Common Threads, a blog from Peruvian Connection

H.E.L.P. Makes Dreams a Reality for Orphans in Malawi

Over one million children in Malawi are without a parent, a home, and an education. Peruvian Connection has joined the efforts of H.E.L.P, a nonprofit organization, to make it possible for these children to make their dreams a reality, by providing Hope, Education, Love and Protection. Malawi is one of the most poverty stricken countries in the world, with the majority of its 12 million inhabitants living well below the poverty line. Malawi is currently ranked 164 out of 177 on the Human Development Index, due to the devastating lack of clean, safe water, primary health care, primary education, and sustainable food (meaning it’s the 7th poorest country in the world).

The H.E.L.P organization was founded in 2006 by Jillian Wolstein and her family with the ultimate vision of carrying out their mission on a global level. Currently, H.E.L.P is focusing their efforts on the destitute community of Malawi with projects that include Nutritional Education, Life Skills Class, Libraries, Day Care, Drama Club, Water Hyacinth, Providing clean, safe water, Wound Care Clinic, Malaria Nets, and much more. It is through donations and sales of merchandise that H.E.L.P is able to collect the much needed funds for these humanitarian projects. Sales of our Fetish Bead Necklaces, Malawi Wood Bangles and Fetish Bead Bracelets will directly fund these aims. 100% of the funds collected by H.E.L.P will go to direct services. Together we can all continue to make a difference in the lives of children faced with a suffocating barrage of daily challenges. 

One of the most foundational feats H.E.L.P has achieved is the construction of a full primary school and health clinic. The traditional open-aired rural school in the Balaka district of Malawi was transformed into a well-equipped primary school with eight classrooms, seven teachers housing units and latrines. Originally, the Nanthomba Primary School nurtured 320 students, but thanks to generous donations and support, this number has risen to over 750 students. H.E.L.P provides training for teachers, which has contributed to the rising educational standards for the area. In the future, this school will have the resources needed to allow H.E.L.P to provide a nutritious breakfast to students every morning, including a generator, fruit orchard, livestock and storage facilities. H.E.L.P is also hoping to build another secondary school in the near future. These goals will be achieved if we work together in the effort to bring hope and education to Malawi children.

The Wound Care Clinic, which was also established in 2006, serves the teachers, students and even the local communities. The clinic is currently able to treat wounds, infections, illnesses and diagnose urgent needs that will require hospitalization. H.E.L.P has set goals to construct a fully-equipped healthcare clinic and maternity wing that will provide vital medical care. Without this clinic, the closest health care facility is 3-4 hours away by car. This new maternity wing will help reduce the astounding maternal death rate by providing a safe, healthy delivery. Malawi has the third highest maternal death rate in the world. Recent statistics show that 1, 120 mothers and 4, 200 babies die for every 100,000 births. 

This new healthcare development will also serve as an approved HIV/AIDS testing and treatment site, which has increasingly ravaged African communities over the last couple decades. Currently, over 14% of the Malawi population is living with HIV/AIDS, which includes 641,000 children (of which 550,000 are orphans) and 500,000 adults. For more detailed information about the heath-care services that will be provided, please visit www.helpchildren.org. With each donation, they are one step closer to opening the new facility and reducing these heart-breaking figures of death and disease.

In an effort to raise support and awareness of this charismatic foundation, Peruvian Connection is offering a selection of H.E.L.P products, including the Fetish Bead Necklace and Fetish Bead Bracelet. These products use hand-crafted beads that have been collected from the African trade markets. Culturally, African beads are used as repositories of ancestral wisdom and tradition. Each bead is not only unique, but contains a piece of African history. We are also offering the Malawi Wood Bangles, which are entirely hand-carved by African master carvers. 100% of the proceeds collected by the H.E.L.P foundation will be directed towards education, healthcare and relief in Malawi.

Please join Peruvian Connection and the H.E.L.P foundation in the journey to spread Hope, Education, Love and Protection to the children of Malawi. If you would like to donate to the cause directly, please visit www.helpchildren.org. Little contributions will bring big changes: $5 will buy a life-saving mosquito-net to protect against malaria, $20 will buy three baby blankets and $50 will purchase much-needed school supplies for 25 local village children. Your generosity and support will help now and future generations for years to come.

Shipibo Art

There just isn’t enough room in our catalogues or even on our website to fully describe how special some of our pieces are, and a classic example of that is the Shipibo Artisan Shawl pictured together with the Audrey Dress in the fall catalogue. Here at Peruvian Connection, we take great pride in the fact that part of our company vision is to “promote and perpetuate Andean and other artisan textile traditions.”  This shawl is a beautiful example of traditional South American Indian art.

 

The Shipibo community is comprised of about 35,000 people spread about in a few hundred villages primarily situated along the Rió Ucayali which connects with the Rió Maranon to form the Rió Amazonas (Amazon River).  The Shipibo tribe has maintained a strong tribal identity despite centuries of contact with Peruvians and Europeans. 

 

Our shawls are woven in Peru and then transported in canoes up the Amazon River and into its branches to reach the Shipibo people.  Once the intricate embroidery work is completed by the native artisans, the shawls are carried in canoes back to the city, and then shipped on to the Peruvian Connection distribution centers in the US and UK.

 

The artistry to create the geometric designs used by the Shipibo is passed from one generation to the next.  However, the artists believe that each individual design comes from a specific inspiration of the same artistic spirit.  Commonly the women will work together to produce a single piece and one woman can interrupt her work and another woman or women can complete it with the finished piece looking as if it was made by a single artist – communal art at its finest! 

 

Although there are varying theories about the meaning of the unique Shipibo geometric patterns (some anthropologists believe it an ancient language form and others see it as a mapping of the rivers of the Amazon) art lovers can appreciate the beautiful designs and original look of the Shipibo designs and this shawl can be worn or displayed as the beautiful piece of native artistry that it is.

 

Mary Towse

Seal of Approval

Bring a little romance and nobility into your life with our medallion necklaces.  Inspired by a box of wax-sealed letters found at an estate sale, the designers have turned the authentic 19th century seals of cracked wax into jewelry that fuses archaic symbolism with modern design.

Sterling Fidelity Medallion - (pictured above) Reads "Fidele En Absence" which means "Faithful in Absence" in French.
Bronze Coat of Arms Medallion - Depicts a lion upon a Fleur De Lis crest, representing courage & purity.
St. George's Medallion - Depicts St. George who, according to legend, slew a fearsome dragon.

Ooh-La-La Hats!

Looking to fashionably navigate a season of soirees?  Our cosmopolitan French hats are handcrafted with a swirl of frothy net and Chantilly lace.  So accent your style with a little ooh-la-la and raise the sophistication quotient at your next champagne event. 

La Vie en Rose Hat
Bohème Hat

A Lost Art: Hand Embroidery

I have a weakness for hand-embroidery. It seems it has become a lost art among today's industrialized manufacturing and usually reserved for larger textiles. However, my appetite for this small handicraft has been appeased by our uncommon collection of embroidered accessories.

Our artisans begin by hand-weaving the fabric base for all our embroidered jewelry. Then once the small patch of fabric is framed, an artisan carefully begins to hand-stitch the pattern onto the fabric. Some are graphic pre-Columbian tribal patterns and others employ the more floral Spanish Colonial motif. Often they are accented with beads but all designs use satiny pima cotton threads as their medium. The detail is so finite and perfect; everyone pulls you closer just to take a discerning look.

I like to wear them with my favorite sweater and jeans. They are also a beautiful finishing touch when heading out for a night on the town. Just be prepared to stop and allow for spectators!

Pirates of the Caribbean

If you happen to see Disney's summer blockbuster Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End you will know that core to the movie's plot-line is the Spanish currency and fantasy pirate relic known as Pieces of Eight. Pieces of Eight were Spanish coins used primarily in the 17th-19th centuries and represented eight of Spain's small common denomination, the Reale. It was not uncommon to cut "pieces" of the coin off as payment since they were made of pure silver and did not lose their value even when offered in pieces.

We are featuring our own epic version of this historical coin in our Autumn 2007 catalogue. The Pieces of Eight Bracelet offers six life-size replicas of the coin, each uniquely cast and accurate to the tiniest detail. You too can experience the intrigue of a pirate's treasure or simply own a museum quality accent. Regardless your motive....ye may have ta keep a watch out for thieven scurvy knaves!