From the Andean community of La Esperanza, in Ecuador's Imbabura Province, three business partners are leading a venture to give greater visibility and value to the traditional embroidery of Kichwa Indigenous women. Their aim is to turn this craft into a source of opportunities and development.

Samillari was born in the rural parish of La Esperanza, in Ibarra, Ecuador, an area which around 12 Indigenous communities call home and where embroidery is part of everyday life.  Although both women and men practice this activity, the business places special emphasis on empowering Indigenous women: structural inequalities make it harder for them to access income and recognition. Samillari wants to empower them, support them to preserve this tradition, and give their voices a platform.  

Behind Samillari are three business partners: Luisa Valecillo and Karen Noboa, who live in Ecuador, and Jessica López, who has lived in Germany for approximately 30 years. Their collaboration shaped an idea that connects both countries and seeks to bring the embroiderers’ work to new markets. 

For Samillari, the process also involves learning and sharing knowledge. The partners are inspired by the Kichwa principle “Randi Randi,” understood as a “give-give”: a logic of reciprocity and collaboration that reflects how they want to build the venture and their relationship with the women of the community. GIZ’s support, through the initiative “Business Ideas for Development,” has accompanied the business since its early stages; from developing the idea to aspects related to improving production and marketing. 

With a forward-looking vision, the partners hope to build an ever-growing community of embroiderers who can participate in Samillari and strengthen their economic opportunities. In the words of the business itself, each garment aims to be much more than a product: “it weaves opportunities, strengthens identities, and connects cultures

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