MAKI means "hands" in the ancient Quechua language and it is the philosophy we are built on.
We believe in depth of impact over scale, and in the entrepreneurial potential of every woman we work with. For 18 years, our Peruvian team has worked on the ground in Ayacucho to build real, lasting economic independence: through artisan enterprise, education, and programs designed with the community, not for it.
18
years of continuous presence in Ayacucho
1,000+
women currently earning income through Maki programs
0
children anemic at Occollo school after 3 years of meal support
Our philosophy
Depth of impact over scale
Maki is small by design. We go deep into a small number of communities, stay for years, and build the kind of trust that makes real change possible. Our on-the-ground team is made up primarily of women from Ayacucho itself.
We believe in the entrepreneurial potential of every woman we work with. The goal is always sustainable independence, not ongoing reliance on outside support. Women as producers and partners, not beneficiaries.
We achieve scale not through breadth, but through the ripple effect of deep impact. Hands linked to hands linked to hands.
"Our goal is to provide women the tools and sense of empowerment to improve their own lives with their own hands, quite literally."
Founder, Maki International
Where we work
Six communities. Years of presence.
From a women's prison at 9,000 feet to an alpaca farming village at 15,000, every Maki program is built on the same foundation: earn trust, work alongside, and build something that lasts.
Child nutrition · 11,000 ft
Occollo School
Children were arriving at school too hungry to learn, many clinically anemic. Three years of daily breakfast and lunch later: not a single child anemic in the most recent blood tests. Teachers report sharply improved attendance, focus, and energy.
0 of 70 children anemic
Prison program · Since 2008
Huanta Women's Prison
Most of the women here are impoverished mothers recruited as drug mules by cartels that deliberately target vulnerable women. Maki has operated a daily workshop inside since 2008. The goal: not just survival inside, but a foundation for life after.
25–45 women in the workshop daily
Reentry program
Libre Soy
"I am free." A monthly gathering for formerly incarcerated women, led by Elizabeth, who served 12 years at Huanta before joining Maki's staff. Job navigation, family reconnection, community for women the world has largely written off.
Members connected across Peru
Artisan enterprise
Hilos y Colores
900 women in remote mountain communities earn income embroidering belts, purses, and textiles sold internationally, work they do at home alongside tending animals and caring for children. Over 18 years, Maki's role has been significant: connecting Hilos y Colores to international buyers, providing guidance on design and market expectations, and helping build the infrastructure for a thriving enterprise. In a patriarchal society, an independent income is not a small thing.
900 women earning income
Rural enterprise · Vinchos
Guinea Pig Co-op
Three family farms now produce cuy reliably, generating sustainable income these families never had before. The infrastructure and expertise are in place to grow this into a cooperative of 15 to 20 farms with connections to urban buyers.
3 farms operating; co-op in development
Remote community · 15,000 ft
Wiriccllea
Stone houses. Extreme cold. A decade of steady presence: jackets, solar lamps, food, trust. Women here have recently begun producing embroidered goods for the first time, a first foothold toward the entrepreneurial income that has transformed other communities.
10+ years of presence
A story of transformation
From inmate to leader
Elizabeth arrived at Huanta Women's Prison around 2010, with a young baby and a 12-year sentence for a crime she did not commit. Over those years, Maki gave her a purpose, first tending a small lending library, then gradually taking on more of the workshop.
When COVID closed the prison to outside visitors for two years, Elizabeth ran the entire Maki operation from the inside on her own.
She was released in 2023. Today she is one of three people who run Maki's work in Ayacucho. She leads Libre Soy, speaks Quechua, and travels into the mountain communities. Her arc is what Maki is for.
Elizabeth
Maki staff · Founder of Libre Soy
Former inmate, Huanta Women's Prison
Former inmate, Huanta Women's Prison
"She went from depressed, hopeless, and incarcerated to a confident, outspoken, free woman. She completely understands what the women are going through day by day. She is proof of what this work is for." — Martha Dudenhoeffer
From Martha
The foundation is strong. There is so much more to do.
Maki has never been about dramatic interventions or sweeping fixes. What sustains this work is people showing up, consistently, over time: parents who trust us, families who have committed to new livelihoods, women inside the prison who support one another, and donors who quietly make it possible year after year.
Every gift goes to work immediately, in communities where the stakes are real. We are talking about women moving from desperation to dignity, children who are finally healthy enough to learn, families building sustainable livelihoods for the first time. That impact is direct and it endures across generations.
Martha Dudenhoeffer
Founder, Maki International
Make a gift
Your gift goes directly to program work in Ayacucho. Maki runs lean by design. Every dollar is put to work immediately. All donations are tax-deductible.
Donate now
Or mail a check:
Maki International, P.O. Box 2301, Del Mar, CA 92014
Maki International is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
Maki International, P.O. Box 2301, Del Mar, CA 92014
Maki International is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
Looking for a gift? The Maki shop carries handmade baby alpaca goods made by the women we work with. All proceeds support the nonprofit.
Browse the shop →