Inti Runakunaq Wasin

Vocational Skills Program

This program aims to empower the working ability and aptitude of the adolescents and young people in situations of risk. Developing their understanding of economic enterprise enables them to earn a living through production and sale of various handicrafts produced by them in the workshops.

The idea is to offer the adolescents alternative work options to the activities that they daily undertake in order to earn money, many of which place them in situations of risk, exploitation or with little possibility of continuing their studies.

There are five workshops: Leatherwork; Jewelry; Handicrafts; Needlework and Embroidery; Cookery and Pastry-Making. In each workshop three modules are followed: Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced. Each module focuses on specific activities and products and has the goal of passing on to the next module. This is realized by ongoing evaluation of the advance in the participants' knowledge.

Young people of different abilities also participate in these workshops. They have been positively integrated into working with the adolescents, allowing a relationship to develop which will enrich both groups.

Leatherwork Studio

The leatherwork studio aims to develop creative capacities and abilities working in various products in leather such as: Purses; Wallets; Handbags; Keyrings; Book covers and others.

In this studio adolescents and young people with different abilities are offered occupational training to various levels of qualification to enable them to make a living. The goal is to aid their integration into the community as productive people who will be valued.

In addition to developing their skills and manual abilities we also seek to train them in areas ranging from the management of designs and models through to the studies of marketing and sales.

Jewelry Workshop

The manufacture of jewelry is an art which has a strong charge of creativity, involving the creation of delicate, decorative pieces designed to embellish a person´s appearance. The materials used to create these pieces range from rustic materials through to the use of precious metal for the manufacture of earrings, bracelets, necklaces and others.

In the jewelry workshop we train the adolescents and young people in the art of jewelry making and develop their creativity leading to the innovation of new designs. This gives them a technical trade which will contribute to raising their economic level. Thus they will learn to value handicraft work as a means of earning a living and be able to start a small home business.

Handicrafts Workshop

The handicrafts workshop seeks to develop the abilities and manual skills of the participants in order to reinforce the work undertaken in other programs and the growth of the creativity that will contribute to personal development.

The training of the children and adolescents who participate in Inti Runakunaq Wasin focuses above all on the efficient and responsible manufacture of different handicrafts. Examples are embroidered or painted carrier bags and handbags, typical Andean dolls and other objects all made from recycled materials. The aim is to develop the creativity and innovation of the participants thus enabling them to generate a source of income to help with their families' cost of living.

The training in this workshop is through three modules: Basic; Intermediate and Advanced. Each module has a duration of four months.

Needlework and Embroidery Workshop

In this workshop the participants create embroidered pictures that will later be sewn cross-stitch with decorations such as sequins in order to be made into tablecloths, t-shirts, pictures, rugs and cushions.

The children, adolescents and young people with different abilities of Inti Runakunaq Wasin participate, learning from the basics to the most advanced techniques and designs. One can really appreciate that they create, combine and choose their own designs and work with great eagerness and enthusiasm. They also learn to combine different colours of silk and sequins in order to apply this knowledge in their projects.

Cooking and Pastry Making Workshop

Cooking and pastry making is an option of infinite possibilities. Through practice and dedication in this art the children and adolescents develop abilities and skills in the handling and preparation of food. Our goal is to enrich the culinary knowledge of the participants in order to create a variety of dishes, cakes and desserts.

We aim to re-evaluate Andean products in the preparation of these dishes and pastries. These products are: Tarwi; Kiwicha; Canihua; Olluca and Oca. The training is through three modules: Basic; Intermediate and Advanced, in which we make regional, national and international dishes, desserts, pastries and cakes.