Manos Del Uruguay was founded in 1968 by a group of women aiming to promote social and economic development in the rural areas of Uruguay. The aim was to produce handicrafts using traditional methods and to commercialise them for sophisticated markets.
The craftswomen are the owners of Manos Del Uruguay and have set up a non-for-profit organisations for rural women, to allow them to develop their communities without the need to leave their homes. They are grouped into 17 co-operatives, which spin, dye, knit and produce finished garments for sale throughout the world.