Our Hands for Hope
What do Peruvian women have in common with Hess Winery, Robert Mondavi, the Spa at Bardesonno, and the chic West End Napa Store? The women’s woven clothing pieces are sold at these locations. It is a win for both, with the Pervian women making a living and the stores featuring a one-of-a kind product. How did this partnership occur?
We recently had a very interesting and informative meeting with Terisa Brooks-Huddleston, the founder of “Our Hands for Hope,” an organization which works directly with abandoned or widowed women from the Andes mountains, who are intent on finding a way to support themselves and their children. These women are motivated, talented and well trained, but previously were only able to sell their handmade outerwear and blankets to visiting tourists.
“Our Hands for Hope” was created out of a partnership with Project New Hope International and Creation Peru. These organizations have helped build medical centers and schools in the area, as these women and their children receive no government assistance. “Our Hands for Hope” purchases the soft alpaca yarn and sends suggested patterns to the women, who are known affectionately as “Peruvian Mothers.” The women knit the products and set their own prices. The products are then sent to Terisa and she locates retail shops which will sell them.
Hess, Mondavi and Bardesonno have been very supportive of “Our Hands for Hope,” and the West End Napa at 1460 First Street in Napa has just begun carrying some of this merchandise. The items are easy to pack and seem to appeal to Napa tourists who appreciate the plight of the Peruvian women. The proceeds are collected by the organization and then sent directly to the individual bank accounts of the “Mothers.”
The main goal of “Our Hands for Hope’ is to encourage women to help each other and enable them to stay close to their children while doing so.
You can see samples of these beautiful items at: OurHandsForHope.com.
If you know of a retail shop or winery in Napa or elsewhere that might be interested in carrying some of these knitted items, contact: Terisa@OurHandsForHope.com.
Listen to what Terisa has to say about this project.
I am so grateful to Joe and Janelle for taking the time to sit and allow me to share about these wonderful women who are creating these beautiful alpaca knits.
I wanted to mention that Our Hands For Hope is proud to be a socially responsible company that is a for profit business with a mission. We are partnered with two fantastic non-governmental organizations that work as our hands and feet on the ground in Peru, Project New Hope International and Creation Peru.
As you’re traveling through the beautiful Napa Valley stop and visit our vendors and say “Hi”. We apprecaite them so very much.
Terisa
I would like to invite you to join us on facebook and twitter as we expand to create a thread from the US to our women artisans in Peru.
Nice to see items sold at wineries which are really artisan and actually benefit the maker. Bravo to the importer and wholesaler of these goods.