Voice 1
Thank you for joining us for today’s Spotlight program. I’m Liz Waid.
Voice 2
And I’m Joshua Leo. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 1
Lima, Peru is a large and busy city. 7,000,000 people live in Lima. Estimates say that more than half of these people live in poverty. It can be very difficult to find a job here. It may be even more difficult to find a job if a person has a disability.
Voice 2
Disabilities come in many forms. Many people with disabilities have physical problems. They are not able to move parts of their bodies correctly. Some people are blind or cannot hear. This can be from problems they have had since birth. Or, the disability could have been caused by an event. And some people have mental problems.
Voice 1
In cities like Lima, people who are disabled struggle to find work. Often, businesses refuse to consider a disabled worker. Many disabled people are forced to ask people for money on the streets. Or they sell hand-made products on the streets, for very little money. But that is starting to change. And it is all because of one group of people. This group gives jobs to people with disabilities. The group is called Anonymous Angels.
Voice 2
Jorge Shabauer lives in Lima. He saw these disabled people on the streets. He wanted to help them. He wanted to give these people jobs. A good job could create a better life situation. But how could he do this?
Voice 1
Many disabled people sold jewellery on the streets. They made the metal jewellery with their hands. People could wear the jewellery in their ears, or around their necks and wrists. Jorge saw that this could be a good business. He began to look for people making and selling jewellery.
Voice 2
Jorge saw that these jewellery makers were already skilled at making the metal products. But they still needed some things. Jorge gave the workers a place to make their jewellery. He gave them tools to use. He helped them learn more jewellery-making skills. And he found more people to buy the jewellery.
Voice 1
Soon, this group of jewellery makers called themselves Angeles Anonimos. In English, this is Anonymous Angels. Anonymous is another word for unknown. The workers in Lima do not know who buys the jewellery they make. They sell it over the internet.
Voice 2
Karina works at Angeles Anonimos. She is happy that people all over the world want to buy the jewellery she makes. She says that the people who buy the jewellery are the Anonymous Angels. It is those people who make her job possible. They are the angels who make her life better.
Voice 1
Angeles Anonimos gives jobs to disabled people who could not find work before. The group teaches them how to make beautiful jewellery - even if they did not know how to make jewellery before. Angeles Anonimos currently employs 25 people. The group is also looking for more people in the community to train and employ.
Voice 2
One of these people is Karina. Karina is twenty seven years old. She lives with her parents in Lima. Karina is a dwarf. She is much shorter than most people - about one meter tall. For many years she felt like she caused problems for her parents. Karina could not find work. Her parents had to support her.
Voice 1
Karina trained to be a telephone operator answering calls. For four years she looked for a job as a telephone operator. But she could not find work. No one would employ her. She said that the telephone businesses only gave jobs to tall women.
Voice 2
Many dwarfs in Peru work in shows. They perform for other people. But Karina did not want to perform. She wanted a normal job. Karina’s uncle told her about Angeles Anonimos. He encouraged her to get a job with the group. Karina listened to her uncle. She got her first job with Angeles Anonimos making jewellery.
Voice 1
When Karina started working at Anonymous Angels, she was afraid. She was afraid to talk to people. She had experienced so much bad treatment from other people. But the people at Angeles Anonimos were very friendly. She made friends quickly.
Voice 2
Every day Karina travels into the center of Lima to work at Angeles Anonimos. Some days it takes Karina two hours to get to work. The roads can be very busy. But Karina loves her job. She does not worry about how long it takes. She says:
Voice 3
“This has changed my life. It has changed my way of living. Now I have something to do for me, for my life, for my self.”
Voice 1
Many people buy the jewellery on the internet. A company called Fair Indigo sells the jewellery for Angeles Anonimos. Rob Behnke is one of the founders of Fair Indigo. He says this about the jewellery:
Voice 4
“Putting on a beautiful piece of jewellery becomes even more special when you know it is taking someone off the streets. Each beautifully hand-made piece we sell makes a difference in the lives of these people. It means food on the table - not just for one day, but every day. It means educational choices for their children. It means a better life.”
Voice 2
Each piece of jewellery is also a fair trade product. Fair trade is a method of doing business. Too often, trade between countries is unfair. This is especially a problem with big Western companies. Many times people must sell their products and their labour for a very low price to these companies. They work in bad conditions. Then other people sell their products for much more money. The companies make a lot of money because of their workers’ bad situations. But fair trade is different. Using fair trade, the people who create the products receive a fair amount of money. It makes sure they work in safe, clean places.
Voice 1
There are many different kinds of fair trade products. Two very popular fair trade products are coffee and tea. But it is less common to find fair trade jewellery. So the Angeles Anonimos workers are filling an important market! Sometimes fair trade products cost more money. But the person buying the product can be sure that he is supporting the workers. And this helps everyone!
Voice 2
If you would like to see the jewellery made by the people at Anonymous Angels, you can find a link to Fair Indigo’s website on our website. Just look for the script page for this program.
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