Project Overview
The average education level of rural residents in Peru is Grade 6. Education, or the lack of it lies at the heart of under development in Peru and much of the developing world. Countless studies testify to the importance of education in breaking the cycle of poverty. Education provided to young teens, especially girls, can reduce unwanted teenage pregnancy. Education for expectant mothers can reduce infant mortality and improve early childhood development through better nutrition and childcare practices. Education and sporting activities for young boys can help reduce substance abuse and delinquency problems.
This project will provide the opportunity for a previously marginalised indigenous community, typical of many in the high Andes, to capitalise on its own opportunities and to utilise its own resources and ingenuity to sustainably lift itself out of poverty, building pride and social capital among its residents in the process.
The Yurac Yacu Community
The community of Yurac Yacu lies at the base of the Cordillera Blanca mountain range on the edge the Huascaran National Park, 8 kms from Huaraz the capital of the Departmental of Ancash, Peru. Yurac Yacu is a sector that encompasses the upper parts of two adjacent communities (Rivas and Cachimpampa) and whose residents live in closer proximity to one another than to their own community centres. This area presents untapped tourism potential and the opportunity to train rural residents in the provision of tourism services. Tourism can provide local residents with a supplementary source of family income and a sustainable source of funding for delivering community education and training programs aimed at poverty reduction.
The Yurac Yacu Community Business Center for Human Development
The Yurac Yacu Community Business Center for Human Development involves the construction of a Community Center and the implementation of two mutually supporting programs to help sustainably lift 54 families (320 indigenous residents) out of poverty by: a) enhancing family incomes by an estimated 50% per year and b) by developing the human and community/organisational skills required to continue building on these changes in the future.
The 337m2 Community Center will house:
- A Community Business Center – including an outdoor Internet Café and an Expedition Services Office where guides, cooks and porters can be hired by mountain tourists to support their hiking and climbing expeditions and;
- A Human & Community Development Center – including a health & Hygiene Center and a Library/Learning Center with computers and internet services.
The Center will also involve four minor revenue generating sources in addition to the community businesses identified above. These will include:
- revenue from the sale of bread to local residents who currently purchase their bread in the city of Huaraz 8 kms away (thereby keeping local revenues in the area)
- revenues from the use of community showers (the Health & Hygiene Center)
- revenue from the use of computers and internet services by the visitors and local residents and;
- revenues from the rental of the Library & Learning Center for the company workshops, annual meetings etc.
Construction of the Center will provide the community with approximately USD 22,500 of employment income in Year 1 distributed amount all the community residents on a work rotation basis. Annual operations of the Center in subsequent years will provide the community with 1 full-time permanent, 2 full-time temporary and 5 part-time temporary jobs as well as income for 10 families who’s members currently provide expedition services working as guides, cooks and porters. In addition to the income generated the project will fund eight 48 hour education and training courses per year in key poverty reduction areas such as human health, hygiene, nutrition, maternal-infant care, computer skills knitting and crafts production etc. The project will particularly benefit women and children with increased income being earned by local indigenous women. The Center will be financially self-supporting by the end of its second year of operations.
Andean Alliance
While Yurac Yacu suffers from the same poverty that affects most communities in the Peruvian Andes it now benefits from limited long term assistance provided by a Peruvian registered NGO “Andean Alliance”, established as a family fund by a Canadian couple. Mr Wayne Lamphier and Ms Diana Morris, the founding directors of Andean Alliance, are permanent residents of the Yurac Yacu area. Mr Lamphier has 20 years of experience in the area having directed the public consultation process implemented during the development of the first Huascaran National Park management Plan in 1988. Since March 2009 Andean Alliance has employed Mrs Jocelyn Landman as Community Development consultant. Jocelyn has extensive experience working with indigenous communities in bringing about sustainable development and education while preserving a communities cultural heritage.
Separately to this major project Andean Alliance sponsors a number of ongoing projects such as early childhood stimulation classes for mothers, reading and comprehension classes at the local community school, a community-recycling program and sporting tournaments.
