Peru: Ayacucho – SOMDES Sewing Workshop Project 
Since 2015 in Ayacucho, Peru
Partner: SOMDES (Global Solidarity for Social Development)

Our partner organization SOMDES works with a poor indigenous population in Ayacucho, Peru in the Andes Mountains of South America. They provide programming designed to help at risk adolescents to develop self-supporting skills such as organic gardening, guinea pig farming, weaving and sewing. The students attend the program outside of school hours. The program provides them with positive adult role models and support, a meal and vocational instruction. The skills they gain in the program are intended to help them to earn an income as adults. Another object of the project is to allow the youth to use their spare time in a positive way and to prevent involvement with drugs and gangs. Many of the students come from homes in which the parents are frequently unavailable due to work so supportive interactions with adults are very important.

The students involved are selected for the program on a basis of need, and gender equity. All participating students are required to attend school.

Sombrilla is partnering with SOMDES to provide a sewing program. Our support allowed them to purchase 5 sewing machines and other equipment and to employ the sewing teacher Yanet to work with the youth. It is intended that the students’ sewing skills will improve enough to be able to sell their products locally and earn an income in the future.

The boys and girls in the program are being taught to work individually and in teams in which the older students guide the younger ones. They have learned to create colourful, attractive items such as aprons, oven mitts, cushions and hair scrunchies, as well as larger products such as duvet covers. The students are dedicated to learning their sewing skills and proud of what they have created.