CRAZY DOLLS

Crazy Dolls

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: PERU

The fair trade alternative to the popular ‘Ugly Dolls,’ the Crazy Doll is soft, colorful, and makes the ideal companion for an imaginative child. Available in either pink with red stripes or purple with green stripes, each doll is hand-knit using 100% alpaca and embroidered with a cheerful smile or funny expression. While your child will get endless amusement from these Crazy Dolls, marginalized communities in the highlands of Peru will be provided with a living wage.

CRAFTED BY MANUELA RAMOS

When it was founded 31 years ago, Manuela Ramos focused its efforts on providing services to migrant women living in the poorest areas of Lima. Today, the organization strives to bring economic, social and political opportunities to marginalized women throughout Peru, many of whom come from indigenous communities. Human and community development programs range from CrediMujer, an innovative micro credit loan program, to Premio Fem TV, the country’s first television program dedicated to promoting gender equality and respect. The organization’s name - comparable to John Doe in the U.S. - pays homage to the millions of women who anonymously and selflessly contribute each day to the development of their communities and the advancement of democracy and equitable gender relations.

Global Goods Partners works specifically with the organization’s Casa de la Mujer Artesana program in the southeastern region of Puno, providing women from the Quechua and Aymara indigenous communities with opportunities to earn a living wage through fair trade production. Drawing inspiration from the region’s local resources and traditions, indigenous artisan women craft handmade textiles from alpaca wool. The members all benefit from Manuela Ramos’s, social services, business management training and personal development services. By combining job creation with a forum for community discussion, Casa de la Mujer Artesana acts as vehicle for both economic development and women’s solidarity. These indigenous women, a population traditionally discriminated against, are empowered to stand up for their basic rights through economic opportunity and rights training.