In the heart of the Peruvian Andes, a truck carries an improbable cargo. A shipment of Converse sneakers that has travelled across the ocean from Vietnam is being delivered to a group of women in the remote village of Huanta.
These local embroiderers of Quechua origin are an essential part of a global production chain. Their handiwork adorns the sneakers with designs inspired by their ancestral cultures. At the same time, it represents an important source of income.
Rosa Curi, artisan
For us it is great to have work, and we love to work, and us mothers can not relax without work.
During the 1980’s, the Ayacucho region was caught up in violent civil strife. Tens of thousands died and the economy lay in ruins. Almost all the embroiderers have a tragic memory of those days, but the work gives them a chance to work through their nightmares to earn a decent living.
Mario Tueros, ILO expert
The opportunities that have been enabled by globalization are seen in the production chain with the creation of jobs in these regions along with opportunities to alleviate poverty.
Today there are over 1,000 women in Ayacucho that benefit from this work. Converse hopes to employ up to 15,000 embroiderers throughout other regions of the country. The demand for their shoes is increasing in the exclusive commercial centres of Lima. Jennifer Levy is the Converse representative in Peru.
Jennifer Levy, Converse representative
This gives them the opportunity to reintegrate themselves back into normal life and save their age old customs. They start to feel better about themselves and recuperate their self esteem.
With every shoe they embroider, the women of Ayacucho are able to take another steps towards a better life for themselves and their families.