Social Entrepreneurship
A social enterprise is a business that uses its revenue to reinvest in the company, and uses (parts of) its profits to give back to the community. By doing so, the organization becomes self-sustainable and decreases its reliance on external sources of income (such as grants, funding, and loans).
Sustainable products made to empower women in Peru.
Yanantin Alpaca is a social enterprise that decreases gender inequality on the labor market by hiring women with limited access to formal work opportunities as knitters of alpaca woolen products. Yanantin Alpaca focuses on women who are at an increased risk of working an informal job and/or doing unpaid work. These groups include (but are not limited to): teen moms, single mothers, school dropouts, elderly, and women from rural communities.
Meet the beautiful women we're currently working with...
Yanantin’s mission is to empower women in Peru with great working conditions.
Women in South America continue to suffer from gender inequality: domestic violence, the triple workload (family, household, and a job), and exploitation on the informal labor market, are only three examples of the many disadvantages women experience in their day-to-day lives. It is Yanantin’s mission to empower Peruvian women with a more-than-fair-salary, social benefits, flexible working hours, great working conditions, and opportunities to grow.
Our vision is gender equality.
We envision a world with zero gender inequality, starting with businesses that work to decrease the participation gap and make entering the labor market for women more attractive.
Yanantin wants to be one of those businesses. We see a future in which we go beyond just paying a great salary. We want to provide women with a safe space to work where they feel empowered to share their ideas.
Needs Analysis
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What the Women Say...
The benefit of working with a personal network is the opportunity to discuss the issues that are really on people's minds. So, we asked our knitters what they really need.
- A higher salary, ideally between S/. 1800 and S/. 2500 a month.
- Flexible working hours and the opportunity to work from home.
- A workshop to "escape" to.
- Workshops and training opportunities. To develop on a professional and personal level.
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What the Statistics Say...
Peru is a traditional country, with traditional gender stereotypes. The men work and earn money. Women take care of the household, the children, and, also need to work—because nobody earns a realistic income.
- 28% of women in Peru have experienced gender violence.
- 68% of informal workers in Peru are women.
- Women spend on average 24 hours a week doing unpaid work.
- The "normal" workweek in Peru is 8 hours a day, 6 days a week. Yup... 48 hours!
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What the Experts Say...
According to the OECD's 2022 Report on Gender Equality in Peru, some of the most important steps to achieve gender equality involve labor. By reducing barriers to sharing paid and unpaid work more equitably and making women's paid work pay more, women are more likely to enter the labor market. More specifically, they have share specific suggestions to do that.
- Increase childcare services for low-income families.
- Provide additional support for teenage mothers and vulnerable girls to ensure access to quality education.
- Raise the attractiveness of the formal labor market through social protection programs.
The Dream Scenario
We listen to our knitters, we look at the stats, and we follow the recommendations from the experts. We love that we can pay a great salary and offer training, but our current team consists of independent entrepreneurs.
Our dream scenario looks more like this:
- A reliable salary, more than the minimum wage. We're thinking about doubling that... At least.
- An on-site nanny or local childcare provider for moms and their wawas.
- Flexible working hours and working from home helps a lot with accessibility.
- A five-day workweek, study days, and flexible working hours will support women who want to go (back) to school.
- Providing a safe place to work. Spending less time at home reduces the exposure to domestic violence.
Curious?
Want to know more about what we're doing? You'll find many a detail in our Impact Reports. Find out how much money we invest, how much the knitters earn, and where the money goes. You can also read what we've been doing for the past five years... And our plans for the next five to come.