On a side street in Lima sits a brightly painted yellow house that has become a beacon of hope for families emerging from economic hardship. This yellow house is a jewelry workshop founded by master Artisan Fermin and his wife Madelyn. Fermin was taught the tools of jewelry making at a very young age–working with traditional Peruvian techniques and using local materials to create elaborate designs.

For Fermin, supporting the economic health of this community was one of the joys of his life. Sadly, Fermin passed away in 2022–but before he passed, he shared, “We want to provide people with the tools to get ahead and ensure they always have a place with us here.” Today, Fermin’s legacy of impact lives on. His son Franco now leads the workshop, and is committed to continuing the important work his father began.

Peru is a South American country that is considered tropical, but is home to a huge diversity of climates, from mountains to shoreline to rainforest. It was once the site of the powerful Incan Empire, the largest civilization in Pre-Columbian America. The name Peru itself comes from a word meaning “land of abundance” in Quechua, the ancient language of the Inca people. Peru is home to the oldest university in the Americas—it has run continually since 1551.