Born and raised in a small Otavalan Indian community far from the city, Lucila candidly admits she only studied until the 6^th grade. At 13 she learned to knit from her father and eventually married an artisan from her village and bore six children. When her husband died shortly after her last child was born, Lucila had to learn to manage the ‘business’ while raising her kids.

Now 54 years old, Lucila lives above her shop in Otavalo, Ecuador with her two teenage daughters. She is thankful to have fair paying clients in foreign countries because even when times are hard she is able to educate her children. Fluent in both Spanish and the Quichua (keech-hua) language, she enjoys being able to help other members of her community to prosper.

“Thanks to sizable orders from foreign clients, my children and I have been able to move ahead with our lives. I have been able to give them a proper education. At the same time, I have been to help other families to make a decent living.”