improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page . learn how and when to remove these template messages this article needs additional citations for verification . please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources . unsourced material may be challenged and removed . april 2012 learn how and when to remove this template message this article is an orphan as no other articles link to it . please introduce links to this page from related articles ; try the find link tool for suggestions . may 2012 this article contains content that is written like an advertisement . please help improve it by removing promotional content and inappropriate external links and by adding encyclopedic content written from a neutral point of view . april 2012 learn how and when to remove this template message learn how and when to remove this template message awamaki industry ngo founded 2009 headquarters ollantaytambo peru and seattle washington united states key people kennedy leavens executive director website http www.awamaki.org awamaki is a small non profit that works to create economic opportunities and improve social well being in rural peru . 1 it is registered in the united states as a 501 c 3 2 and in peru as a non profit civil association . awamaki is diversified and currently runs programs in health education cultural preservation and sustainable tourism . awamaki is located in the town of ollantaytambo which is between the inca capital city of cusco and machu picchu a u.n. world heritage site . ollantaytambo is the departure point to machu picchu which welcomes nearly 500 000 tourists annually . practically every one of these tourists must pass through ollantaytambo on their way to machu picchu . ollantaytambo also has its own ruins which tourists navigate daily . the tourism industry has brought prosperity and modern conveniences to ollantaytambo . contents 1 brief history 1.1 awamaki lab 2 economic survival for quechua culture 3 tourism 3.1 background 3.1.1 homestays 3.1.2 awamaki language center 4 references brief history edit awamaki was founded by kennedy leavens 3 paula reiss and miguel galdo in january 2009 . awamaki s principal program is its fair trade weaving project which as of 2015 supports five associations of women 4 from impoverished rural quechua communities in the patacancha valley . 5 this program had run successfully for five years previously under another local ngo named catcco 6 until changes to the board of directors prompted project coordinators kennedy and miguel to express concern over the future of the project . to remedy this and ensure a continuous and steady income for the weavers the project was set up anew under the name awamaki . awamaki s mission is to collaborate with the people of ollantaytambo and its surroundings to foster enduring economic opportunities and to improve social well being . 7 awamaki grew quickly and its activities are varied but are united by the common themes of using international resources and market expertise to help improve the incomes and well being of people left behind by the modern economy . currently the awamaki women s cooperative program includes 60 women in two weaving cooperatives in indigenous communities a knitting cooperative of over 15 women and a sewing cooperative of three . awamaki has recently started working with a group 10 young quechua adults who will be hand spinning luxury alpaca yarns for export . awamaki operates a fair trade store in ollantaytambo where they sell woven knit and hand spun goods that the cooperatives produce . awamaki s homestay program principally serves its volunteers but is growing as more tourists elect to stay in homestays . finally awamaki s newest women s cooperative the spanish teachers cooperative will teach spanish to volunteers and tourists while providing poor rural women with the opportunity to earn a good income awamaki lab edit awamaki lab hosts young designers in an internship that connects them to the textile weaving production process . 8 the designers incorporate the textiles into contemporary pieces which are later reproduced by a local sewing cooperative of underemployed women . 9 the sale of these pieces online 10 provides yet another channel of sale for the weavers . 11 stemming from the weaving project are the awamaki knitting project and awamaki lab . the knitting project works with a cooperative of 14 women from huayroncoyocpampa a neighborhood just outside ollantaytambo . the homes of these 14 women were destroyed in floods that swept through the valley in 2010 and in an effort to earn extra income the women formed a knitting coop and established a partnership with awamaki . with a similar business model to the weaving project the knitters have had much success in their first year and are looking to expand their market access with international sales . 12 economic survival for quechua culture edit animals fibers and spinning most of the wool that awamaki weavers work with is shorn from their own sheep and alpaca . llama wool is also used but being very coarse it is used only for utilitarian items such as sacks ropes and horse blankets . iconography andean weaving includes a rich tradition of iconography . the designs and motifs used in quechua textiles are passed down from generation to generation and are repeated over and over again in the weavings . each pallay or design has an important meaning for the weaver although the meanings attributed to each pallay may vary between regions and villages . each weaver chooses how to use the multitudes of pallays that she knows in each of her pieces . the textile designs are based on the daily lives of the quechua weavers . they are inspired by agriculture flora and fauna of the region astrological phenomenon human forms bodies of water and geometric designs . often pallay are loosely based on their inspiration and may show a highly stylized version of the objects or event it is depicting . for example instead of showing the entire animal weavers may choose to represent an animal through a footprint . complicated patterns are made by combining and repeating many different pallay . tourism edit background edit the awamaki sustainable tourism program works to connect women families and the rural poor with the economic opportunities that tourism brings . tourism programs include homestay program quechua community visits 13 weaving education tourism program 14 artisanal workshops and spanish language classes . awamaki works to encourage visitors to stay longer in ollantaytambo and spend their money in ways that produce tangible benefits for the local economy through homestays & workshops with local artisans . awamaki s tourism program also focuses on the promotion of ollantaytambo as the ultimate andean vacation destination and gateway to the deservedly famous inca citadel machu picchu . 15 the non profit administrates a tourist welcome center on the street leading to the ollanta ruins . visitors can receive information about adventure activities such as trekking and bike tours and can direct tourists to local guides and taxi drivers . they also have a hotel directory information about volunteering in ollantaytambo and restaurant recommendations . 16 wall of the six monoliths homestays edit awamaki language center edit references edit 2009 global vision awards . travel leisure . retrieved 7 august 2015 . nonprofit report for awamaki us . guidestar.org . retrieved 7 august 2015 . awamaki . global weeks . retrieved 7 august 2015 . interview with krissa henderson at awamaki . she folk . retrieved 7 august 2015 . http www.amazon.com weavers awamaki weaving project ministries dp b005vxy5so design . thegenteel.com . retrieved 7 august 2015 . http globalwa.org 2011 06 awamaki urban outfitters blog awamaki lab . urbanoutfitters.com . retrieved 7 august 2015 . awamaki lab debuts fair trade peruvian knitwear with a modern twist . ecouterre.com . retrieved 7 august 2015 . awamaki lab project . handeye . retrieved 7 august 2015 . susana aguirre . awamaki lab fashioning andean textiles with sustainable design . peruthisweek.com . retrieved 7 august 2015 . http www.blackbookmag.com fashion the return of awamaki lab peruvian fashion comes to the big city 1.44289 best of cusco . bestofcusco.com . retrieved 7 august 2015 . archives spark calvin college . calvin college . retrieved 7 august 2015 . awamaki tourism that cares . travel world heritage . retrieved 7 august 2015 . awamaki natural dye workshop ecouterre . ecouterre.com . retrieved 7 august 2015 . retrieved from https en.wikipedia.org w index.php title awamaki & oldid 737169341 categories cusco regionindigenous rights organizationsnon profit organizations based in seattlehidden categories articles needing additional references from april 2012all articles needing additional referencesorphaned articles from may 2012all orphaned articlesarticles with a promotional tone from april 2012all articles with a 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