Casa Betania
In the poverty-stricken district of San Martin de Porres in the north of Lima, Peru, the Sisters of Saint Joseph have been working for many decades supporting women and children, the elderly and the disabled through soup kitchens, nutrition programs, summer schools, and literacy programs.

In 1990, they started to establish income generation projects also, assisting local women to sell simple handcrafts in markets in the less impoverished suburbs of Lima. Demand grew, and sales increased, and eventually some of the women formed cooperatives, with the Sisters donating machinery and equipment, and helping them find broader markets.

The Casa Betania workshop is one of these coops, now providing employment for around 20 women aged from 24 to 65, who work in a transparent, flat management structure, with all salaries agreed openly and all employees involved in decision-making.

Some of these women had very low self esteem due to poor education or abusive pasts, and working together as a cooperative has been a huge boost to their self-confidence. In addition, their reputation for high quality work has resulted in other workshops sending their products to Casa Betania for finishing.

Casa Betania has been acknowledged in a national competition for enterprises run by women, in recognition of “their tireless effort and fighting spirit to help women face life with hope”.