Stories: Sustainable trips to Peru

The best travel experiences are always well-balanced, multi-sensory and leave you with a positive lasting impression. During a recent visit to the humble abode of Aracari’s longtime friend Charo Leon, Simon, James and I had the opportunity to learn more about the fascinating life and selfless work of this Peruvian entrepreneur.  Oh, and she just happens to be a master of jams, jellies, chutneys and marmalades as well :). I came to be acquainted with Charo when she came into the Aracari office one day to showcase the most recent collection of textiles and crafts produced by the hands of women from Cajamarca, Chiclayo, Chincha, Apurimac, Puno, Shipibo, and other locations across Peru.  Her business is quite multifaceted, as she travels to various locations throughout the country, seeking out and working with under-educated women of all ages and teaching them how to produce a variety of traditional Peruvian handicrafts.  She then helps to promote their work to vendors, acting as a facilitator between the two parties. Yet her goal is simple and pure: provide women with varied opportunities to become educated. Through the reintroduction of traditional textile- and craft-making techniques, Charo provides local woman with an opportunity to preserve their identities and to improve the quality of their lives. Each woman dedicates a countless number of hours to technical training to master their skills, to produce high-quality goods, and to take pride in their work. Once these skills have been mastered, she helps her artisans to understand modern business models in which trends in fashion become a guideline for creating profitable yet authentic products. Beyond the skills necessary for creating beautiful handicrafts, Charo teaches practical, lifelong lessons and encourages them to reach their long-term goals by furthering their education.  Knowledge, she noted, is a catalyst for positive change, and by