Peru

The WAWASONQO organisation's project "Training for the cultivation of organic vegetables in greenhouses, nutrition, and product processing" is receiving independent support from MiA with USD 15,000 in the 2024/25 project year.

Greenhouses are being built in the Chaquepay farming community near the capital city of Cusco, where families can grow fruit and vegetables. Training and education in plant cultivation, care, and processing, as well as in healthy, balanced nutrition, lay the foundation for sustainable self-help.

20 women, 23 men, and 23 children are currently benefiting directly from this work and are already inspiring others beyond their own borders.

Project manager Percy reports:

"The project has developed satisfactorily and aroused the interest of the beneficiaries and the community. The various activities were carried out responsibly and with great commitment by all involved.

The construction of the greenhouses took the longest, as it required a lot of time and effort; it was the main activity during this period. Community work was crucial: Community members invested a lot of time and energy in their tasks as part of their daily agricultural work. This strengthened relationships between families, as some families had previously not had the opportunity to work together—an important positive effect.

Small drip irrigation systems were also installed, an innovation for the project. At the altitude of the area, which extends to 3,800 meters above sea level, this type of irrigation is essential due to water scarcity. Sufficient water is only available for agriculture during the rainy season; during the rest of the year, there is sometimes a shortage even for domestic use. The installation of drip irrigation in all greenhouses built so far has made vegetable cultivation possible. The first products have been produced. already harvested. (Chard, zucchini, carrots, onions, and spinach are in cultivation, and lettuce is in harvest.)

At the end of 2024, we met for a get-together with hot chocolate and bread and shared experiences. Small baskets of basic foodstuffs were donated to beneficiary families to meet their needs.

"Unity is strength!" is our motto. In ancient times, the Inca culture practiced a form of mutual labor between families called 'ayni', a Quechua word for shared work. This made it possible to create magnificent works like Machu Picchu.

BGR and MIA are a great help to families in this region, where abject poverty still prevails. Thanks to the will and enthusiasm of the beneficiaries, we are convinced that the support of BGR and MIA will be positive and always reciprocated.

MiA's first "own" project - a village thrives in Peru

We are pleased to inform you that thanks to your generous support, it will be possible for MiA to solely fund this project with our much appreciated partner. As already presented, the organization Wawa Sonqo in Cusco, Peru, has been campaigning for the weakest of the population of Cusco since 2006. Wawa Sonqo focuses its efforts on three pillars: education, nutrition and health. Since last year, we have supported the goal of combating the undernourishment and malnutrition in children and adolescents of the rural communities in the foothills of the Andes.

15,000 US dollars were needed to start planning and implementing the construction and the associated training. And thanks to you, we could reach this sum. From summer, 18 families will be directly supported in "our" village, each of whom will receive a greenhouse, accessories, seeds and training. Also this year, the measures are intended to support these goals:

• To train families in the cultivation, care, protection as well as the preparation, processing and preservation of fruit and vegetables.
• To teach families, especially mothers and pregnant women, about nutrition and the development of healthy eating habits.
• To provide instructions and materials for the construction and use of simple greenhouses.
• And to promote the cultivation of vitamin- and mineral-rich vegetables such as spinach, chard, broccoli, cauliflower, onions, tomatoes, etc.

Around 30 families live in this small village community. The training courses and workshops are offered free of charge to the entire community and up to 150 families can be reached with them. The project starts with 18 farming families, all of whom receive a greenhouse. The whole village should benefit from the yield and knowledge, the village community should be strengthened and secured. The project aims to create new habits and customs that enable long-term health and vitamin-rich nutritional autonomy.

Thank you for making this possible and please continue to support us and the village communities with your donations so that we can reach many more families.

Text: Oliva Haas

Pictures: WAWA SONQO 2024

We received an interim report about the project village from our local partner. The project could be carried out as planned in the first half of the year. The weather (rain) made transport and assembly more difficult in some cases and led to delays, but so far they have managed to stay within the planning and implementation much to our delight.

What has happened so far? 

• A greenhouse was built for the community school.
• The purchase and distribution of seed beds for transplantation into the greenhouses of the first three groups was carried out.
• Lectures on food and organic agriculture were held.
• Basic food baskets were distributed.
• A fundraiser for used clothes and blankets was carried out to help the residents of the municipality of Chaquepay with the cold in the Andean heights. In December, the distribution of clothes was carried out, and the children of the community received toys for the year-end celebration.
• 12 greenhouses were built (only 6 still need to be done).
• 24 greenhouses with planted seedlings were built.
• 1500 kg of VOCASHI, a solid organic fertilizer, were prepared.
• Garbage cleaning throughout the community took place with the active participation of all.
• Basic food packages were delivered to families.

During community exchanges, also with other communities, knowledge is acquired and passed on.

Problems

Unfortunately, our partner has to report on the irrigation problems that exist due to the water shortage in this Andean area (on average 3800 meters above sea level). However, they are already working on an alternative solution: the introduction of drip irrigation systems for every greenhouse, in order to optimize water supply and make the project sustainable in the long term. This seems to be a good and affordable solution.

Who are the local people?

For example, Jose Alberto Huaman Huaman and Delia Uñapillco Huaman live in our project village. They are a couple and have two children. Jose Alberto is a farmer, but also works as a traditional musician and Delia is a housewife. Jose Alberto is the head of the third group with which the activities to be carried out are coordinated. The coordination meetings almost always take place in his house, which he kindly makes available to our partner for this work. He is a very active person and always involved in all project activities, he motivates his colleagues to work on and in the greenhouses and he accompanies our partner every time the partner go to the community. Together with Crisologo Huaman, he helps a lot in the coordination and implementation of the project activities. People like Jose Alberto always make us feel like we are being supported to continue the proposed work.

This year a long cherished wish of ours comes true: Thanks to your support we are now able to do something against hunger in Central and South America and so we are happy to be able to support a whole village in Peru together with Buddhist Global Relief.

About the situation and our local partner

The Wawa Sonqo organization in Cusco, Peru, has been working since 2006 to break the cycle of poverty that affects 24 percent of Cusco's population. Wawa Sonqo focuses its efforts on three pillars: Education, Nutrition and Health. The goal of this project we support is to combat malnutrition and undernourishment among children and adolescents in the farming community of Chaquepay, Huarocondo district in Anta province, located in the foothills of the Andes.

Currently, children and families feed on low-quality food.

The objectives of the project are:

- To train families in the cultivation, care, protection, and preparation, processing and preservation of fruits and vegetables.

- To educate families, especially mothers and pregnant women, on nutrition and developing healthy eating habits.

- To provide guidance and materials for the construction and use of simple greenhouses.

- To especially promote the cultivation of vegetables rich in vitamins and minerals such as spinach, chard, broccoli, cauliflower, onions, tomatoes, etc.

There are 150 families living in the village. The trainings and workshops are offered free of charge to the entire community. The project starts with 21 farming families and 112 people, more than half of whom are children. The 21 families selected for training will each receive a greenhouse. The whole village will benefit from the yield and knowledge, and the village community will be strengthened and secured. The project aims to create new habits and customs that will enable long-term, healthier and vitamin-rich food autonomy.

Thanks to your help, we are creating a fertile piece of land under adverse conditions. A whole village thanks you and we ask for your generous support.

Text: Olivia Haas