Principles & Ethics

• We believe it is more sustainable to give marginalised people the tools and resources to help themselves, rather than giving them a handout. We recognise their desire to work and use their skills to support themselves and their families, rather than having to rely on donations

• We concentrate on creating employment for women who have previously struggled to find a means of earning an income. This means we don't simply buy from established co-operatives where skilled artisans already have an outlet to sell their craft - we work with people who need help to develop their skills and their products; it may take a year before that person makes a product of saleable quality. The training and support is given by Sisters Cathy Dean and Angela Carroll in Pitumarca, by Sister Dorothy Stevenson in Tarma and by Sr Clare Conaglen in Motupe, Lima.

• We now have around two hundred women in Peru relying on our sales for their income.  We are therefore committed to selling enough of their products each month, in order to ensure ongoing work for them all.

• We receive products on a monthly basis in small quantities, to offer a more stable workflow for our producers, rather than subjecting them to periods of intense work followed by periods of no work. This means we are prepared to buy and stock products even though they may be out of season.

• We pay a fair price for the products - even if that means paying above the average market value for that item.  We take into consideration how long items have taken to make and the skills involved. A fair price in the regional or local context is one that has been agreed upon through dialogue and participation - this is undertaken between the women themselves and the Sisters who live in the communities we work with in Peru.  Often the women set the price of each item themselves. We also ensure prompt payment to our producers and pre-payment when necessary.  The Sisters pay the women as soon as they hand in their finished product, and provide them with cash to buy raw materials where appropriate.  Payments to Casa Betania, which runs as an independent business, are made promptly.

• The margin we add to the cost of a product is to cover postage and the administrative costs of running Mamacha.  The running costs of Mamacha are kept to a minimum.  There is only one paid employee and volunteers donate their time to help at market stalls and events.

• Our aim is to provide stable, consistent work for a growing number of women, so that they have financial stability and can plan for the future.