Your Generosity at Work 6.1

We’re starting 2022 strong, thanks to you! Three Casa Chapi kids have graduated from high school and are headed to college in March! Casa Chapi primary school in Chivay will reopen for in-person classes on March 30, 2022, and we want to invite you to join our Casa Chapi Family Tree of Giving to welcome them back to school. 

Meet Andrew Marcellino and Andrew Curtis of Hitchhiker Pictures in our Volunteer Spotlight. They’ve  volunteered their talent and time creating videos to tell Quechua Benefit’s story since 2014. In December 2021 they joined an international team filming in Peru for the upcoming full-length documentary Heroes of the Andes, which tells the story of the incredible conservation story of Vicuna in Peru.

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Find out how to become part of the family and pledge your support Casa Chapi here.

Thank you for your generosity to Quechua Benefit. 2021 brought many more new challenges! Your support made it possible for us to continue our mission to break the cycle of poverty.

You made it possible for us to deliver over 20,000 masks, soap, and educational brochures to fight against COVID. Now more than 65% of Peru’s population is now fully vaccinated, and life is becoming more normal. 

In the spring, our older students happily returned to their Casa Chapi houses in Arequipa.

“This year I am extremely happy, as I can return to Casa Chapi and Arequipa to receive help with my studies . . . I am truly grateful to Mr. Alejandro and Quechua Benefit for the help they gave me and my family.” – Lizbeth

Our high school seniors are excited as they approach graduation. Your gifts to our Scholarship Program this year are making it possible for our current and future students to attend college.

Because of you, our Casa Chapi primary school students continued virtual learning, and their families received monthly food boxes.

Many of the kids visited Casa Chapi’s Chivay campus in August for reading and health assessment. A great bonus was getting to see their friends! They’re looking forward to in-person learning beginning March 7, 2022.

In May, The Sister Antonia Kitchen in Ichupampa reopened to serve the poor and elderly after months of closure due to the pandemic. In addition, we were able to open a new kitchen in Yanque on August 2nd. Both communities are preparing to add Women’s and Children’s Community Centers.

The best summary of the year comes from long-time Quechua Benefit friend and supporter Ruth Mogrovejo of Latin Collection. She conducted a Handicrafts Workshop with our Casa Chapi girls.

“The girls wish to learn to do something profitable for Quechua Benefit. The idea of making scarves that could be sold filled them with joy! They are girls of great talent, perseverance, responsibility and above all gratitude for Quechua Benefit.”

Thank you for your investment that is changing the lives of women and children. With your support, we’re helping them break the cycle of poverty!

Your gift today will make a brighter 2022 for women and children in the highlands of Peru!

Thanks to you, Casa Chapi kids are finishing high school and preparing to attend college! This #GivingTuesday you can help them move on to the next step in their journey to break the cycle of poverty! Read more about these great kids and how you can help in this issue of Your Generosity at Work.

We also welcome Bruno Franco to the Board of Directors and two new US staff members! With your help, Quechua Benefit is making a difference.

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Yes, I want to help Casa Chapi graduates attend college.

 

After two years of learning at home, Casa Chapi students returned to the beautiful campus in Chivay for a day. They met with their teachers for academic evaluations and loved seeing their friends. Being back on campus, even for a few hours, was a great treat!

Thanks to your generous support, Casa Chapi students have received schoolbooks, iPads, cellphones and internet access to continue learning during COVID school closures.

The kids and teachers are looking forward to school reopening for the 2022 school year on March 7, 2022.

During COVID lockdowns, many poor students have been unable to attend school.  According to a report from UNICEF,

“Students in rural areas consistently represent the vast majority of those who cannot be reached by any of the three remote learning modalities analyzed [internet, TV, radio], irrespective of the country’s level of economic development.”

Your generosity is providing everything they need for a first-class education, even though they come from some of the poorest rural families in Peru!
 
100% of your donation to EDUCATION goes directly to Casa Chapi students.
 

Many parts of the world are recovering from Covid, yet Peru has the highest death rate per capita in the world. Peru’s situation is even worse than previously thought. According to an article published June 1 on BBC.com,

“Peru has the highest Covid death rate as a proportion of population in the world, according to the latest data. Its official death toll has more than doubled, after the criteria for recording Covid deaths were changed following a government review.

Before the review, only those with positive Covid tests prior to death were counted as Covid deaths. Following the review, criteria broadened to include those who had a positive test within 60 days of their deaths as well as suspected cases without a positive test.”

 

But you are making a difference! Your donations are feeding Casa Chapi families, the elderly in Ichupampa receive a hot meal every day because of your generosity, and many of our at-risk kids—primarily the girls—are safe in Casa Chapi Arequipa campuses. The Women and Children’s Community Center is open in Ichupampa, and the Sister Antonia Community Kitchen is about to open in Yanque, all thanks to you.

Despite all the Covid obstacles, Quechua Benefit is still active, thanks to you, and meeting needs of families and villagers in the Colca Valley. These families are part of what is called the “informal economy”—people who must continue working to provide necessities for their families regardless of the risk of becoming sick. They have been economically devastated by the pandemic. Quechua Benefit Peru staff have family who have contracted Covid, and some of our Peruvian friends have also suffered from the virus.

As soon as travel was permitted, Alejandro and the QB Peru staff began delivering monthly supplies of food staples and that continues to this day. New fleece clothing and cellphones were included in subsequent deliveries to make sure students were warm and connected to their teachers. The kids love seeing “Tio Alejandro” every month. He is your representative to these kids and delivers your love along with food and school supplies. All generously provided by you.

Not only has Quechua Benefit provided for Casa Chapi students and families, but we also broadened our reach to the remote villages in the Colca Valley. Your generous donations provided masks, soap, and educational brochures to fight the spread of Covid in these communities. The campaign reached 17,000 people and provided jobs for the women who sewed the masks.

After a year of studying at home, it became evident that many of our students, especially the girls, were not thriving in their homes. In March of 2021, we brought as many older girls as possible back to the girls’ Casa Chapi campus in Arequipa. Many of them had struggled to keep up with lessons due to technology difficulties or the need to help their families. Today the younger girls have been added, and they are in a safe and stable environment where they can continue school and enjoy their friends. Thanks to you, several of our girls are nearing the end of secondary school and are looking forward to experiencing higher education. 

In June, eight boys also moved back to the their campus to study in Arequipa. They are grateful to be closer to their teachers and friends.

The good news is that Peru has purchased 32 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine (not all doses have been delivered). In addition, the US has donated 2 million doses of Pfizer. To date 9.4 million doses have been administered.  They are currently vaccinating at the rate of 3.4 million doses a month.  Peru has a population of 32 million people with 24 million age 18 and older eligible to receive the vaccine.

The next step is to find a way to deliver vaccines to the remote highland communities. This will not be easy or maybe even be possible, but we shudder to think that the new supply of vaccines might not find its way out of the largest cities.

It is our Board of Directors’ stated intent to seek partnerships with the government, private foundations, other international non-profits, and care givers to create a delivery system to the highland communities who are most often either forgotten or simply ignored. Quechua Benefit, with your support, aspires to be the logistics link in the supply chain. These remote alpaca breeding communities are in our hearts and minds every day.

The battle is not over, and because of you, we are fighting the good fight. Thank you!

Your Casa Chapi primary students are staying strong while they’re learning at home, thanks to you! They have received cellphones, internet, and schoolbooks to keep up with their studies. Families in the highlands have suffered throughout the pandemic, so they are grateful for your love and concern.

Raul, Carmen and Gloria

With your help, Quechua Benefit is continuing monthly deliveries of food to our 150 Casa Chapi families. The kids look forward to seeing Alejandro and the Quechua Benefit Peru Staff, who not only deliver food staples and schoolbooks but also bring love and encouragement. The kids miss being at Casa Chapi’s beautiful campus in Chivay, and they’ll be happy when they can return. Until then, they need your support to have food and attend school virtually.

 

You can see by the smiles on their faces that the kids feel the love you are sending their way. Will you continue to help our families? For just $100 you can feed a Casa Chapi family for a month.

Donate to Feed Our Families.

Thank you for keeping our kids strong with good nutrition and access to school.