphones . handango offered worldwide distribution , support , and e - commerce services to its partners . company’s customers include consumers , software developers , mobile operators , and original equipment manufacturers . supported mobile devices include android devices , palm handhelds , windows mobile devices , symbian os devices , and blackberry devices .

handango board has voted to keep the current board and c - level executives , including greenberg as ceo . day to day operations will be unaffected and no employees will be let off as a result of the acquisition : handango plans to bring level up ventures under its wing and foster its growth by providing the current team ample resources to make their dream a reality and continue changing the world .

inhand allows the user to install and purchase software , games , themes and ringtones directly off the handango web site with their smart phone , without having to go though a desktop or laptop for installation .

handango has made the decision to acquire a majority stake in selenium ventures for a wide array of reasons , but the most prevalent one being the rationality of the decision . the mobile gaming industry is expected to more than double in the coming two years alone , and selenium ventures is currently one of the largest firms in its space . due to the current oligopoly in the mobile gaming industry , handango’s stake in selenium ventures allows handango to focus on creating the applications in our pipeline and updating the ones that we have already released without diverting our focus . entering a new space would require research and development and recruitment of talented software engineers among the other barriers to entry in the mobile gaming space . handango believes that our stake in selenium ventures will allow for our investors and our company to have a vested interest in the fast - growing industry without diverting our focus from our current flagship products and services .

when our team heard of the idea , our board and shareholders were ecstatic . generally , mobile applications are one - off payments , and while the handango app marketplace was generating several million dollars annually through this approach , a recurring revenue model , as well as market share in the rapidly growing saas industry , was of great interest . in may of 2015 , the handango developers put on their thinking caps and built the first prototype of venuego in only 4 months .

handango was founded in 1999 by randy eisenman . early founding employees of the company included eric matzinger , james lowe , andrew blake , gabe bass , will pinnell , rusty butler , lindsay rall , laura rippy , jason wells , dustin brown and bob weber . handango was a pioneer of mobile software distribution and is widely credited with many “firsts” in the distribution of mobile apps including a self - service developer management and reporting portal , the business model of a 70 / 30 developer revenue split , over - the - air distribution of software with palm , the industry’s first digital rights management deployed with nokia , and the handango commerce engine that facilitated ecommerce on behalf of the software developer directly from their web site .

handango inhand , available since 2003 for symbian uiq , since 2004 for windows mobile and palm os , since 2005 for blackberry and since 2006 for symbian s60 , is an on - device application store for finding , installing and buying software for your mobile device . application download and purchasing are completed directly on the device so sync with a computer is not necessary . description , rating and screenshot are available for any application . software for using handango inhand is available for free for palm os , windows mobile , symbian uiq & s60 , blackberry , android . handango pionereed this on - air business model for smartphones which achieved great success some years later with similar apple inc . ’s app store and google’s android market .

google ' s android the newest platform offered by handango , android applications have the lowest asp of any platform , with games making up 11 of its top 25 applications and messaging and games accounting for 60 percent of the top category sales .

the current customer base has been notified and we are actively working with gather to port all venuego data to their platform and provide previous venuego customers with 3 months of gather , paid for by the handango team . we recommend all current customers to use gather as their new venue management software . while we regret to announce the discontinuation and termination of the venuego service , we end the service knowing that the team at gather will tend to handango’s venuego customers better than we could have ourselves .

we get a lot of questions about corporate credit inquiries here at handango , and because we’re one of the only firms in our industry employing these practices , we wanted to shed some light on the practice and why we as a company decided to put it into effect .

on february 23 , 2010 , jud bowman of motricity , a durham , north carolina supplier of software and games for mobile phones , acquired handango , making pocketgear third behind apple inc . and google in the app market . while pocketgear remained in durham , the company kept the handango offices in the dallas , texas area . pocketgear . com , llc was started in 1998 by nathan miller as a teenager , and was later acquired by motricity . bowman bought back the smart phone application business in 2008 when motricity moved from durham to the seattle area . bowman remained a motricity investor .

handango has been aggressively expanding its games offerings through strategic partnerships with mobile game publishers including ea mobile , capcom interactive , glu mobile , digital chocolate and iplay . " a small percentage of our catalog consists of ad - supported or pay - per - download content , " mr . bloom said . " we do have a significant number of subscription - based apps in our catalog .

" more and more people are using their mobile phones , ? smart ' or otherwise , to surf the internet , stay connected through social sites , watch videos and tv , listen to music , and more , " said alex bloom , ceo of handango , las colinas , tx . " as people spend more time on their mobile phones , they spend less time watching tv or reading publications - - traditional advertising mediums .

now this is intriguing . pocketgear has just acquired its former competitor handango in the cross - platform app store space , and can now claim a library of software that places it right alongside apple ' s app store in terms of the pure number of applications on offer . pocketgear has been busy providing the infrastructure for things like samsung ' s touchwiz widget store and palm ' s software store for a while , whereas handango used to be the largest independent app store out there , and their consolidated catalog will offer more than 140 , 000 applications on all the major non - apple platforms : android , blackberry , palm , symbian , and winmo . the number of actually useful apps has not been disclosed , but we love the idea of an independent competitor nudging the proprietary stores along so let ' s hope things go well for them . full pr after the break .

venuego entered beta testing in september of 2015 and remained in that stage for 12 months . in september of 2016 , goplan had a private launch to a small portion of our customer base that expressed purchase intent in the beta . around the same time , handango had technical troubles , citing datacenter outages leading to service downtime and minor data loss , natural disasters in our philippines support office , among other complications that led to a pause of development in our software and reduction of our workforce .

when you sign up for an account on handango , you are required to select a payment method . if you opt in to use your credit card as a payment method , rather than paypal or bitcoin , among the other cryptocurrencies we are planning on supporting in the future , we make a small inquiry to your bank requesting information about the cardholder to ensure that you are not a fraudulent user and that your credentials given when signing up are in line with what the bank has its records .

the handango productivity suite adds functionality to your handheld to help you better manage and complete activities such as financial transactions , contact management , project tracking , and travel arrangements . handbase is a versatile database application that allows you to design , view , and edit databases on your handheld . it also lets you add hundreds of various applets for even more functionality . fifteen of these are included , like the built - in address book , an area code database , a business expense tracker , a project or document tracker , and more . the suite also comes with a full - featured scientific calculator , an advanced spreadsheet , and clock .

“we are glad handango shares the same vision as our current team” , says greenberg . “continuous innovation is the backbone of our results - based content marketing campaigns and why some of the biggest companies in the world trust us to deliver . we are excited to explore up - and - coming industries like outdoor gear , where we will launch an online retailer selling high - quality trekking poles . ” greenberg goes on to say “our partnership with an influencer marketing agency has allowed for a mutually beneficial relationship and we are excited to announce revenue and overall growth in our core kpis at the end of the fiscal year at our shareholder conference . ”

on june 16 , 2017 , handango was pleased to announce a 66 . 7 % stake in limited liability company selenium ventures . selenium ventures is an app development company based in salt lake city , utah that employs 45 talented software engineers to create web properties , mobile applications , and other online properties to serve their users . selenium is most known for their partnerships with large names in the mobile gaming industry , such as 10bet , bet365 , betfair , casumo , and william hill . selenium provides insight on applications such as the bet365 app and provides users information on how to download the application and utilize it in such a way that maximizes revenue for the associated company — in this case , bet365 . as a result , for their efforts , selenium ventures is given a commission on every new user referred to the platform . selenium owns more than 100 web properties and had net $ 1 . 2mm in the 2016 fiscal year , making it a leader in its space .

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pocketgear , an independent marketplace that billed itself as the “world’s largest mobile app store , ” is rebranding today to appia and shifting its business model . pocketgear was formerly a consumer focused app marketplace that sold apps for blackberry , android , windows mobile , palm , symbian , and java phones .

now , as appia , the startup is powering a white - label content and commerce platform for everyone who needs an app store . and the company now powers mobile app storefronts for more than 40 partners , including four of the world’s top five handset manufacturers ( samsung , t - mobile , at & t , and verizon wireless ) .

appia’s white - label offering is attractive to manufactures because enables its partners to deliver apps to more than 3 , 200 different mobile device makes and models . via its partnerships , appia currently powers more than 500 , 000 downloads a day from a catalog of 140 , 000 apps with projections to double by mid - 2011 .

pocketgear , which recently raised $ 15 million in new funding , was bought out from mobile phone software platform motricity by jud bowman , who was cto and co - founder of motricity and now acts as ceo of pocketgear .

shifting to a white - label platform was probably a wise move for appia . while there is still a large and growing market for mobile apps across multiple smartphones that are not made by apple , many of these manufacturers and carriers want to launch their own independent app stores . and rather than develop these marketplaces in - house ; it’s much faster to just plug in to appia’s technology .

it displays details about each application , including name , a short description , a screenshot , and the price .

the company claims that inhand can substantially increase the number of third - party applications smart phone owners make use of .

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level up ventures is a content marketing company that curates , publishes , and distributes content to targeted audiences for its clients . level up ventures works with small startups and fortune 500 companies alike , working with more than 100 clients in 12 countries and posting revenues of $ 12m in the 2017 fiscal year .

this is a simple process and one that is almost instantaneous : it happens behind the scenes and does not require any effort on your part . if our data matches with what the bank has on file , we approve your account and attach your card to your account as a default payment method . this payment method will be marked as verified , because it has gone through our verification process . any additional cards that are added to your account after the initial user registration are not immediately verified with the issuing bank , but verification can be requested manually via a support ticket if you need to make purchases of more than $ 250 with the associated card , in which case verification is required .

there are credit inquiries that lenders make to your bank , but this is a different type of credit inquiry . it’s simply one that allows our developers the peace of mind to continue publishing apps on our store knowing that they are reaching a genuine audience and that the users paying for their apps and additional features that can be enabled through in app purchases are who they say they are .

the reason that this is done and we are one of the first to implement it is because as of late , there has been quite a lot of controversy and potential regulation upcoming regarding in app purchases , and we want to stay ahead of the curve so that in the event that any regulations do come into place , we do not have to pause services to enable this new requirement .

while our mobile app marketplace and other applications were able to survive due to their self - sufficient nature , venuego required continued maintenance , bug fixes , and development of new features . we regret to inform all customers that venuego will be discontinued as of april 30th , 2017 11 : 59 pm est . all customers will be issued a prorated refund on the remaining time left on their subscription .

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" if marketers and advertisers want to catch the attention of the mobile population , they have to find a mobile solution , " he said . " obviously , the options are limited on a mobile phone , so integrating into apps that people use frequently is a great way to get in front of a potential customer . "

" the subscription model tends to be popular with newer smartphone users , who may have transitioned recently from a feature phone , where subscription fees for ringtone services , horoscopes , etc . are popular , " he said .

" the purpose of the yardstick is simply to provide a smartphone app consumption index for the mobile content industry , " mr . bloom said . " our unique position of being in this business for over 10 years , providing content for multiple platforms across multiple channels and partnering with an extensive list of industry leaders , enables us to provide valuable information about what kind content is selling , across which operating systems and on what devices .

" the growth of the games category and personalization apps gaining in popularity indicate that the typical smartphone user is beginning to change , " he said . " we are starting to see a more broad demographic of people purchasing smartphones and , in turn , they are purchasing more mainstream apps like games , device personalization and entertainment apps .

" another indicator of the changing demographic is the decrease in the average selling price of an app - - in 2008 , we saw a 4 percent drop in the average selling price . "

best selling apps of 2008 ( across platforms ) : 1 . spb mobile shell 2 . 1 . 4 ( today screen plug - in ) - $ 29 . 95 2 . mobitv ( streaming television ) - $ 9 . 99 / month 3 . ringtone megaplex ( ringtones ) - $ 19 . 95 4 . spb backup 2 . 0 . 1 ( file backup ) - $ 24 . 95 5 . spb pocket plus 4 . 0 . 2 ( today screen plug - in ) - $ 29 . 95 6 . pocket informant 8 ( today screen plug - in ) - $ 29 . 95 7 . spb phone suite 1 . 3 ( phone features ) - $ 19 . 95 8 . voicecontrol ( voice command ) - $ 6 . 00 9 . colour your trackball ( trackball customizer ) - $ 4 . 95 10 . ewallet professional edition ( pim manager ) - $ 29 . 95

mobile games continue to grow in popularity following the trend from the first half of 2008 , the mobile games category continued to experience double - digit growth .

games accounted for 11 percent of top category sales in 2007 and grew to 19 percent of top category sales in 2008 .

best selling games of 2008 ( across platforms ) 1 . spb brain evolution 1 . 2 ( puzzle game ) 2 . aces texas hold ' em® - no limit ( card game ) 3 . tetris ( puzzle game ) 4 . guitar hero 3 mobile ( music game ) 5 . bejeweled ( puzzle game ) 6 . aces solitaire pack ( card game ) 7 . the sims 2 ( strategy game ) 8 . jewelrumble 2 ( puzzle game ) 9 . sudoku puzzle pack ( puzzle game ) 10 . solitaire buddy gold ( card game )

research in motion ' s blackberry research in motion ' s blackberry was the big winner in 2008 , seeing dramatic growth in smartphone application purchases and accounting for five of the top ten devices adding content .

the blackberry 8830 world edition and the blackberry curve took the top two positions respectively .

in 2007 , blackberry accounted for 18 percent of apps sold and increased to 31 percent of apps sold in 2008 .

personalization was the no . 1 category , while six games made the top 25 .

the top - five best - selling applications for blackberry in 2008 were : 1 . ringtone megaplex ( ringtones ) 2 . voicecontrol ( voice command ) 3 . colour your trackball ( trackball customizer ) 4 . bbsmart email viewer ( email viewer ) 5 . eoffice 4 . 5 ( attachment viewer )

windows mobile professional ( formerly pocket pc ) wmp had the most new content providers of any platform at 382 and remains the largest platform by units .

samsung ' s omnia and the htc touch diamond were two new devices in the list of top ten smartphones adding content .

the top - five best - selling applications for windows mobile professional in 2008 were : 1 . spb mobile shell 2 . 1 . 4 ( today screen plug - in ) 2 . mobitv ( streaming television ) 3 . spb backup 2 . 0 . 1 ( file backup ) 4 . spb pocket plus 4 . 0 . 2 ( today screen plug - in ) 5 . pocket informant 8 ( today screen plug - in )

windows mobile standard ( formerly smartphone ) video made up 17 percent of top ten category sales , which was the highest of any platform . additionally , games category sales grew from 10 percent to 21 percent year over year .

the top - five best - selling applications for windows mobile istandard n 2008 were : 1 . mobitv ( streaming television ) 2 . ringtone megaplex ( ringtones ) 3 . sbsh facade 1 . 4 ( home screen plug - in ) 4 . ewallet ( professional edition ) ( pim manager ) 5 . pocketstreamer deluxe ( streaming media )

palm operating system pim and games accounted for more than 54 percent of the top 10 category sales during 2008 .

games category sales grew from 12 percent to 18 percent and pim made up 36 percent of sales , which is higher than on all other platforms .

the top - five best - selling applications for palm os in 2008 were : 1 . splashid desktop ( information security ) 2 . voicecontrol ( voice command ) 3 . pocketmirror standard ( outlook synchronization ) 4 . splashid ( information security ) 5 . agendus desktop edition ( outlook synchronization )

nokia ' s n95 made the top ten list of devices downloading content . symbian developers added 2 , 198 smartphone apps to the marketplace and 283 new content providers .

the top - five best - selling applications for symbian in 2008 were : 1 . profimail ( email viewer ) 2 . handy weather ( weather monitor ) 3 . advanced call manager ( call manager ) 4 . quickoffice premier 5 . 0 ( document manager ) 5 . x - plore ( file manager )

the top - five best - selling applications for android in 2008 were : 1 . im + all - in - one messenger ( im consolidator ) 2 . tetris ( puzzle game ) 3 . smobile virusguard ( virus protection ) 4 . mobiola video studio ( video manager ) 5 . monopoly here & now ( board game )

additionally the sites were redesigned to offer new promotions and a cleaner more streamlined experience .

microsoft voice command and spb mobile shell were the top two most popular applications across europe in 2008 .

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awamaki is a small non-profit that works to create economic opportunities and improve social well-being in rural peru .

it is registered in the united states as a 501 ( c ) ( 3 ) and in peru as a non-profit civil association .

awamaki is diversified and currently runs programs in health , education , cultural preservation and sustainable tourism .

awamaki is located in the town of ollantaytambo , which is between the inca capital city of cusco and machu picchu , a u.n. world heritage site .

ollantaytambo is the departure point to machu picchu , which welcomes nearly 500,000 tourists annually .

practically every one of these tourists must pass through ollantaytambo on their way to machu picchu .

ollantaytambo also has its own ruins which tourists navigate daily .

the tourism industry has brought prosperity and modern conveniences to ollantaytambo .

awamaki

awamaki <EOT> they are still in the early stages of developing the awamaki lab and need all the help they can get . browse the awamaki shop online or consider making a donation to awamaki lab on global giving .

“awamaki has made preservation economically viable and saved an endangered art from global obscurity . ”

check out awamaki ' s recent update for our teach to teach project via globalgiving here .

awamaki works to empower women in the sacred valley region through our women’s artisanal cooperative . . .

awamaki , edited by gabriel st . john , give2girls , peru , weaving cooperative , written by madison abshire

awamaki builds amazing travel experiences for independent and group travelers . come experience traditional andean life and learn new skills .

awamaki was formed in early 2009 , to support a cooperative of 10 women weavers from patacancha , a rural quechua community in peru . awamaki’s founders , seattle native , kennedy leavens and peru native , miguel galdo , worked together at awamaki’s predecessor organization with the patacancha weaving cooperative for two years . when that organization floundered and finally collapsed , miguel and kennedy formed awamaki to continue their work with the weavers . awamaki grew rapidly its first few years . we started a health project ( now independent ) , ran an afterschool program , and tried on a number of other hats as well . awamaki now concentrates its work in economic empowerment , education , skills development , and sustainable community tourism .

learn from awamaki artisans about their ancient weaving and culinary traditions while helping support women’s social and economic empowerment in ollantaytambo communities .

as you may know , the focus of awamaki’s awamaki lab project is to connect local peruvian artisans with increased access to international consumer markets through innovation in design . this mission is fulfilled by recruiting designers from around the world to work directly with awamaki’s artisans to create new and exciting products to showcase their work . as new designs are introduced , several different groups of women take part in helping to create the new products , all of whom play an integral part in the success of awamaki lab .

awamaki lab hopes the fashion design residency will help ollanta women develop long - term economic growth and also aid the preservation of endangered weaving traditions . in addition to their fair trade textile initiative , awamaki runs a sustainable tourism program based in the sacred valley of peru .

f : i was really touched and inspired while conducting an interview with one of the awamaki spanish teachers . the woman i was interviewing was a single mother , educated in anthropology , but was no longer able to work in her field . she was struggling to put food on the table for her young son when she heard awamaki’s announcement for spanish teachers . awamaki trained her and provided her with regular employment . she told me this story with tears in her eyes and it both broke my heart and gave me great hope that awamaki is changing lives .

awamaki’s projects allow the women we work with to access economic opportunities and earn a significant income that they then invest in their families and communities .

work with our marketing coordinator to gather and tell the stories at awamaki , in writing and visually . use and improve your skills in marketing , graphic design , creative writing , web design , photography and videography . gather stories about awamaki’s work and the women we serve . write for social media , blog , newsletter and donor reports . create promotional materials . photograph awamaki’s work and products . shoot and create video to tell our stories .

awamaki’s also arranges homestays or other accommodations , language classes , cultural tourism activities , educational speakers and outings , and hikes and machu picchu excursions for a visiting group’s trip . to explore whether we would be a good fit for your group , please contact us at info @ awamaki . org .

awamaki offers a number of services and tours that directly benefit the local people . the one i did was a homestay with a family from ollantaytambo (

awamaki creates lasting impact in the remote mountains of peru by helping rural andean women’s associations launch successful small businesses creating authentic , high - quality products and experiences . awamaki invests in women’s skills , connects them to market access and supports their leadership so they can increase their income and transform their communities .

effective communication , like that described in this blog post , allows awamaki lab to make huge progressive strides in our work . it is the different groups of women at awamaki that shape the success of the organization , and when organic successes come to fruition , it is very encouraging for all involved parties ! awamaki lab is looking froward to more meetings like this one in the future , and hopes that enhanced communication will pave the way to continued success !

awamaki was formed in early 2009 to support a cooperative of 10 women weavers from patacancha , a rural quechua community in the andes of peru . awamaki’s founders , kennedy leavens , from the u . s . , and miguel galdo , from peru , had worked together at awamaki’s predecessor organization with the weaving cooperative for two years . when the predecessor organization floundered and finally collapsed , miguel and kennedy formed awamaki to continue their work with the weavers . the organization grew rapidly to include programs in health and education , as well as other artisan cooperatives and a sustainable tourism program . in 2011 , awamaki spun its health program off into an independent sister organization , and made the strategic decision to focus on income improvement and market access through fair trade artisan cooperatives and sustainable tourism .

awamaki lab purchases textiles woven by the women of patacancha to be used by its resident designer . selected pieces of the collections are then reproduced by the sewing cooperative , comprised of single mothers from ollantaytambo , to be sold through the awamaki online store . the profits of these pieces are reinvested in the awamaki sewing collective . the collective teaches local women how to sew , use patterns , and designs in order to diversify the labor market and empower a new generation of peruvian artisans .

peruvian non - profit awamaki lab has released an inaugural collection head up by designer nieli vallin , a student from paris ' s chambre syndical de la couture .

in honor of awamaki lab’s first pop - up shop , supporters danced and made donations amidst mannequins draped in nieli vallin’s modern interpretations of the traditional quechuan garb and against a back drop of the colorful photographs of kate reeder , who shot family portraits of the patacancha villagers and awamaki’s look - book . reveling in the accomplishments of the weavers , designers and project collaborators , a new audience of fashionistas was introduced to the important concept of sustainable , ethically sourced design , and the awamaki lab philosophy . pieces of this inaugural collection will be available on awamaki lab’s website , and designer nieli vallin will be taking orders for made - to - measure garments .

awamaki is a nonprofit organization that empowers rural andean women by connecting them with global markets and helping them run successful cooperative businesses , enabling them to lead their communities out of poverty .

awamaki ' s primary source of income is from local sales of textiles to the tourist market . secondary sources of income are generated by the awamaki volunteer program ( volunteer fees and donations ) , our sustainable tourism program ( coordinating tours and homestays in the community of patacancha , as well as workshops in traditional crafts ) , and a small amount of international sales .

awamaki is comprised of a peruvian asociación civil and a u . s . 501 ( c ) ( 3 ) non - profit organization working closely together to empower women’s associations , connect them to markets and enable them to lead their communities out of poverty . though a non - profit , awamaki uses market strategies to accomplish its charitable goals of increasing women’s income and business leadership .

awamaki is a non - profit that helps women start and run their own businesses . we invest in their skills and leadership , and we connect them to global markets for their small businesses .

learn to weave and experience quechua village life in this three - day , two - night excursion . awamaki’s weaving immersion weekend combines village activities , like visiting family farms and hiking to livestock pastures and glacial lakes , with one - on - one weaving lessons from one of awamaki’s artisans . visitors stay with local families in a traditional village in a spectacular mountain setting an hour from ollantaytambo .

i founded awamaki in the belief that income in the hands of women is the best way to lift communities out of poverty . women know what their children and their communities need and they make those investments when they have the means to do so . awamaki gives women in remote places access to the modern economy so that they can invest in their children , homes and communities as they see fit .

for more information , please visit urltoken . if you would like to learn more about the project , get involved , or support the initiative please visit awamaki lab ' s global giving page , urltoken .

my perception was most shaped by my favorite experiences , like working with one of the weavers , daniel , who sells to awamaki . in his community , awamaki offers these dyeing retreats where you go and hunt your own dyes - - all of the colors of the rainbow - - under this natural palette . it ' s amazing to see that come together , especially if you ' re used to synthetic colors .

awamaki arranges customized service trips for groups of students or tourists . groups visit for any amount of time from a half day to several weeks . awamaki arranges service projects , local accommodations , homestays , classes and other cultural immersion experiences for groups . these trips give groups a hands - on community experience that allows the group to learn about andean culture , contribute to our work , and give back to the local community .

the success of awamaki’s work is made possible by the generosity and commitment of our volunteers and interns . we rely on their fresh ideas and skills to constantly improve and expand our projects . volunteers and interns are encouraged to take initiative and work independently and with others in in areas that particularly appeal to their interests and areas of expertise . volunteers leave awamaki confident that they made a tangible contribution to the organization and that their skills were used effectively .

awamaki is a 501 ( c ) ( 3 ) and part of your volunteer fees may be tax - deductible as allowed by law . please contact us at info @ urltoken for more details about tax - deductible contributions .

f : i am studying international development with a concentration in rural development and economic growth . seeing that awamaki is trying to reduce poverty through sustainable non - farm income generating activities , their work was right up my alley .

awamaki was formed in 2009 by executive director kennedy leavens to work with 11 weavers in the community of patacancha and preserve ancient weaving traditions by reintroducing ancient natural dye techniques and providing a market to sell the textiles . the only industry in the majority of the communities in which we work is agriculture , so many people are moving away to find jobs . awamaki provides options for people , especially women , who want to stay in these small mountain villages .

learn spanish from local women trained in spanish language instruction in a practical , conversational setting that will help you to communicate effectively in everyday situations . awamaki offers spanish and quechua classes to volunteers and tourists at all levels of ability .

this week flew by . can’t believe it was already last friday that the awamaki lab launch happened in the manhattan studio . i was so impressed by this second collection from andria crescioni and courtney cedarholm . i’m incredibly proud of annie

volunteers have a choice of two programs . our service travel program is for volunteers who wish to stay 3 - 8 weeks . our classic volunteer and intern program is for volunteers who wish to stay between 10 weeks and one year . volunteers are offered free room and board in the awamaki volunteer house after 20 weeks . volunteers who are willing to commit a longer period of time are refunded the awamaki program cost and donation upon completion of 6 months of volunteering .

i didn’t realize at the time that i was starting my life . i fell deeper in love with the town and my life there as time went on . four months passed , then a year . the project i’d been volunteering with folded , so my colleagues and i started a non - profit , awamaki , to continue our work with the weavers . my second year passed , then my third . i was running awamaki , and the project was growing quickly .

help awamaki’s team better understand the social impact of our work . use and improve your skills in spanish , economics , statistics , data management , qualitative data analysis , and gps . assist with surveys , focus groups , interviews , and data recording with the members of the woman’s business cooperatives . analyze collected data . assist with planning , attend , and document capacity - building workshops for the women’s artisanal cooperatives . prepare data that will be used for awamaki’s grant reports .

[ note : the promotion of this company was not paid for or encouraged in any way by awamaki and are my own personal thoughts . just in case you were wondering . in the future , if a post is sponsored , i will note it as so . ]

the awamaki tour of patacancha was the most educational and life - changing experience i had in peru . the opportunity to visit such a different part of the world blew my mind . i would recommend this to anyone and everyone and hope to do it all over again someday . i loved it . side note : after shopping the stalls of cusco i was frugal with the goods available in patacancha and at the awamaki store . . . . this was my biggest regret when i returned home to normal prices and realized what an amazing deal i had missed on true works of art ( and incredible yarn deals ) . i am still kicking myself for not buying more on the trip . i wish i could trade my " alpaca " sweater from cusco for an * actual alpaca * scarf from the awamaki store !

awamaki is really hoping to do that . i think that ' s one of their really important long - term goals : to create a buzz for peruvian fabric . there ' s a surplus right now and it needs to be accessed . there needs to be a buzz .

graciela is 17 . she lives in the remote high andean community of patacancha . when she was 13 , she became pregnant . girls don’t usually finish school in patacancha ; girls who are mothers definitely don’t finish school . graciela’s parents were upset by her early pregnancy , but they enrolled her in awamaki’s weaving cooperative program , then just starting . income from the awamaki project allowed her to support the child while she and the child’s father — only barely older than graciela — finished school . last year , he graduated from high school , and they moved into a one - room adobe home that they built near her parent’s home . graciela continues to support her young family with income from the awamaki project . though only 17 , she is one of our most skilled weavers . her son , rolando , is a healthy , energetic four - year - old .

f : each day was quite different . i started off getting to know the town and awamaki so that i could set the objectives of the needs assessment with the executive staff . after designing and testing the survey , i spent about 10 days conducting surveys with the local community members .

on january 20th , a sub - freezing evening in new york city’s the bowery , hipsters and art aficionados , young and old alike filed into a candle - lit second floor studio space as music flowed down the stairs and out onto the dark lower east side block . they were there to celebrate the inaugural collection of the awamaki lab project . the energy of the gathering’s guests was high , but the vibrant collection on display had an energy all its own . the designs of nieli vallin , awamaki lab’s first designer in residence stood out prominently amidst the crowd of fashionably dressed scenesters .

) . this cost us 20 usd a person , which included 3 meals a day and was an amazing cultural experience , so it was win - win . i was amazed at how helpful the people at awamaki were through email and in person to make sure we had a wonderful experience .

the made - to - order awamaki lab collection launched in new york at guilded , the design studio of designers tara st . james , who mentored vallin on sustainable design processes , and bahar shahpar . at the event , i sat down with vallin to discuss the difference between working in luxury fashion and with artisans in peru , and more . from parisian rtw to peruvian made - to - order vallin first heard about the awamaki project from friends in paris , where she was living at the time . she was unhappy working in the luxury and ready - to - wear scene there - - though she calls working with yves saint laurent " an amazing experience " - - and wanted to do something more ethical . awamaki lab was an opportunity for her to work both in ethical fashion and break into the fashion scene in the united states , another one of her goals .

jessica was awamaki ' s weaving project coordinator from 2010 - 2012 where she saw the project expand from 35 weavers in patacancha to 76 weavers , knitters , and seamstresses in 3 additional communities . since then , she has lived in nashville working first as a farmhand and currently as a software developer .

i have always been passionate about women ' s empowerment . i connected this passion with latin america at a young age , when i went on a school trip to ollantaytambo , peru - where awamaki is now based - in 2001 . that trip inspired my interest in latin america and international development , and set my path to georgetown university ' s school of foreign service . there , i studied latin america and economic development . after graduating , i moved to ollantaytambo to work as a volunteer for a local peruvian weaving non - profit . after two years , my colleagues and i from that project founded awamaki .

with a full team of volunteers and two doctors visiting , we set out to some communities not yet traversed by awamaki health . wednesday and last friday were days of exploration , consultations , and data collection . we went to three communities in all , olmiron , kamicancha , and primavera all in the direction of chilca .

today the project had a mini - triumph of sorts when one of awamaki’s weavers from the high - andean community of kelkanka came to the office to receive an order . the women from this community , as well as several other communities in the valley , only speak quechua , the ancient language of the inca , and therefore it can often prove difficult for spanish speakers at awamaki to facilitate meetings amongst multiple groups of quechua speakers . however , the women of our sewing cooperative are fluent quechua speakers as well , and took it upon themselves to use the rare office visit by the quelquanka group as a chance to do some teaching amongst each other .

anne marie toccket holds a master ' s degree in international development from the university of pittsburgh and bachelor ' s degrees in spanish , international studies and journalism from penn state university . she has worked extensively in latin america , including contract , consulting and volunteer positions in puerto rico , nicaragua , and peru . while completing her master ' s , anne marie was the two - time recipient of the foreign language and area studies award , which supported research on the andes and in quechua language study . she worked in peru for awamaki’s predecessor organization , helped found awamaki , and returns regularly . annemarie is a non - profit strategic consultant and fundraiser in pittsburgh .

everything was great . it was a true way to learn about peru . our program coordinator juan and the awamaki people were all very friendly and eager to teach us their culture . the program left me with train of thoughts on " culture , tourism , tradition vs modernity . . etc " thank you so much to the team .

we interviewed awamaki , a partner that focuses helping women in peru become economically sustainable through education and traditional crafts , as part of the give2girls campaign . they hope to educate the older girls of their weaving cooperatives to become future leaders through workshops that focus on skills like computer use , and to launch a girls leadership program for 2014 .

four years later , i was 26 , managing six employees and a $ 200 , 000 budget . as awamaki matured , i realized that i needed some real skills to run the organization . i applied to graduate school in nonprofit management and moved to the u . s . to go to school . after a few years of back and forth , i now live most of the year in washington state , running awamaki’s operations in the u . s . and working remotely with our in - country staff . awamaki is still growing . we now work with 150 women , helping them start and run their own businesses . their woven and knit products are in retail stores across the u . s . i am my own boss , working for a cause i’m passionate about , and visiting my town in peru a few times per year to work with our staff , see our impact , visit with the women , and stay with dear friends . i am still glad i never got one of those “real jobs . ”

there is no typical awamaki volunteer or intern . many are college students or recent graduates , while others are graduate students , professionals on a break , or retirees in search of an adventure . all volunteers and interns have a few things in common : they are self - motivated , committed to our mission , and capable of working both independently and in a team setting .

this includes room and board for the entirety of your stay in the awamaki volunteer house . it also includes program and administrative fees , airport pickup , and welcome festivities , 10 hours of walking language class and tour of town , and a three - day cultural immersion weekend in one of the indigenous communities . a homestay with a local family can be arranged for additional cost .

to put things into perspective , many of the villages in the area still don’t have electricity or running water . in addition , ideas like currency were introduced just 6 years ago ! before 2007 , they still used a system of bartering their goods for necessities . awamaki aims to preserve the local people’s way of live , but at the same time , create opportunities to improve their social and economic situation .

to this aim i’ve brought together a very special group of women : awamaki – a not - for - profit cooperative which works with indigenous peruvian women weavers , caroline lindsell ( and her husband dylan ) of a rum fellow ) of a rum fellow who are based in london and create beautiful designs , and doña felicitas and her fellow weavers in the village of patacancha . . . to continue reading this note click here

awamaki looks for pre - existing artisan groups of women to work with . through our cooperative development model , we help co - ops to become legally recognized associations with governing bodies and provide them with any necessary support and / or training to learn how to manage their co - op . this includes anything from leadership and self - esteem workshops to technical skills training to accompanying illiterate groups to explain and help them sign legal documents .

it was extremely exciting for us to watch the women from these two communities interact and share their side of the production process ! it’s not often that the groups find each other in the same place at the same time , with a chance for highly effective collaboration ! the accidental meeting was so successful that awamaki lab has decided to bring all of the weavers down to our ollantaytambo - based sewing studio to meet with the seamstresses and share their experiences .

i left the house around nine , after an unusualy large breakfast . i went straight for the market to buy coca leaves . i still hadn ' t tried the leaves , but figured their medicinal uses might help me as i climbed into the thin air . a large sack of coca cost me less than two soles ( $ . 70 ) . i filled my water bottle up at awamaki and headed for the trail i knew next to nothing about .

sustainable tourism includes a homestay association , a spanish teachers’ cooperative , and market access for both . it also includes community cultural tourism excursions to visit awamaki’s weaving cooperatives where products can be purchased directly . our sustainable tourism projects lead meaningful cultural experiences for tourists and promote appreciation of andean traditions and ways of life . we operate a store in ollantaytambo to sell products to tourists . we sell in the united states through our online store , trunk shows and partner retailers .

awamaki works closely with other ngos in the sacred valley whose goals are to support indigenous communities . organizations such as ourselves are required to communicate with each other in order to ensure that we are not overlapping our services , but rather directing our programs to where they are most needed . these contacts will be crucial in deciding which communities to expand to next . awamaki also relies on partnerships with businesses that have contact with the tourist industry in peru e . g . hotels , hostals , restaurants . they help us to promote our fair trade store ( currently our primary income - generator ) and our sustainable tourism program . likewise , we also have partnerships with businesses and organizations abroad who help to publicize the project , our textiles and the volunteer program . if we are to expand our project to work with more communities , then these partnerships will be essential in ensuring that we can continue to generate the market needed to support more weavers .

riffing off cresconi’s zero - waste anorak for loomstate , in particular , awamaki lab’s newest collection is defined by both style and functionality . each piece pays homage to quechua culture with a tongue - in - cheek twist . the “wiqaw” ( “waist” ) dress is belted , for instance , while the “chakra” ( “inherited land plot” ) sweater offers a bird’s eye view of the landscape . true to its name , the “tusuy” ( “dance” ) dress is a fun , shorter dress .

has anyone done the 3 day weaving tour or the 4 day natural dye tour with this group ? we are trying to decide which of them to do . also , we are trying to decide if my husband and his brother who have no interest in weaving or dyeing will be able to enjoy it or if they should do a trek with a different company instead . anyone know a good ngo like awamaki that does tours or treks that aren ' t so textile based ?

i am the creative director and head of artisan cooperatives . i work with our 5 cooperatives of 110 women to connect them with clients , create new designs for the awamaki lab collection , and design and organize workshops to help the cooperatives become self - sustaining . i have been living in ollantaytambo , peru for the past 3 years and am moving back to the us in june , and so i ' m excited to tell you what we ' ve done during my time here !

i recently got to take a tour of a small village called patacancha , which is near ollantaytambo . our guide was from awamaki ( headquartered in ollantaytambo ) and the whole experience was great ! the whole tour not only covered the history of the region , an overview of the cultural background of the valley , and a crash course in traditional weaving , it also provided an up - close look at the community of patacancha . i can ' t recommend it highly enough . go !

with limited access to markets and unable to speak spanish , quechua communities in the highlands of peru are hindered from generating a reliable income and pulling themselves out of poverty . awamaki promotes sustainable community development by creating economic opportunities for quechua women in the patacancha valley . we run health and education programs that complement our job creation , and preserve and foster quechua culture in our work . we currently work in the highland communities of patacancha and kelkanka as well as in ollantaytambo on the valley floor .

the seamstresses demonstrated to the weavers how they incorporate their textiles into bags , skirts , ipad cases , wallets and other awamaki lab products . the seamstresses then proceeded to explain their side of the production process , and the weavers theirs as well . both groups were happy to learn more about the other’s role in the production process , and ended the interaction with a discussion about how the two groups could make minor adjustments within their processes to make the work of the other easier and more efficient .

visit a traditional quechua village to learn about andean life and the weaving tradition from awamaki artisans . try spinning on the ancient andean drop spindle , discover the potential of native dye plants and visit a traditional quechua home with one of the weavers . in a weaving lesson taught by one of the weavers , learn the basic structure of weaving and make a “pulsera” ( bracelet ) to take home with you . as part of our rural tourism package , eat a typical andean lunch in a traditional quechua home .

f : the most rewarding aspect of the work that i did was having the ability to speak directly to local community members about their thoughts and perceptions on the community they live in and about awamaki . it was a learning experience for me and taught me to set aside my own beliefs and biases in order to be as open and objective as possible . i feel like i also had the opportunity to learn more about the culture in a short amount of time by having the conversations i had with the respondents .

most people do not realize when they pass through ollantay that this is actually one of the poorest districts in cusco . rural families often make as little as $ 80 / month . the artisans with whom we work are passionate about their work and motivated to help their families . the income generated by the sales of even one product makes a huge difference to the artisans . awamaki re - invests 100 % of our profits into providing workshops and trainings to help our artisans learn lasting skills and become leaders in their communities .

awamaki is a us 501 ( c ) ( 3 ) and recently received fair trade certification . we have received grants from the united nations and the u . s . state department as well as smaller , private organizations . our peruvian and international staff are incredibly dedicated and passionate about what they do . we are currently selling to stores in the us , but since we ' re in peru , we are always looking for suggestions of stores to whom we should reach out . you can see our products at urltoken .

ladd has practiced law since 1975 . he spent five years as a public defender in washington , d . c . , and then practiced for the remainder of his career at davis wright tremaine , a seattle law firm with offices around the country . he is now retired and grows vegetables , berries , fruit and christmas trees with his wife on vashon island , near seattle . ladd has travelled to ollantaytambo five times since 2004 . he is the father of kennedy leavens , one of the awamaki founders . he has two other grown daughters .

this campaign was similar to the one we conducted in december 2010 with dr . qureshi . we used the same forms that sought to evaluate lifestyle , previous medical attention , educational background , and family situation of disabled people . awamaki is using the information that was gathered from the previous campaign to develop statistics to help us and the community get a glimpse into the lives of people living with disabilities . by visiting olmiron , kamicancha , and primavera we expanded our pool of data as well as potential candidates for outreach programs , such as our home visits .

small village called patacancha which sits at about 12 , 500 feet above sea level . there we were introduced to a group of women who are part of a weaving coop supported by an ngo called awamaki who , amongst a number of projects , are trying to encourage sustainable tourism in the area . we saw how the women dye their yarn , spin it and weave it . they are mostly using alpaca . they proudly spread out their work for us to look at and perhaps purchase . i found it difficult to not buy something from each of them .

tara led us in the discussion and shared her history , opinions on sustainability , and resources . the amount of transparency was definitely applauded by attendees who were mostly designers . though i already adored her , my respect for tara grew by 3pm when we all finally dispersed . her honesty and dedication to working sustainably , and the time she spends on educating and mentoring . . to name a few of her side projects : an intern project study hall , and mentorship with awamaki weaving lab . she’s just really great . and i would like to purchase majority of her designs :

deepening our connections here in the u . s . has been essential to our work selling the artisan products and bringing visitors to our work in peru . though i spent most of eight years living in ollantaytambo , i now live in my hometown of seattle , with my husband and our son . here , i like to camp , hike , bike , ski and cook with my family , as well as promote awamaki ' s work and help guide our strategy . in the meantime , i visit peru as often as i can , and my husband and i dream about moving back there some day .

and , of course , thank you to susan benarcik , meiling chen ( fearless dreamer ) , daria dorosh , xing - zhen chung - hilyard and melissa kirgan of eko - lab , ceca georgieva , titania inglis , anjelika krishna ( a . d . o . clothing ) , renata mann , rachel miller , eve mosher , shannon south ( remade usa ) , tara st . james ( study ny ) , andria crescioni for representing awamaki lab , edina tokodi ( mosstika ) , tali weinberg , and zoe sheehan saldana for participating in the event , and for everyone who came out to learn more and celebrate !

the women with whom we work take the opportunity to work with awamaki very seriously , and we actually have a wait - list of groups who would like to work with us . part - time work is basically non - existent in this part of peru , and women still have very traditional rolls raising children and caring for their families . we only expect women in our groups to work 16 - 20 hours per week which allows them the flexibility they need to continue caring for their families but also provides them with enough income to make a valuable contribution economically . we find that most women in this area manage their family finances , and the first thing they invest in is improving educational opportunities for their children .

we signed up for a woodworking workshop with awamaki in december . there were four of us and we really enjoyed our carving time with julio ! it was one of the highlights of our peru trip . julio was enthusiastic and engaging . he talked about his growing up years as he learned the carving trade and about his ancestors and family . it was a window into another world . he introduced his parents and we toured his compound where his brothers do carpentry . i am a woodworker myself , although not a chip carver . i enjoyed the class very much and wished i could continue onto bigger projects . i didn ' t want it to end . i definitely recommend this workshop , especially if you have some woodworking background .

over the next 3 years we will concentrate on hiring more permanent , local staff members to manage the program . this will protect the program from potential volunteer shortages and it will strengthen recognition of awamaki within the community of ollantaytambo , where it is based , as a legitimate non - profit organization . we will also focus on expanding the number of weavers , knitters , and sewers we work with - - local staff will be integral in identifying those most in need . as we expand our market connections , we will grow our artisan groups at a sustainable rate to ensure a secure income for all . we also want to deepen the range of opportunities we offer the women we work with , connecting them with local health and education non - profits and agencies .

that first trip started it all for me , and i carry that trip with me every day . i had some phenomenal teachers over the course of my education , but there isn’t any class or book that could have set the course of my life the way that that the experience of being in peru did . at awamaki , we occasionally host students that visit our projects , stay in homestays , and sometimes even lend a hand for a few days . there are a lot of criticisms of global travel programs , and i have witnessed a number of so - called “service” projects that served no one . but when i look at the students that come to visit us , with their gadgets and their loud english and their short attention spans—i know that their experience is planting seeds that will change them in ways they cannot imagine .

as our sales and the number of artisan partner cooperatives grew , we aimed to deepen our impact . beyond helping women earn income , we wanted to give them the ability to provide for their families without being dependent on us or any one organization . we began to work with the artisans to teach them not only how to make products for us to sell , but also the skills they need to build successful , women - led artisan businesses . we now work with them on skills from client cultivation to quality control to banking , and we help them connect directly to clients other than us so that they can build their businesses . our vision is that as awamaki ' s sales grow , and as our current cooperatives grow their business to include orders for other clients , we can bring in new artisan cooperatives to help fill demand for our products , thus expanding our impact across the region .

< p / > < small > photos by < a href = " urltoken " > amanda coen < / a > for ecouterre < / small > < p / > natural dyes are growing in importance as larger companies strive to find ways to incorporate them into their clothing lines . a big challenge remains regarding how to streamline the process to produce consistent colors that can be replicated in mass quantities . < a href = " urltoken " > awamaki < / a > , a peru - based organization , has been promoting the practice since their start . by working with dye master daniel sonqo gayoso , the organization offers < a href = " urltoken " > natural dye immersion workshops < / a > for both locals and foreigners . ecouterre had the chance to participate in one of the most recent retreats to the cloud forest where the workshops take place and returned with kilos of beautifully colored skeins of yarn .

awamaki started in early 2009 with 2 staff members and a handful of volunteers , working with 10 women weavers . we grew quickly , attracting talented volunteers who wanted to make a difference . it was an exciting few years , in which we pursued many different ideas , from health initiatives to english classes to even starting a bakery . as we matured , i felt i needed more skills to help our growing project thrive . i left peru to pursue a masters in public administration at the university of washington , where i specialized in non - profit management . as we matured and as i learned more about organizational strategy , we increasingly focused on our core programmatic strength , which was , and still is , connecting andean women artisans to economic opportunities . we spun our health initiative off into a separate non - profit , and phased out our other work . we increased our focus on connecting our artisans to markets through our store and wholesale business , and through our tourism program .

this tour was one of the highlights of our trip to peru . going high up into the andes and having the chance to meet some lady weavers was really interesting , even though i couldn ' t communicate with them because they only speak quechua . we bought some pieces and i enjoyed learning about the special symbols on each piece of weaving and how unique they are . also how the dyes are made and we even tried our hand at spinning the wool . boy , were we bad ! the drive up to this village is also very scenic , keep your cameras out ! well worth the price . we also took the cooking class that awamaki offers , i hope they discontinue that because the woman who runs it , who also runs pachamama restaurant , is not friendly and it wasn ' t fun , especially for the $ 40 it cost . but definitely go to the weaving village , you won ' t regret it . oh and i will mention that even though it ' s a high altitude , there ' s really no walking involved so we were okay .

i was especially impressed by an organization called omprakash , and its founder , willy oppenheim . by what i am learning is an ever - more - frequent “coincidence” in my life , willy and i have people in common — we went to the same college a generation apart — and have been meaning to meet for a couple of years now . willy’s passion for his work was evident , but i was even more struck by the omprakash model of using an online platform to match volunteers with organizations that need them , removing the middleman . by vetting the organizations and training volunteers , they destroy the common “pay a lot of money for the privilege of volunteering” model . i also love that they focus on a social justice mission and offer resources such as grant opportunities for volunteers , a donation platform for organizations , and college credit through the edge program . i got an extra testimonial from awamaki , an organization in peru i have served since its inception , whose executive director said their best ( most thoughtful , well - prepared , hard - working ) volunteers have come through omprakash .

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erika allen is a freelance fashion and popular culture journalist living and working in new york city .

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a few weeks ago , i was sure i had hit all the highlights .

) . place to stay at the huacachina oasis , check . figure out how to

without being hustled or breaking the bank , check . i thought i had all of the angles covered . then , i received an email from my friend sarah who was going on this trip with me . she suggested that we

i have always wanted to do something like this , but these days , it is hard to know who you can trust . it is equally difficult to find services which will enrich you , and benefit the local people without spending a fortune .

. these people have depended on weaving as a major source of income and general living for hundreds of years . in modern times , however ,

) . i must say that while i don’t always trust the recommendations , they hit it right on with this one . all of my research and my experience tell me that they are the real deal .

they however have a number of other tours and packages available , including volunteering and long term gigs . these include learning how to weave , learning how to cook peruvian food , or learning spanish or quechua , the local language . check out

and don’t hesitate to ask them more questions if you have any . it was one of our favorite experiences in peru , and i am sure you will love it too , especially since it is benefiting those who need it most .

because it is ! well , kind of . i have never been inclined or inspired as much as i was with this experience to promote a product , organization , company , or service and i guess that once i started writing , this is how it came out . i am not about to go back and re - write the whole thing ! i also wanted to show that it is possible for you to travel and make a difference at the same time , even if it is a small difference . this is why i will be launching a new section of my blog where i will periodically ( read , very sparingly ) promote a product , or service that can benefit the locals . one other service in cambodia comes to mind , but more on that later . they will also be under the new category “responsible tourism” or on the top under “make a difference…”

julio is a california native who has lived abroad since 2009 as an expat in south korea and new zealand . he is especially passionate about experiencing other cultures and visiting as many unesco world heritage sites as possible .

it was pretty amiazng ! we also were lucky to have hired a great guide that approached us when we first got to the site . ( i’m kicking myself because i can’t remember his name i think it was peter , or something like that ) . he knew a ton about the area and the culture since he had studied it in college , and he carried a flute , that he had carved , and throughout our two hour hike he’d play traditional music at various points when he wasn’t lecturing . it was a perfect day ! by the way , i just came across your website on the recommendation of dani from . i can’t wait to spend some time this weekend reading more . i’m so jealous that you guys have the opportunity to live and work on the road like that !