Quechua Benefit
Quechua Benefit is an organization dedicated to helping the Quechua people in the highlands of Peru.
The Colca Valley was hit by a 5.4 earthquake whose epicenter was 15 minutes from Casa Chapi. As fate would have it, the quake virtually destroyed the poorest community in the valley — Ichupampa. This small village’s population includes a disproportionate share of elderly people. Eighty percent of the homes and buildings in the town were destroyed. There is no running water, sewer, or shelter for the homeless.
Sister Antonia provided a spiritual example for the charities work that has inspired our volunteers and given guidance to our interactions with the Quechua people. Quechua Benefit will do well by learning from her life.
All you need to know about traveling on your first mission to Peru.
The wild Vicuna stood rigid and still a mere three feet away. Her round ebony eyes mirrored the image of man — her mortal enemy for more than ten thousand years. She seemed to be simultaneously contemplating escape and submission. The cria stood boldly at her side, while the Chacu swirled on around them.
The highlands of Peru are home to the vast majority of all the alpacas in the world. The Quechua Indians, who domesticated the vicuna more than five thousand years ago, are the source of the alpaca which now reside in the outside world. Their world of high plains and harsh environment resists the probability of profit, providing the Quechua only a subsistence level existence. A pair of shoes, an extracted tooth, or a warm blanket is out of reach for […]
Quechua Benefit has returned to Peru every year since 1996 delivering clothes, school supplies and dental assistance. The alpaca breeders of the United States have made this possible with their kind and generous donations. Fund raising has progressed from a few loyal donors to the point today where more than 216 breeders have contributed, many donating thousands of dollars.
Titles are extraordinarily important – always error on the side of being overly polite by referring to everyone by their appropriate professional of social title (e.g. physicians – “Dr.” or Dra.”).
I closed my eyes and considered the evolution of Quechua Benefit beginning with our first trip to Macusani in 1996. It was a simple idea. Now, after twelve years on the ground, with the continued support and open hearts of alpacas breeders, Quechua Benefit might well be able to permanently change lives. The path is clear.
