Peru, ‘Agustina Rivas Project’- Promotion and Improvement of the Woman-farmer
In the year 1998 in the small village-agregate Kcauri of the CCatcca province of Quispincanci, construction of the pilot Centre for the Empowerment and Promotion of the Woman Farmer began. It was given the name "Agustina Rivas" after Sr Agustina Rivas, who was murdered by the Shining Path guerillas on 27 September 1990. The Centre is now the Agustina Rivas Occupational Training Centre - El Centro de Educcaion Ocupacional Agustina Rivas. Courses are offered through various apprenticeship programs. Legal advice is also availabel through the Defensoria de la Mujer y del menor de edad (Office for the Defence of Women and Minors). Literacy and post-literacy programs are offerd in agreement with the Department of Education. Four years ago, the creation of the Centre of Occupational Education achieved official recognition, granting certification to the participants in the creation and production of items from handlooms through to handknitted and machine knitted textiles as well as clothing made on industiral sewingmachines. At present there are 97 participants from the rural community of Kcauri and adjacent communities of the CCatcca district. The manufactured textile products are in both traditional and modern styles, using locally produced alpaca and sheep wools, dyed with naturally produced tinctures extracted from plants and molluscs, harvested to obtain the brilliancy of colours required. The loom pieces and rugs are singularly exquisite in the Cuzco style as also are the typical arts and crafts of the area.
Sr. Agustina Rivas, a Good Shepherd Sister, was 70 years old when she was executed with six others in the square in La Florida, Peru on Sept. 27th, 1990. When it came to her turn, she joined her hands and wanted to kneel, but collapsed to the ground. It was then that the three bullets hit her. Later she was buried with her fellow villagers in the barrio of La Florida. She was the first sister to be killed in the violence in Peru.
