Vicuña Salvation Premiere in Peru!

October was a big month for Quechua Benefit’s feature length documentary, Vicuña Salvation. We participated in three premieres in Peru, each a little different than the other. But each audience loved it.

Dale with long time Quechua Benefit supporter (and photographer), Maria, at the Vicuña Salvation premiere in Picotani.

The audience at the premiere in Picotani.

This success would not have happened if you had not continued to support our organization during the COVID pandemic, keeping our programs strong during tough times, by virtue of your generous hearts. 

The first premiere took place in Picotani and the community did all of the leg work to make it big! They promoted the film, invited government officials, held a ceremonial chaccu, and gathered the press. To the amazement of the community, Derek Michell of Michell & CIA SA and his entire executive staff were there in support of their efforts, most of whom had never been to Picotani. We were interviewed by a Quechua radio station that broadcasts from Puno. Thank goodness for translators!

Everyone watched in awe and loved the film. Soft murmurs and chuckles were heard in the audience as they recognized various community members on the big screen. They laughed, they cried, they applauded to the very end. A woman from the community thanked Quechua Benefit for visiting every year. “I don’t know how you find us here. The government in Lima does not know where we live.” Another women once told me: “Say we are here, say we exist.” I think this film will not only put our communities on the map, but make their story heard for the first time. It will be available for streaming on National Geographic – South America, beginning March 2023. This is all possible, thanks to you and our wonderful community. 

Dale holding the water pipe that provides water 24 hours a day! From left to right: Dale, José, Felipe, and Guillermo.

The ribbon cutting ceremony for the reveal of the Water Project in Picotani.

In addition to the premiere, the community proudly took us on a tour of the completed first phase of our water project that provides water to vicuña during the dry season. The 14 lagoons and 28 individual drinkers built across 2,500 acres will be able to support an additional 1,250 vicuña. It has the potential to double the size of the existing herd that historically grazes the site and provides the Picotani community an estimated $75,000 of additional annual income in perpetuity.  

Proud is the best way to describe the energy felt during the ribbon cutting ceremony. This project was completed by community members, digging through the dry dirt and hand placing the miles and miles of pipe. This project would not have been possible without your generosity. Our Executive Director, Dale, worked closely with the community leaders to engineer the system. This water increases the pastures available for both vicuña and alpaca, which means more income for our alpaquero families. Thanks to your support, this is just phase one! 

Students and staff at La Molina University pictured with Mike and Dale.

The next premiere was held at La Molina University, the only agricultural university in Peru. We had the opportunity to visit their campus and meet all the department heads. Our guide was Dr. Gustavo Gutierrez, head of the animal science department. He joined us in Picotani to witness the first of its kind water project and wanted to discuss the potential research project to establish the carbon footprint of alpacas. This study could make alpaca fiber more valuable worldwide if we can, together, establish its true sustainability and quantify what we believe is a much lower carbon footprint than competing fibers on the market. 

Everyone at La Molina loved the film, especially the vet students. Many had no idea of the vicuña’s story of salvation from extinction. From the late 60s to present day, the vicuña population has increased from a mere 5,000 animals to approximately 500,000. During our visit, Dr. Gutierrez offered an open scholarship to their veterinary program for a potential Casa Chapi student who may be interested in the field of study.

The audience at the Arequipa premiere was full of alpaca industry movers and shakers.

A warm welcome to the Quechua Benefit team during the Arequipa premiere of Vicuña Salvation, hosted by Michell & CIA SA.

The last event was held in Arequipa, at the home of Michell’s founder, Frank Michell. Michell & CIA SA donated $50,000 to sponsor the making of our documentary. They put on a spectacular affair which coincided with the 90th anniversary of Michell & CIA SA.  

There were over 600 attendees, dressed to the nines, sipping cocktails and noshing on tiny tidbits. What fascinated me was the crowd’s response was similar to that of the audience from Picotani. They were unfamiliar with the story of the vicuña, the animal that is on their country’s coat of arms. This crowd represent Peru’s elite and many of them were alpaca textile executives. I’ll let the photos illustrate the wide gap between the culture of Arequipa and Picotani. 

This year, Quechua Benefit had a booth at the Holiday Gift Bazaar hosted by the Ladies of Laurel Social Club. We sold all sorts of alpaca products from yarn to felted soap to stickers. All the proceeds went to helping our Quechuan farming families in Peru. Thank you to all of you that attended. We appreciate you!

If you took photos and post on social media, please tag us @QuechuaBenefit. Thanks!

Pictured here: our booth at the bazaar right after set up. Our biggest sellers were our felted soaps, stuffed alpacas, and artisan gloves.

Pictured here: The upper floor of the bazaar with most of the vendors and guests in the frame.

All the vendors and guests at the bazaar (on the upper floor). There were also vendors downstairs.
One of two live performances during the bazaar.

Quechua Benefit celebrates GivingTuesday by helping our students and their families. Join us and millions around the world by participating in the global generosity movement on November 29, 2022

GivingTuesday is a global generosity movement, unleashing the power of people and organizations to transform their communities and their world.

GivingTuesday will kick off the generosity season this year by inspiring people to give back on November 29, 2022, and throughout the year.

Those who are interested in joining Quechua Benefit’s GivingTuesday initiative can DONATE HERE. Learn more about the GivingTuesday movement here.

Our goal is to raise $50,000 this year. Help us get there!

Corporate Matching

Did you know your company may have a corporate matching program? Quechua Benefit may be on it, if not, recommend us! Contact your company’s HR department to learn more about company matching programs. We would like to take a moment to thank our current corporate matching partners: Intel, Nike, Guidewire, United Health Group, State Farm, BD, R.W. Baird, TQL, and Velosio.

About Quechua Benefit

Quechua Benefit’s mission is to empower the Quechua people in the highlands of Peru through educational programs, medical care, efficient farming practices, and social justice programs. Our three pillars are education, economic empowerment, and preventative medicine.

Share Your Story
Head over to social media (or email us) and share why you support Quechua Benefit. With your permission, we’d like to share these stories as a way to connect supporters and strengthen our community. Be sure to tag us on socials, @QuechuaBenefit and use the hashtags, #GivingTuesday and #WhyIGive!

Ways to Help

Did you know your company may have a corporate matching program? Quechua Benefit may be on it, if not, recommend us! Contact your company’s HR department to learn more about company matching programs. We would like to take a moment to thank our current corporate matching partners: Intel, Guidewire, Nike, State Farm, UnitedHealth Group, BD, R.W. Baird, TQL, and Velosio.

Every year, the last weekend in September is reserved for our fluffy friends (alpacas)! This was Quechua Benefit’s first National Alpaca Farm Days event since Covid hit. We opened up the farm for the weekend and had the opportunity to host guests, feed the alpacas, enjoy photo opportunities, and shop our farm store. All the proceeds went to helping our Quechuan farming families in Peru. Thank you to all of you that attended. We appreciate you!

If you took photos and post on social media, please tag us @QuechuaBenefit. Thanks!

Sara, our Communication Director, got her start in fine art thus she was able to lend a hand in creating a fun, alpaca photo opportunity for guests to enjoy. It’s sitting outside our farm store in Hillsboro, Oregon so come take your photo!

Pictured here: Katie, our Development Director (left) and Sara (right), testing out the photo board before guests arrived.

Quechua Benefit sold stickers of our logo and alpacas, suris in this case, as a calling card.

Shout out to Sticker Mule for helping in their creation. They turned out wonderful!

Did you know, a wasi is a suri that has never been sheared and is considered good luck among alpaca farmers?

Through partnerships with indigenous communities with vicuña habitats, Quechua Benefit hopes to revitalize the health of their grazing pastures to help with economic growth and keep this virtuous Andean cycle going.

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