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Project location:
Cusco, Peru
Project duration:
2022 – 2024
Project budget:
69.894 €
Focus areas:
Value chains, further education
APEDIK

Asociación para el Desarrollo Integral Kallarisunchis

Female project participants from an APEDIK cooperative showcase their craftsmanship.

Mujer Emprende – Pathways to Economic Independence for Women.

Since 1993, the organization Asociación para el Desarrollo Integral Kallarisunchis (APEDIK) has been working to empower women socially and economically in Cusco, in southern Peru. Originally founded to provide microloans, APEDIK now takes a holistic approach that combines education, entrepreneurship support, and community-based social development, with a particular focus on women.

Peru has been in the midst of a political and economic crisis since 2022. In Cusco in particular, the pandemic, the recession, and the decline in tourism have hit women and their small businesses hard. Many are solely responsible for their families—often without social safety nets and sometimes burdened by domestic violence. “Emprende Mujer II,” the follow-up project to Apedik’s initial grant, addresses precisely this issue: it empowers women to achieve financial independence and become visible as active contributors in their families and society.

In the second phase of “Mujer Emprende,” the organization Asociación para el Desarrollo Integral Kallarisunchis ( APEDIK) is supporting 200 women in precarious living situations. During the first phase, from 2023 to 2025, 150 women already received support. In the second phase, the organization has expanded its geographic reach so that even more women can benefit from its work.

The goal of the project is to strengthen their economic independence and create long-term prospects for them and their families. The women acquire practical skills in business management, financial planning, and skilled trades such as tailoring, baking, and arts and crafts. In addition to technical skills, the project also focuses on self-esteem, health, and emotional resilience. Core components of the project include workshops and training sessions for new business ideas and existing small businesses. Furthermore, start-up capital is provided in some cases, and access to microloans is facilitated to support the women in establishing small businesses. Another component involves self-help groups and participation in various networks to improve market opportunities and increase visibility. Additionally, APEDIK organizes sales fairs and promotes local collaborations.

Lemonaid & ChariTea e.V. provides support by funding specialized staff, program implementation, and material costs.

Marleni Berrios Palomino
Mail

Website: https://www.kallarisunchis.org.pe/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kallarisunchis
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/kallarisunchis

Impressions from the project.

  • A participant from APEDIK in Peru sits in the grass and works on a loom.
  • APEDIK participants in Peru work at the sewing machine.
  • A participant from APEDIK in Peru.
  • Hands of a participant from APEDIK in Peru weaving.
  • Crocheted products made by participants in a project by APEDIK in Peru.
  • Fabrics are dyed in various pots.
  • Participants from APEDIK in Peru during a project visit in Peru in 2025.
  • Two participants from APEDIK in Peru present clothing they have made.
Photos: Eleazar Cuadros