This Cyber Monday, let me introduce you to a different deal. While stores are luring spenders with sales and northern hemisphere folk are preparing for winter holidays, imprisoned women in Bolivia are crafting beautiful artisan goods to support their families and better their lives, empowered by local La Paz based social enterprise Knitting Peace.
Over the past few months, I’ve been featuring organizations I personally love in the Beautiful Ideas Help the World series. These project are impacting lives all over the globe through beauty, creativity, and entrepreneurship. Since I can’t bring back souvenirs for everyone, I’m hosting giveaways along with each post, to offer each of you a little chance at something special from overseas.
Feature Three: Knitting Peace: La Paz, Bolivia
Enter to win this gorgeous hand-knit alpaca wool throw (valued at $180.00!) by leaving a comment; read below for the full story.
The photo above features Knitting Peace’s alpaca wool throw worn as a wrap. The fiery orange was such a hit that it’s sold out already for the season! Giveaway winner to choose between available bone and heather grey colors.
I’m not a fan of gimmicky giveaways, so I’m not requiring tweets or follows, but I’m providing links to Knitting Peace, and I’d love to invite you to follow the project’s story and think about purchasing from them the next time you want your dollars and cents to go toward something beautiful.
To enter the contest, simply leave a comment below answering one of the following questions. (Leave a second comment answering the other question if you’d like to enter twice.)
A) What comes to mind when you think of Bolivia?
B) What handmade gift have you been most proud to make or most honored to receive?
Giveaway is open to anyone, anywhere. (That means you lovely international readers as well!) All you need is a mailing address. Winner will be chosen at random and notified by email. If winner does not respond within 48 hours, a new winner will be selected and notified. See here for full giveaway terms and details.
Giveaway closes at 11:59pm Pacific Standard Time (that’s Oregon!), on Thursday, December 6th.
I met Sonia Gallardo, the founder of Knitting Peace, at the Women Who W{h}ine gathering in La Paz, Bolivia this past February (see tidbits in this whine and wine blog post). Sonia is Bolivian woman with roots in Los Angeles, California as well as La Paz, and when she mentioned her work with incarcerated women in the Bolivian prison system, I was instantly intrigued.
Often, charity in this world takes the form of a handout.
How beautiful is it to see a hand of help offer a longer-term solution?
Sonia’s work offers encouragement and resources for self-sufficiency to women struggling to recover from a broken past: skills to propel themselves and their family into a better future.
Through Ted’s work in social services back in the states, my eyes have been opened more than ever to the weary state of men and women carrying heavy baggage and the weight of the law.
See more photos from our travels in Bolivia…
In Bolivia, one of South America’s poorest countries, uneducated indigenous women in need of money to support their families give in to the temptation of stealing or earning pay for drug trafficking. Once caught and arrested, they are imprisoned, given two meals a day and a cot, and must still find a way to provide for their families.
By law, children may stay in prison with their mothers up until age five, escorted to and from school during daytime hours. After turning six, they’re removed and sent to live with extended family or in orphanages until their mothers serve their full sentence.
Sonia, who learned to knit at nine years old, saw the opportunity to empower these women who, although lacking in traditional education, posses the beautiful, traditional skills of artisan knitting, weaving, and crocheting with Bolivian alpaca and llama fibers.
Knitting Peace brings the therapeutic, healing work of artful knitting and entrepreneurial benefits of business to incarcerated women living in poverty, offering customers around the world the chance to purchase beautiful, handmade knit products and to sow their money into positive change.
The following excerpts are taken from the Knitting Peace website:
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Why does Knitting Peace choose to work with incarcerated women?
Knitting Peace as an organization does not judge or condone the inmates for the actions leading to their incarceration. Knitting Peace has the intention of assisting the inmates in realizing they have talents that can be used to create opportunities for poverty alleviation, empowering them to see that they have the freedom to choose.
Are the women paid for the Knitting they do?
Knitting Peace pays each knitter per finished knit product. This organization holds a fair wage policy, and pays each knitter based on a daily rate, setting timelines to finish each product The knitters have expressed that they feel motivated by the fair rates they are being offered, the beautiful designs and high quality material they are working with.
What do the knitters do with the money earned?
Living in a correction facility in Bolivia can be financially draining. The inmates must continue to provide for themselves and their families. The correction facility provides 2 meals a day and a cot to sleep on. The mothers must continue to find the means to provide for their children’s basic educational and health needs. By being inside the correctional facility the women are limited from actively seeking work, making their survival all the more challenging. The inmates depend of whatever work they can get from the outside, in order to provide for their own basic needs as well as the needs of their children. The money earned goes towards school supplies, clothing, food, health care, and basic supplies such as toilet paper, dental care, as well as legal fees related to obtaining their sentence.
***
This holiday season, especially, I invite you to think about giving two gifts: the gift of something beautiful for someone special and the gift of spending your hard-earned money to better someone’s future and speak hope into future of those with troubled pasts.
Redemption.
It’s a beautiful thing.
This post is part of my Beautiful Ideas Help the World giveaway series featuring organizations I personally love, impacting lives around globe through beauty, creativity, and entrepreneurship. No tweets or follows or gimmicks are required to participate, but please consider keeping in touch and following along on our respective journeys:
twoOregonians
twoOregonians on Facebook | @twoOregonians
Knitting Peace
Knitting Peace Blog | @knittingpeace
62 Comments
It is soooo beautiful!!!!!! When I think of Bolivia I think of one of the most beautiful countries in the world! I couldn’t believe how gorgeous of a place it was.
Agreed! We were both deeply impressed by the beauty of the land and of the Bolivian culture… I’d love to return someday… xx
I managed to knit an entire baby blanket for my little niece which I was very proud of. I’ve also received some very meaningful hand-made gifts from the man in my life. He’s super skilled with wood and has made me the most beautiful desk and nightstands. I love that these pieces not only remind me of him every time I see them but will become lasting parts of our family as we pass them down.
Oh, I love that, Alyssa! I remember crocheting a baby blanket for my new cousin when I was about…twelve years old? It had all sorts of silly errors in it, but I put so much love into it, and it was a joy to see my gracious Aunt open the gift and use it when little Adam came along : ) I’ve made and given a few more since then – hopefully with a few less messy stitches? – and I love that they’re full of so much more sentiment than something mass produced.
When I hear Boliva I think of delishious food. Not quite sure why, but that is what comes to mind. :)
I can vouch for that! They know how to grill. I have some photos of delicious Bolivian BBQ near the bottom of this post: http://twooregonians.com/2012/02/workway-bolivia-landscape-architecture-for-room-board/
Mmm…such good memories.
A. When I think of Bolivia, I think of Parechcavi. Who? My family raised llamas when I was a child, and Parechcavi was a llama from Bolivia. She had green-yellow teeth and was mean, old, and ugly! She had this clumpy, rastafarian fur that hung off of her, and a disporportionately skinny neck. Was she ever mean, and she would spit no matter how nice I was to her! She was born in the wild, and boy was she wild. I was terrified of her as a child. I wish I could summarize this comment with a redeeming, positive statement, but I’ll be honest instead: I was glad when she left the farm.
Oh Kaylea, you make me laugh!! : ) I love this story.
My grandmother knit me a pair of beautiful socks once. I almost rarely wear them because they are so special to me… Probably not what she was going for when she made them! :)
That is such a nice story and a gorgeous throw! I totally want to have an alpaca farm someday. I was thinking Peru, but Bolivia would be nice! So I guess I will associate alpacas with Bolivia now, too. Before this post, when I thought of Bolivia I thought of beautiful weather and bright colors.
The nicest gifts I’ve received have been from my grandma, my aunt, and my mom. They are so crafty and I wish I was more craft-inclined. They’ve made me some really beautiful quilts. I always look forward to their gifts!
Isn’t it fun to open gifts from people that you know are thoughtful and creative? It sounds like you have some pretty special ladies in your family. Thanks so much for entering the giveaway, Angela!
What beautiful work and a great cause! My answer for question A is: When I think of Bolivia I think of mountains and bright coloured textiles.
And my answer for question B: The handmade gift that I was most honoured to recieve was a quilt my mother made for me when I graduated highschool.
Thanks so much for entering the giveaway and for taking a peek at Knitting Peace’s great work. I still have a little twin-sized quilt that my mom made for me when I was a little girl – I hope I can pass it on to my kiddos someday : )
A.When I think of Bolivia I think of a missionary family who were thrifty and creative with their support.
B. I love to make tatted items to give as gifts because it is somewhat of a lost art and people are always intrigued with the item.
The story was very encouraging and God bless her for seeing a need and give the woman a chance to support their children by using their God given talents.
And I love the tatted gift you gave me when Ted and I got married! : ) Thanks so much for reading, Annette, and for entering the giveaway. I’ll be sharing the post a few more times and then the winner will be drawn at the end of the week.
Beautiful story. Beautiful art!
Bolivia? What comes to mind: “A place I want to know!”
Handmade gifts? Well, not sure if it counts if it is MY handiwork or not. Every year, I give donations to different non-profits for small teacher/colleague/partner gifts. This year, I am giving hand-woven water bottle holders from my trip to Guatemala, along with a donation/attached note about the donation I will make for clean water to http://camposdesuenos.com.
“A place I want to know!” – Great answer : ) I hope you get to discover the land and meet the people someday… I fully support giving other peoples’ handiwork – any gift that celebrates thoughtfulness and craft is special in my book.
When I think of Bolivia, what comes to mind is crisp mountain air, bright colors and open hearted smiles. And the gift I was most honored to receive was an art piece made by my son. It is a colorful print of blue dolphin on a rose colored background, full of ancient symbols: waves, spirals, hieroglyphs. He made it when he was just 9 years old, and it was all his own original design. It is my most favorite gift ever :)
Irina, that sounds like a beautiful gift! How very special. Thank you so much for reading about Knitting Peace and for entering the giveaway. All the best to you xx Bethany
Beautiful stuff! For the questions:
1) Two things come immediately to mind when I think of Bolivia- remember last Christmas as we anxiously wrestled with the possibility of moving there for 3 years? That whole situation makes me smile now, but whoa, it was intense. Also, because of that experience, we sponsor a little boy named Miguel in La Paz through World Vision, so the people of Bolivia are constantly in our prayers.
2) My most prized handmade possesion is the beautiful handmade quilt my maid of honor, Jessica, made for us as a wedding present. It’s all my favorite colors and has a most likely permanent home on our bed.
That’s so great, Heather! Does Penny ever write letters to Miguel? I remember receiving our sponsor kids’ letters when I was young; I wish that I had spent more time sending replies back…and I wonder what they are doing now that they are adults. I’m so grateful for organizations like these doing good work for the families of the world. And P.S. I’m so grateful for you! Hugs, friend xx
Thanks for sharing this incredible effort, Bethany! When I hear the name Bolivia, I think about the unit on Latin Anerica that I teach in the spring and would love for you to come speak to my students about your travels in that part of the world! One of the most memorable handmade gifts I have ever received was from a friend’s grandmother who had lost her sight; she knit booties for my baby shower when I was pregnant with Matthew 20 years ago! She faced a challenge and was able to overcome it with perseverance and desire to still feel creative and useful despite her vision loss.
Thank you again for sharing all your wonderful adventures! Looking forward to seeing you soon. Have a fabulous visit with your mom and dad and safe remainder of your journey! Love you!
Aunt Linda! Great to hear from you, and thank you so much for sharing the story of those special knit booties. Your friend’s grandmother sounds like she was quite a lady of perseverance. Keep up the great work with the kids in your classroom – who knows just what seeds of curiosity and inspiration you’re planting each day?? : ) See you when we return!
I don’t know much about Bolivia–my first thought was La Paz–the only city name I can think of. Colorful women’s clothing was second but not sure if that’s typical of national Bolivians. Knitting Peace–what a great idea!
Oh, my answer for the second question–that’s a hard one. A recent wonderful handmade gift to me came from an older brother. He took a flat rock and made the points of a compass on it for me to use on our porch. I always know which way is north now!
That sounds so cool, Sue! I love it. : ) Hope you’re well today xx
Hmm… when I think of Boliva I think of friends who grew up there and the amazing adventures they told me about…of jungles, giant spiders, hunting, and their communities
I worked at an organization in Thailand for about 10 months total that worked with women coming out of commercial sexual exploitation. These women were taught different crafts as an alternative form of income. My last day working they presented me a beautiful handmade black pearl necklace and earring set… I love them and get compliments almost everytime I wear them… but more than that I love that the jewelry serves to remind me of these women who have survived so much and to keep seeking justice
Darcey, that’s such a great story! I’d love to hear more from you sometime about your work in Thailand. I enjoyed seeing pictures on Facebook from time to time, and it’d be great to get the backstory, too. I bet you’ll treasure those pieces of jewelry always. So special, I love it. Hope you’re doing well! xx Bethany
I have really enjoyed this series Bethany! Thanks for sharing these stories and the wonderful products. When I think of Bolivia, I think about the varied landscapes. The salt flats, mountains and untouched Amazon rainforest.
Thank you, Erica, for following along and caring about the stories. It’s my pleasure to share them, and I hope all of these beautiful thoughts about Bolivia and the recognition of Knitting Peace’s good work help inspire people to see the world through generous eyes. Lovely to hear from you, as always xx
What a wonderful series!
When I think of Bolivia I think of alpacas and Lake Titicaca.
Thinking about your second question makes me smile as I love to give handmade gifts and they are so special to receive. It’s hard to pick a favorite, but we were very honored to receive a framed photo from a photographer friend for a wedding gift. It was a beautiful image and special because it was especially picked for us.
Im most proud of a pair of socks I knit for my best friend. I was so excited for her to open them! They took a lot of time, love, and cursing to finish. :-)
Hah, your comment made me chuckle, Jill ; ) I have to stand in pure and total admiration of my friends who knit. Socks seem like they’d take the cake for dedication and commitment to detail. All those little stitches…then finishing one and having to start all over! I bet your friend treasures them : )
Meanwhile, I crochet (just a little bit, here and there), and I bought a ball of fine green silk thread in Laos and have yet to get brave enough to do anything with it… If you can make socks, I can make *something*!
Bolivia–elderly missionaries and desperadoes on the run… my initial thoughts were of people. I knew people who shared the gospel in Bolivia, and I think Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid or some famous outlaws escaped to Bolivia after hold-up careers in the waning years of the American wild west.
Truth, fiction, far away. Now I think of it as a place where you explored and extended a small measure of grace–thank you, Bethany for expanding all of our horizons.
Desperadoes on the run. You crack me up, mom. : ) It was fun to think of them all the way south in Patagonia, too. Thanks for teaching me to care about the world xx
When I think of Bolivia, I think of the Incas.
My favourite handmade gift was a mustard seed growing kit that a friend of mine puttogether for my 10th birthday. She wrote detailed instructions by hand and put her heart into creating the gift especially for me.
Oh, that sounds like the sweetest gift, Anna : ) I think my childhood self would’ve liked to be friends with your friend who gave seed growing kits as birthday gifts. Did you end up growing a mustard plant?
Hugs to you!
xx
Bethany
LOVE that you’re featuring another great organization! When I think of Bolivia I think of the salt flats and limitless open spaces along with the smiling faces of the locals.
As for your second question. Several years ago we were in Cambodia and during a lunch break near the ruins at Angkor Wat my husband was bargaining for a t-shirt while I was chatting up some young girls selling bracelets. They told me about their school and life and we had a great few minutes together. As I was leaving one of the girls gave me two of her bracelets. Knowing this is how she helped feed her family I first tried to decline but when she was insistent I offered up some money only to have her turn that down as well. She said she’d had such a lovely time speaking to me that she wanted me to remember her. And you know what… I do!
That’s a beautiful story, Rhonda. Those momentary encounters with children selling their wares to support their families sometimes leave me with a pang of sorrow and frustration, but how wonderful that you were able to speak into their lives and that that one particular girl felt a connection with you. So special, truly.
Thanks for entering the giveaway and learning a little more about Knitting Peace!
Beautiful blanket.
A). I think of the two of you, bright colors, and delicious food
B). The gift I am most proud of making is a quilt I made this year for my niece. When you pour that much time and love into something, it’s like a little part of you gets grafted in. I love the feeling that something I created may be around longer than I am.
Well put, friend! And one little baby girl in the world is lucky to have such a swell auntie : )
I’m sorry to say that I broke my sewing machine right before we left on the trip, but I’m hoping to get it back up and running when I get home, and I’d love to spend more time getting better at using it. ; )
I love that you are featuring this socially responsible company. It’s a great initiative that is making beautiful things. Thanks for sharing it with us and I’ll be sure to pass it on to others.
Actually, your “beautiful ideas help the world” initiative kicks ass. Can’t wait to follow along.
Honestly, one of the most important things I learned when I was 18 and volunteering for environmental orgs was this: your dollar is your vote. I’ve never shaken that simple concept. Every dollar we spend is like saying: i support that. I want more of that. I’m inline with what that represents. It’s not deep and it’s not rocket science. It just is.
When I think of Bolivia I think of my mom, beads and textiles. She travelled there in 1975 and brought back bits and bobs and I grew up with beautiful South American textiles (Bolivia, Columbia, Peru) in our home from her trip there.
I absolutely love to give and receive handmade gifts and am always crafting something. Last year I made cranberry curd for everyone on my Christmas list. My girlfriend wrote me a hilarious note after she ate hers: “if I don’t get more curd I’m gonna off myself”. That made me feel like, oh, death and curd, that was a success!
Thanks Bethany!
xx Bianca
Bianca, thank you so much for entering and for leaving your kind words.
You’re so right about the concept of currency being our vote. I think about that a lot when I’m home and purchasing food – investing my dollars into the kind of agriculture and food production that I believe in. The more that we support organizations like Knitting Peace and others, dedicated to addressing real problems and providing real solutions, the more that we help literally change the world. Like you said, it’s not rocket science, it just is ; )
Side note: I love that you made cranberry curd for Christmas gifts. LOVE it. Are there food swaps anywhere near you? That’s another hobby of mine when I’m home : )
http://www.foodswapnetwork.com/
Thanks for commenting, and thanks for sharing!
When I think of Bolivia I think of bright blue skies, spacious salt flats, and clear mountain air.
Thanks so much for your entry, Krista, and for reading about the work that Knitting Peace is doing in Bolivia.
This is amazing.
My youngest nephew has a blanket knitted by mom when he was born, before my mom became really ill with Alzheimer’s. When my daughter was born and in intensive care, my nephew (age 9 at the time) asked his dad if he could give that blanket to my Lily, so she could keep warm and have something from Grandma.
There is no treasure like a gift hand made with love. What these women are doing is inspirational, and I applaud you Bethany (and Ted) for spreading the word.
Oh, that story is so precious, Alicia. Your nephew has a thoughtful heart : ) I’m really glad that you’ve been excited to learn about these projects. Thanks so much for reading along!
xx
Bethany
Oh yeah – question A. When I think of Bolivia I think of ruins I want to see! I’m a sucker for old places :(
my daughter who is now 7, received a handmade baby blanket from a stranger when she was a newborn. That blanket became her #1 favorite item and is still used today. I wish I knew who maybe blanket!
Someone out there in the world has no idea what kind of joy (s)he gave a little child : ) That’s so special. It makes me think of Ted’s former place of work – they’d receive donations of beautiful handmade quilts every now and then, from ladies who really loved to craft and had a surplus of blankets each year. They’ll never know exactly where there creations ended up, but there’s not doubt that their work really impacted people’s lives. Thanks for entering the giveaway, Brie!
When I think of Bolivia I think of my husband and his parents and sister. They lived there when Landon was a kid and every time his dad speaks about the alto planos he gets this look in his eye: you can tell he’s back there, remembering the people and the amazing place that it is.
I’ve never been but simply my father in law’s respect of it has visiting high on my priority list.
Thanks so much for entering, Jamie, and for reading about Knitting Peace. I think I must know that same feeling your father in law has – and I see that same look in Ted’s eyes when he remembers back to our travels in Bolivia. It just has such a different feel about it… I hope you and Landon will be able to travel there together and that you’ll get to see it with your own eyes! : )
The handmade gift I was most honored to receive was a quilt my sister, Jodi, made for me a few Christmas’s ago. She made it look like she didn’t follow a specific pattern, and incorporated quilted pieces that my late grandmother had made ions ago. She also wrote verses with permanent ink on some white fabric, which (along with the pieces from my Grandmother) fit together to make up the underside of the quilt. So quite literally, I was sleeping under prayers and love. It was such a thoughtful thing to do, and I treasure it immensely.
Well my honored project is a hooded cowl that i am in process of making for a lady i barely know. She commented on the beautiful cowl i was making and asked what i would charge to make her one. She began to tell me of her daughter, 32 years old who recently had brain surgery to remove a tumor. Upon hearing her story i told her i will make her one at no charge. Her daughter is always bothered by wind,cold etc since the surgery and the mother said this will be perfect for her. THANKS!
Congratulations to Sue Renich on her winning entry! Thanks so much to each of you for spending time learning about Knitting Peace’s important work in Bolivia. I hope this series inspires you to support grassroots enterprises working on all continents to make the world a more beautiful place.
xx
Bethany
I love that you share these Bethany and spread awareness! Thank you for letting me live vicariously through your adventures. What an amazing journey you’ve had the past year. I have really enjoyed being along for the ride!