The Pottery Maker
Connecting Peruvian artisans to the internet and the world
Willian Ojanama Sangama was full of energy and excitement as he showed us the pottery pieces his students were working on. “Now it’s very different for children who are 10 years old,” he tells us. “Now they can focus on studies. We have to take care of our children. We have to give them opportunities to prosper.” When Willian was 10, he started growing coca. Many in Chazuta, a village located in the Peruvian Amazon, had to as well.
In the 1980s and 1990s drug trafficking took hold of the village as it was losing a lot of its traditions, including pottery making. In 2004, the Government of Peru put together a plan to reduce illegal coca cultivation. As people stopped growing coca, they struggled to make a living.
Since 2002 USAID provided job opportunities to 80,000 families, helping former coca farmers find legitimate work and connecting them with producer associations. They started growing cacao, coffee, and opening pottery businesses. In the past five years, these efforts prevented illegal drugs valued at $33 billion from reaching global markets. The joint work of the Government of Peru, USAID, and State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, reduced coca cultivation by 83% in San Martin, Ucayali, and Pasco.
Willian followed his passion of ceramics. “Since I was 13 years old I practiced pottery and my mother tells me that I used to play with clay as a young child,” he recalls. “This pottery is something that comes from our heritage. My mother and grandmother are both artisans. This is something that is born within me.”
Willian struggled when he first started his pottery business. In 2013, he participated in a USAID training on digital and financial literacy. A USAID-funded telecenter offered courses for artisans, entrepreneurs, and farmers throughout Chazuta, expanding opportunities and strengthening the village’s economy. In partnership with the private sector, USAID also connected Chazuta and other rural areas to the internet — and to the world.
Through the Digital Inclusion Project (2013–2017) followed by the Alliance of Digital and Financial Services Project — CR3CE Alliance (2018–2022), both implemented by CEDRO [el Centro de Información y Educación para la Prevención del Abuso de Drogas], USAID is partnering with the private sector, leveraging twice the Agency’s investment.
USAID is partnering with Cisco and local financial institutions to provide digital and financial training, and with Yachay, a local internet service provider, to build training centers across the country and connect rural areas to the internet. These efforts already expanded internet connectivity in 42 rural communities in Peru, and helped 50,000 people with training and access to the internet.
“The training taught me how to use the internet and expand the business,” says Willian. “Before the training we didn’t produce a lot because there was no market to sell our products.” Willian now produces four times as many pieces.
Willian’s story showcases USAID’s holistic approach in Peruvian villages like Chazuta. First, by helping former coca farmers find legal job opportunities and then by providing digital and financial training so they can own and grow their businesses. USAID supports partner countries by providing them with digital tools that enable them to solve their own development challenges, helping them leverage digital technology to connect with producer associations and new markets.
Perhaps the one thing Willian is most proud of is becoming an art teacher. “I never went to college but I am recognized in my community for my art and for the work I do with children.” He continues, “I am really happy now that I am a teacher. When kids see me and say ‘professor, professor’ and want to stay with me all day working on ceramics, I feel proud.”
Check out more video portraits at USAID’s Storytelling Hub. Learn more about USAID on USAIDPeru, @USAID/LAC, USAID/Digital, and @USAID.
About the Author
Sahar Kalifa is a Senior Communications Advisor and Content Specialist at USAID’s Bureau for Legislative and Public Affairs.
