Measures & Material

Manos Amigas supports small artisans in slum settlements of Lima and rural villages throughout Peru, providing training, resources, and markets to sell their products. Your purchase preserves Peruvian handcraft traditions, and creates a sustainable livelihood and hopeful outlook for some of Peru’s poorest residents.Handicrafts in Peru are of both cultural and economic importance, and it was in this context that Manos Amigas was founded in 1991. With experience working for companies that exported handicrafts, Yannina Meza, her brother Roberto (a church minister), and her mother (a handicrafts teacher), set up their business to support local artisans. The goal of Manos Amigas, meaning “hands of friendship,” was to help develop and export quality Peruvian traditional handicrafts to fair trade markets around the world.