We are a large family of cuddly critters (some people too) and our goal is to work to restore a little balance and peace in the world, reaching across the world from Lima, Peru to Eugene, OR, USA.
PERU Peru is hailed as one of Latin America’s economic success stories. Its economy’s rapid growth however reflects the profits of a small elite, and eclipses the misery of the majority. More than half of all Peruvians subsist on less than $1.25 a day!
USA Well, we have plenty of money for the most part, but folks are even more unhealthy and miserable than in Lima. Drug and alcohol addiction, mental illness, obesity, terrorism. Apparently money doesn't solve all of life's problems, or maybe excess in the face of poverty causes new ones.
SOLUTIONS? Enter one dynamic nun, sister Kristine working with a social service organization called AMURT in Lima. Working tirelessly, sleeping on the floor between two sewing machines, sister Kristine has put together 2 workshops that employ disadvantaged women in Lima, paying them far more than they could ever make if left to fend for themselves.
RURAPUK MOMS. Rurapuk Mothers is a group of 18 women who live in a poor neighbor of Lima called “Paraiso Alto”. In Paraiso Alto there is no running water, sewage system, or telephone lines. About 25% of the people do not have electricity. Most families live in one-room shacks with dirt floors. There are no parks, green areas, or local doctors.
MACHU PICCHU STARS. Machu Picchu Stars is composed of ten hearing disabled women. They are talented, sincere, hard working, and have a refined sense of art and esthetics. There are at least 12,000 hearing-disabled women in greater Lima. They often cannot find work as employers find it too difficult to communicate with them. As a result, hearing disabled women often live in extreme poverty and isolation due to their inability to communicate.
BOYD FAMILY Where do we fit in?Well, we recently heard about sister Kristine's work in Lima and were moved to tears.... literally. We have been building and managing successful online businesses for quite a while now. On the surface we had it all, but like so many "successful" Americans something very important was missing. With PeruPuppets we hope to feed our spirit while we give folks from another culture a fair shake. Maybe that is what the Fair Trade movement is all about. And in addition to buying these products from an obvious "fair trade" organization, for every finger puppet we sell online, we donate an additional $1. back to the work of AMURT and sister Kristine's projects in Lima.
YOU? What can you do to help? Well, you can treat yourself or loved ones to some hand-made Peruvian crafts, or if you'd rather, feel free to donate directly to the work of AMURT in Lima.
