Handmade fabrics manufacturing, producing chocolate goods, milk and cheese and a laundry service are all micro-businesses that the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) helped native Peruvians develop and sustain.

The businesses came from two separate ADRA projects designed to encourage sustainable sources of income in Northern and Central Peru. The first project, Women’s Hands, provided economic opportunities for women in Morococha, a mining district in central Peru. The second project, Increased Employment and Income Among Small Milk and Cheese Producers, targeted impoverished dairy farmers in the Hualgayoc Province in the economic corridor of the Cajamarca region, Northern Peru.

From the three-year Women’s Hands initiative, some 85 women received training and successfully established micro-businesses. They have already sold their products at local markets and are now looking to expand their businesses to other towns.

“They are attempting to create modern, profitable and sustainable micro enterprises, looking for a niche in the district, while looking forward to future expansion to the state, the region, and probably to an international level,” said Isabel Asca, marketing assistant for ADRA Peru. The project was completed on March 23 and financed by Peru Copper, a mining company.

The second project, aimed at helping dairy farmers obtain sustainable sources of employment, has helped them increase sales of high-quality dairy products.

In an April 4 presentation at a non-governmental organization (NGO) forum held at United Nations headquarters in New York City, ADRA highlighted this project to illustrate innovative sustainable development.

“In its consultative role to the UN, ADRA recognizes the value of sharing its success stories with member states about the issues that affect the people we serve in so many countries,” noted Anne Woodworth, ADRA’s representative to the UN.

A presentation of ADRA’s project will be displayed at the Innovation Fair Civil Society Pavilion at the UN, as well as posted on a related blog, where countries can approach NGOs on their involvement in sustainable development.

Additional information about ADRA can be found at http://www.adra.org .