The Forgotten Women of the Vilcanota Prison at Hidden Valley in the Peruvain Andes

Incarcerated women, collateral damages to a drug bust or a badly planned drug deal. Sentenced to lockdown and forgotten for years. Many with children under four years old, the majority victims of human trafficking, just used by drug dealers as mules to carry narcotics out of Peru. A life behind bars in precarious conditions amongst other Peruvian women left to their own luck and resourcefulness in a world of misery and extreme poverty. A cruel end to a dream of earning a quick buck or a glamorous lifestyle in their land.

Deep in La Convencion province, these women struggle to have a square meal, personal hygiene products, snacks or other basics, milk and better food for their children or just a little income to source everyday life needs. The prison system is broken and the state budget allows the minimal basics inside the prisons. The inmates that have families get it delivered by their relatives to the jail after long waiting lines. Food and sometimes money for their everyday needs, others that don’t have families are left to their own luck… alone.

Rocio, one of our artisans, was there for a few years. Long enough to know what life is in there when you have no resources or help from your loved ones outside. She is raising a child born in captivity. Rocio is a loving, hard working woman and mother that ended up in prison for three years after becoming a victim of extortion. She lived a life of desperation with her baby in a rat infested cell and in an overcrowded prison environment. She suffered hunger, loneliness, boredom, infections and bullying while watching the clock slowly tick the time away…

Rocio is the person that brought awareness to this critical crisis inside Peruvian women’s prisons to me and the artisan responsible for the project that assists and allows women to earn an income inside the prison system. She single handedly was able to organize inmate groups to make the pompom scrunchies and the little llama keychains. These two items help over 40 mothers support themselves and their children inside the walls of these terrible environments.

Young and middle aged women from Croatia, Bulgaria, Romania, Spain, Turkey, Argentina and many other countries including Peru benefit from this artisan work.

Women victimized and suffering in prison can now buy food, clothing for them and their children, diapers, personal hygiene goods and basics, like milk.

A blessing that Rocio Mamani has been able to be their angel of help since she came from the same circumstances. Currently, she and her mother make some of our cloth dolls that we sell online at sanyorkfairtrade.com

Rocio was able to negotiate with the prison authorities a 10% fee to allow a “contribution” for the administration. In turn, she is able to bring in raw materials for the participants to produce their goods. She also must pay two part time wages to the security staff to allow the production to be inventoried and checked in and out.

The beneficiaries of the project receive between $125 to $150 per month after the prison cut. Rocio makes a fair wage for her time and effort to procure all materials.

We are able to purchase the entire inventory production and sponsor her mission allowing its sustainability and the fair wages for her and her artisans.

We are excited to be able to support them and we are working in finding more of our customers to support the continuity of this good deed.

Michel Kessler
Sanyork Fair Trade
Peruvian Fair Trade SRL (Peru)