Why women

"When my husband doesn't have work it makes our economic situation difficult and also makes us depressed. This year my husband has been without work. With some of the classes I have learned new things that have helped me in my business. I've participated in crochet classes (ponchos, scarves, and baby blankets), purse making, and the leadership workshops. I also went to some of the business workshops when the young volunteers from the U.S. came to visit. They gave us good, new information and since their visit I have stopped working at TopiTop (retail store) where I realized I wasn't making a decent profit with my crochet scarves. They were exploiting me, paying me so little to knit a lot. When I knit or crochet as my own business I am able to make more money. I make money off of the new stitch we learned with the wire in making scarves.

This has made a difference in my life in how I think about things. I don’t only learn new things for myself, but I often teach other women in my neighborhood. So when I teach other women I charge them a very small fee. I tell them, "What you learn will help you in your life, use your knowledge." There are always women that wait for me and want to learn what I am doing, what is new, and what can I teach them. "

- Fausta Vasquez Yntor, Peru DiscoverHope Fund