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SNOW, RAIN, AND THE WILLKA T'IKA CHILDREN'S FUND GREENHOUSE PROJECT
July 30, 2011
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| Dear Friends,
During July this year, if you were lucky enough to drive from Cusco to Willka T'ika Guesthouse in the Sacred Valley, you descended into Urubamba surrounded by a magnificent Andean mountain backdrop.
From the east, crossing Apu Chicon and Apu Wakay Willka, to the far north and Apu Salkkantay, all the great mountains and smaller ones in between were covered in thick snow. Stunning cobalt-blue skies wrapped around the snowy mountains, and in the foreground dry fields in a patchwork of earth colors completed the perfection of Pachamama's extraordinary beauty.
This breathtaking scenery, however, masks harsh realities. For campesinos living in the upper reaches of these mountains, this has been a devastating winter. As Don Benito, our Qero pakko, descended the pass from Cochamocca to get to Acongate and Cusco, the snow reached the top of his legs.
This winter, 157 of Benito's prized alpaca died of starvation. Because snow covered all the grasslands on those mountains, animals simply could not feed. It was not a good year for Andean farmers. Stories came in from friends in all the mountain communities we support - of crops destroyed, potatoes rotting in the wet earth, and unusual July rains wiping out whatever little was left of agricultural crops.
Quechua campesinos are resilient. By nature they do not complain. As they have done for centuries, they accept these changes. In August, Pachamama must rest and restore herself. Come September, they hope to hand-plow their fields, hold ceremonies and offer blessings. They will plant seeds they can afford and with an open heart, start all over again.
For the Willka T'ika Children's Fund, our main goal during this harsh Andean winter is to feed 600 children hot nutritious meals three to five times a week.
With the devastating losses to crops and livestock, these meals often provide a majority of the nutritious calories for campesino children in these communities. Grateful teachers know that hot food keeps the children healthy and more alert to study. Government supplements do not often reach the children in these isolated areas, and when shipments do arrive, the food consists of tasteless bread or soya powder.
Your donation - of $25, $50 or $100, or whatever you can afford - will help to insure nutritious hot meals for these children. Any amount helps.
The Young Women's Academy and Greenhouse Project:
This July, I invited young teenage boys to join the women's academy in a special event at Willka T'ika. Jessica and I believe it is good for children of both sexes from two communities to mix, spend a day together learning, and take part in a special meal. Coming down from the cold mountains, children snug in their beautiful traditional clothing were astounded to see the masses of flowers and herbs growing in our gardens in midwinter.
I invited them into our greenhouse to see a wide selection of vegetables, some of which th ey had never seen or tasted before; few knew the various names. In the children's native Quechua, Fabian my senior gardener and Leucadio described how a simple drip system with tubes could work so well. I have never seen 35 children paying such attention to every word, and they all wanted to try a similar system at home. I heard myself saying that we would do our best to teach them how to make their own and to supply the necessary plastic and poles. The children departed with a new dream - to grow tomatoes, spinach, eggplant, beets, beans, cabbage, celery, carrots and herbs in their villages.
With your support, we hope to expand the Willka T'ika Children's Fund greenhouse project.
In August we'll start with large greenhouses projects in Chumpe Pokes and Huama, and then build at Kkapackmachay and Cocchamocca. Once students master the skills to maintain the school gardens, we plan to expand by supplying older children with basic green house materials for home, supplies their families could never afford on their own. Please consider a donation to assist in the creation of these greenhouses - a project to provide extra nutrition for four schools, with the added benefit of fostering valuable and practical skills to battle the effects of a very harsh winter.
The good news is that Tayta Inti, the Sun, always comes out. There is natural fertilizer available from each family's cuy, guinea pigs and other small animals. And since the Quechua children live in a culture that practices an expansive communal reciprocity (ayni), they will eventually exchange seeds and vegetables and make sure that there is something for everyone. I will be happy to report back on this project next year.
I want to personally thank guests who brought us seeds this year. In the next few weeks, we will sow seeds in the Willka T'ika greenhouse. I will be happy to be the "organic veggie nursery supplier." As soon as the cold is over and we move into summer months, we will send small plants to school greenhouses.
I started growing vegetables when I was very young. Now six decades later, I am still growing vegetables. Some things never change!
With heartfelt appreciation, Andean blessings and greens,
Carol Cumes
To provide warm food for Andean schoolchildren and to make mountain greenhouses possible, send a check to "Willka T'ika Children's Fund" at:
Willka T'ika Children's Fund
4110 SE Hawthorne Blvd., #237
Portland, OR 97214.
Or visit www.chakragardens.com.
Donations to the Willka T'ika Children's Fund are tax-deductible to the extent allowed under section 501 (c) (3) of IRS tax code.
 
Jessica, the principal of Chumpe and Pokes, at Willka T'ika in July 2011. As you can see, she is happily back with her beloved students and she continues to oversee the financial needs of all four schools. Jessica has fully recovered after a year of cancer treatment in Lima. Her excellent but expensive treatment was made possible thanks to our most generous donor Jan Tuttleman. Other kind friends enabled us to start a fund for Jessica that allows her to return to Lima for periodic check ups and tests
Carol |
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