Welcome to Pachacuti

Welcome to the Pachacuti Diary. Regularly updated with news and information.

Pachacuti offers fair trade clothing and accessories, designed by Pachacuti and created by our producer groups in the Andes who use their traditional skills to create beautiful, individual garments.

Finalist in Country Living Enterprising Rural Women Award 2006

For the second year running I have been selected as a finalist in the prestigious Country Living Enterprising Rural Women Award.

I was in Cusco,Peru when my husband called to tell me of my success. I know that the judging panel are looking for a creative, growing business. Being selected for the second consecutive year out of hundreds of nominations is a real achievment and I was delighted when I heard the news. I am a finalist in the Best Growing Business category and in the past year, in addition to developing my current range of clothing and accessories, my husband and I have set up Clean Slate producing the UK's first fair trade organic school uniforms.

I have just returned from a two week trip to Peru and Ecuador where I have been visiting existing producer groups and working on samples for my collection for 2007. I also made contact with some new organisations which I will be supporting in the future, one of which is a home for teenage single mothers, some as young as 13, many of whom have been the victims of sexual abuse. The Peruvian government discourages these girls from attending school which means that they and their children face a cycle of poverty. The Mantay organisation is providing these girls and their babies with a home, food and an education. The older girls spend four hours a day learning skills which will help to improve their chances of obtaining work when they leave the home. Pachacuti will be selling a range of their woven wool and leather bags and hopes to be able to provide places at the home for four additional girls. When I was walking up the dirt track to the home on the outskirts of Cusco and a stream of small children ran out to meet me and clustered around to hug my knees, I knew then and there that I wanted to do all I could to help these children have a better start in life.

Being selected as a finalist in the Enterprising Rural Women Awards is not only a great privilege but means that I will be able to continue to increase awareness of the difference fair trade makes.

The Awards ceremony and announcement of the winner will be made at Hampton Court on 6th July 2006.