Nohemi Mamani Pairo

We call her Nona. And she is a rock star. Nona is the first knitter of Yanantin, the one who made this all possible. She is an experienced knitter and can turn every piece of yarn into something beautiful. We're proud to introduce her to you.

This is Nona.

You don't become the first empowered knitter of Yanantin without good reasons. She is the one who inspired me (Eveline) in the first place to start Yanantin Alpaca.

When we met, Nona was taking care of her grandson Nico, then, a six-month-old-baby who had just lost his mom. Nona wanted to work and take care of him, while Nico's father, Nona's son, would be traveling to the countryside for his work as a teacher.

Ten years of friendship

In 2014, I was doing fieldwork on the effect of syncretic religion on female empowerment in an urban environment. I met Nona and her family through my connections and I felt that I immediately became of part of her family.