Who
are we?
Paititi Volunteers is an offshoot of
Paititi Peru Expeditions, a private organization
that specializes in local and cultural tourism
throughout Peru. The Project is locally inspired,
funded and organized, and is managed by a small
team of Peruvians from the region, who have the
respect of the communities and understand their
needs. The communities and their school teachers
have enthusiastically approved the project. Support
for the project has also been offered by the International
Cooperation sector of the regional government.
The objective is to support the local education
system and increase the standard of living in
these communities. The commitment to the communities
is long-term, and it is estimated that the Project
will require a minimum of 10 -15 years in order
to make real and sustainable change. |
To
promote an in-depth cultural exchange between
volunteers and communities in the Kosñipata
and Sacred Valley regions.
Volunteers will help with farming, construction,
after-school activities for children, as well
as English language skills to increase their job
opportunities and earning potential in the tourism
industry.
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Long-Term
• Establish a level of English in the communities
that allows them easy entrance into the tourism
industry, thus increasing their job opportunities
and income potential.
• Provide contact with other cultures, new
ideas, and ways of thinking, potential international
support.
• Design and implementation of sustainable
development projects in order to improve the socioeconomic
situation of the communities (large-scale projects
such as electricity, water and sewage systems,
roads and the improvement of educational infrastructure)
• Support for the development and improvement
of the regional educational curriculum.
Short-Term
• Establish a constant flow of volunteers
• Identify organizations with an interest
in the same long- and short-term goals to form
partnerships to promote community development
• Have project and volunteers become part
of school board (URHEL) curriculum
• Bring new and better proposals to the
Ministry of Education |
Paititi
Volunteers operates in two areas within the province
of Cusco, Peru.
The first area is the Kosñipata
Valley, the cultural section of the Manu Biosphere
Reserve in the Amazonian jungles of Peru. Using
Picopata, Kosñipata district´s capital,
as its base the project is currently focused on
three main communities: Pilcopata, Tupac Amaru
and Atalaya. There are potential expansion possibilities
into other communities within Kosñipata
and the neighboring province of Madre de Dios.
The local language is Spanish, although many people
in the communities also speak Quechua, Machugengo
and other local languages and dialects. The majority
of communities in the area are agricultural, producing
pineapples, yucca, papaya, coca. In the larger
communities such as Pilcopata and Atalya part
of the population is employed in tourism. Due
to its location in the cultural section of the
Manu Biosphere Reserve, there is an increasing
number of tourists entering the zone each season
and, while there have been some small attempts
at tourism-related activity, there is significant
room for expansion in this area. One of the main
barriers is the lack of English language skills
so that the locals can get involved in the tourist
industry at a more professional level.
The second area is the Inca
Sacred Valley where the focus is on five communities
in the Huayllabamba district: Huicho, Huaocary,
Huayllabamba, Urquillos and Racchi. The local
languages are Quechua and Spanish. The communities
are for the most part engaged in the production
of Andean agricultural products (corn, potatoes,
fruits and vegetables). Recently there has been
a significant growth in the area, thanks to the
many important Inca ruins. The communities are
very interested in learning English in order to
benefit from the local tourism.
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