Anne-Fleur Tjon Joe Gin
The lack of water and drainage, opportunities to study or work and the fear of gang activity and domestic violence makes this community vulnerable. Just 11% of the young people in Manchay have access to higher education such as college and university(ENAHO,2004-2011). Manchay itself doesn’t focus on development or entrepreneurial activities and women don’t have the space and time to generate income to provide a better life for their children.(food and education) Some of the citizens of San Pablo also have been suffering from political violence back in 1970 and have been victims of domestic cruelty and gang activities. By creating inspiring spaces for this community and working together on (sustainable) projects, a start to a better future has been made.
In Manchay are a lot of enthusiastic women who want to participate in every aspect they can to generate more income. These women in Manchay are very skilled in handcrafting and love to learn new things. The women work with wool to produce handcrafts. At this moment, together with Ruwasunchis, they are working on woolen christmas baubles. Next to wool, they are also making products out of recyclable material such as plastic. The women are working on a set of placemats for the summer made out of plastic non-recyclable bags from shops. In six hours they crochet a placemat! Next to crocheting they also use techniques such as knitting, apalito and ruche. In the community center in Manchay everything looks joy- and peaceful but when you observe the weavers up close it is striking that the women are very competitive in every aspect on the job. They find it quite cosy to meet up and work on the products but their product and materials are seen as and nothing is to share. Another interesting thing that stands out is that the women are willing to work on the project and products that could generate money in the future but that it is even more important to keep stimulating them and let them know you are committed too. The women are a bit distant from people new, when you are regularly working with the women a more open relation is created, the women will appreciate your presence and they are more willing to participate.
In order to make products of good quality and thereby generating income the rules within this production process are very strict. On the walls of the community hangs a poster on which is stated:‘’ 3 faltas = limpieza ‘’ (3 mistakes= cleaning) and 'Asistencia y Puntualidad y .. ‘’(Presence and punctuality). The women take this seriously and deliver good work.
