A.S.Adventure and Solid: together for social impact

Belgian development organisation Solid has been able to count on Ayacucho's support since 2009. So which projects were set up with it, and what is their impact?

A success story for everyone involved

Solid is a non-profit organisation with a clear goal: to eradicate poverty by setting up sustainable development projects. They help vulnerable communities by offering training and providing tailored support - for example, to (teenage) mothers who would otherwise be left to fend for themselves.

The story of Solid began in Ayacucho, one of Peru's poorest areas, with limited access to basic services and education. To support the projects there, Emiel Lathouwers (founder of A.S.Adventure) started a brand named after the region back in 2009.

Ayacucho is a member of 1% for the Planet, which means that 1% of the annual revenue goes to Solid. A great collaboration where everyone wins! Meanwhile, projects have also been set up in Kenya and India.

Local craftsmanship in the Ayacucho collection

Whenever possible, Solid's own workshops are asked to craft certain Ayacucho items. That way, we help generate local employment - a real lifeline for people living in poverty. These handmade products include hats, gloves, and scarves for the autumn and winter collection.

Knitwear from Peru

The craft workshop in Manta employs more than 200 knitters each year, producing over 35,000 pieces by hand. These women make the hats, blankets, and scarves which you will also find in our Ayacucho collection. The income offers them a stepping stone to a better life, empowering them to take control of their own futures.

Baskets from Kenya

Good-humoured Kenyan women dedicate themselves every day to weaving beautiful, colourful baskets for fair wages. The project has been successfully led by Belgian Lore Defrancq under the name Hadithi since 2014. Wondering how the creative process works, and how your purchase directly impacts the local community?

Textiles from India

Solid's unique craft workshop in India gives disadvantaged women the chance to earn a fair income - instead of relying on insecure and unsafe day labour. The workshop employs around 40 women, who are trained in techniques such as weaving, sewing, and crocheting, and they can put their new skills to use right away.

Local project leaders speak out

In recent years, A.S.Adventure employees have travelled to Ayacucho several times to lend a helping hand. This allowed us to discover the projects up close and better understand the people's reality. Conversely, in 2022, we invited some of Solid's local project leaders to our head office in Belgium.

Speaking here are Nery, a social worker from the knitting workshop; Laura, a psychologist from the shelter for young victims of violence; and finally Mery and Ruth, who counsel teenage mothers in Ayacucho.

Doing business with impact

Corporate social responsibility is at the heart of Solid, as they link economic activities with social change. Income from handmade textile production and agriculture flows directly back to social projects - fuelling long-term, sustainable change in Peru, Kenya, and India.

Every euro is used smartly, and twice over: for fair employment and social progress. These are the three core pillars of Solid's work:

Solid Crafts: jobs through craftsmanship

Disadvantaged women receive training in traditional textile techniques and a stable income:

• Diamanta (Peru): hand-knitted hats, scarves, and blankets - including some of those of the Ayacucho® collection.

• Paces Crafts (India): handwoven, crocheted, and sewn textile products, a sustainable alternative to precarious day labour.

• Hadithi (Kenya): woven baskets and handmade goods that support female financial independence.

Solid Social: care, prevention and recovery

Vulnerable groups receive holistic support focused on health, wellbeing, and empowerment.

• Emma (Peru): home-based counselling for very young mothers, focusing on parenting, secure attachment and emotional support.

• Yo Decido (Peru): prevention of teenage pregnancy through sex education and personal development in secondary schools, and a youth centre.

• CAR (Peru): shelter for young victims of sexual violence, where girls can recover in peace and safety and rediscover their childhood.

Solid Agriculture: sustainable farming and entrepreneurship

Young people and farming families receive support to improve their future in rural areas.

• Montefino (Peru): a model farm with dairy cattle, crops and agrotourism helps drive innovation and shares knowledge with the locals.

• Jovem (Peru): an agricultural training programme enthuses young people about entrepreneurship and helps them build an economically stable future in rural areas.

• Solid Food (Peru): fair-trade partnerships with local farmers to market Andean crops like quinoa in a sustainable way.

Moving forward step by step

Sustainability is at the heart of everything Solid does. They work toward structural solutions for poverty and inequality. A noble cause, to which we are happy to contribute with our own brand Ayacucho. With every step, we build a better future together - for individuals, communities, and generations to come.