Tinkuy Community Tourism

Tinkuy Community Tourism

Tinkuy Community Tourism

Cuyo Chico community – Sacred Valley -Cusco, Peru

Impact

Tinkuy is yet another example of the power of community and perseverance. The 12 families who came together to establish Tinkuy have worked together for years on the shared vision of recovering their traditional practices and ceramics while being able to earn an income locally in order to support their families. Not only are they now able to do so, but they have also dedicated their efforts to helping the wider community through supporting clean-up campaigns and improving access roads, benefitting other farmers and artisans in the Cuyo Chico community.

32
people directly impacted
85
families indirectly impacted
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Critical Need

The community of Cuyo Chico was once renowned for its ceramic handicrafts, but the emergence of plastic and other inexpensive materials posed a significant threat to the livelihoods of those engaged in the creation and sale of traditional ceramic crafts. As the demand for their art declined, community members found it increasingly difficult to earn a sustainable income and support their families.

To counter the loss of this cherished tradition and provide economic opportunities for its community members, the Ricchariy Association of Cuyo Chico took action. In a collaborative effort, 12 families came together to establish Tinkuy, a local enterprise dedicated to revitalizing their customs and traditions. By creating Tinkuy, the community aimed to offer culturally significant income opportunities, especially for women who had to forgo the care of their families and farmland in search of work outside the community.

Our Involvement

The Tinkuy Community Tourism Enterprise, owned by the Ricchary Association of Cuyo Chico, was established in 2009 with the aim of promoting tourism activities. But despite their efforts, they faced challenges in gaining traction in the market. To address this, Planeterra implemented capacity-building programs, developed and improved the facilities and purchased equipment for the association. Planeterra supported them with new cultural experiences that would be more accessible to travelers while also maintaining their traditional pottery and gastronomy. 

By helping improve the experience, Planeterra was also able to connect Tinkuy to the global market through our travel partners.

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Asociación de Mujeres Artesanas Zoológico Mágico

Asociación de Mujeres Artesanas Zoológico Mágico

San Martin de Tilcajete, Oaxaca, Mexico

Impact

This newly formed cooperative was founded by 13 women who aspire to foster growth and generate employment opportunities for women and youth through art. Their primary objective is to preserve the Zapotec culture and the cherished artisanal process of creating alebrijes, a local cultural heritage.

Their workshop is a haven of fantasy and art, where they breathe life into various animal creatures they can imagine. Each piece is meticulously crafted with their own hands, skillfully combining vibrant colors that enhance the beauty of the wood.

 

18
people directly impacted

 

108
women indirectly benefitting
Zoológico Mágico
.

Critical Need

San Martín Tilcajete is a town located in Oaxaca famous for the woodwork created by local artisans. The main piece of Art in the wood workshops is the famous Alebrijes, which are wooden figures that represent different animals of the Zapoteca culture and some of their legends, there are approximately 150 alebrijes artisans.

The alebrijes are a big part of the Oaxacan culture and preservation from generation to generation is very important. Nowadays a lot of different people around Mexico create copies of the original alebrijes and they are sold everywhere, the artisans in San Martin are having a hard time generating enough income and the value of their art has gone down according to the market prices.

Our Involvement

Planeterra has been working together with the women of the Zoologico Mágico association to find out what are the most pressing needs to be able to host travellers. They needed a bathroom for visitors, as well as to finalize the process of registering their business. Now they are fully registered and have brand-new bathrooms.

Through this partnership, we also connected Asociación de Mujeres Artesanas Zoológico Mágico to travellers who are now able to experience the Zapoteca culture and the making of alebrijes. This additional revenue will increase their income so they are able to grow as a community.

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Related projects

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Boosting a craft workshop in Kyrgyzstan

Meet Mekenbek

Mekenbek is a passionate artist that has spent his life producing traditional Kyrgyz crafts. Mekenbek started a workshop in Barksoon village that primarily produces yurts and yurt decorations. Ak Orgo’s purpose is to preserve traditional Kyrgyz handicrafts while providing employment opportunities for the town of Barskoon, a community suffering with 80% unemployment.

The Ak Orgo Workshop

Planeterra works with community organizations and nonprofits all over the world, using tourism as a catalyst for empowerment and sustainable development.

Here is one example of how we brought on our newest partner, Ak Orgo, in the small town of Barskoon in Kyrgyzstan.

Finding Ak Orgo
The Ak Orgo workshop has actually been featured in Lonely Planet, and was found by a G Adventures’ CEO in Central Asia. G Adventures’ groups started visiting Ak Orgo in 2018, but it was clear that some additional training and infrastructure development was needed to see this workshop achieve its social enterprise goals through tourism.

Infrastructure Needs Assessment

The basic structure for the workshop at Ak Orgo was already standing, but the toilet was not at a good standard, the kitchen was barely functional, and they dreamed of having a showroom where the artists could actually display their crafts for visitors.

Infrastructure Grant

A grant was provided to Ak Orgo to fully construct a building outside the workshop that would house the kitchen, handicraft display room and the bathrooms. The community pitched in to complete the construction project in time for the tourism season to begin. This new building allows Ak Orgo to greatly improve the quality of experience they can provide in their workshop.

Organizational Needs Assessment

Ak Orgo had no online presence, and struggled to find a way to capture the tourists driving by Barskoon. With the existing craft orders and partnerships the workshop was surviving, but not yet thriving or reaching its social enterprise goals of providing more employment opportunities in Barskoon. Ak Orgo looked to tourism as a launching pad that could help their workshop grow.

Capacity Building Program & Launching in Tours

To address organizational needs, a training program was developed with the Association of Social Entrepreneurs Kyrgyzstan. The training program went over a period of six months, with trainings in three key categories – social entrepreneurship, tourism & guest management, and managing their online presence. Through this process Ak Orgo was able to develop their Social Enterprise Business Plan to continue tracking business and social targets for the future.

As Planeterra works with our local partners, we also ensure that the experience is represented into the travel itineraries of G Adventures. Their first group of the 2019 season visited Ak Orgo on May 21, 2019. The group enjoyed a yurt building demonstration, a tour of the workshop and a traditional Kyrgyz lunch. The income earned through this partnership with G Adventures allows Ak Orgo to continue doing what they love, producing Kyrgyz crafts.

Constant Innovation

Mekenbek doesn’t stop at craft production in the workshop. He is an innovator and creator at heart, and is constantly building new equipment that will allow their crafts to be produced in a less labour-intensive manner than traditionally taught. These innovations mean that more people can continue to produce the items and the culture can be better passed down to the next generation.

Impact

Ak Orgo currently employs 9 community members and hopes to continue providing employment opportunities as their tourism program grows.

Planeterra couldn’t be more excited to see travellers start visiting Ak Orgo. It is our hope that tourism will allow them to continue to grow their workshop, hire more community members, and spread their unique crafts on to the next generation of artisans. Ak Orgo is a special place, and we highly encourage you to visit on your next trip to Kyrgyzstan!

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Planeterra’s gifts with purpose

Need some last-minute holiday gift ideas? Planeterra partners have got you covered!

It’s holiday season, and what better way to celebrate than with meaningful gifts that give back? Many of our Planeterra partners host online stores, where you can buy locally-made merchandise that supports women, youth, and disadvantaged communities all over the world.

Still looking for a last-minute holiday gift idea? We’ve got you covered:

Penduka

One of our newest partnerships, Penduka is a women-owned and run business that employs local women that are living with disabilities, or have suffered from illnesses such as HIV.  

Support this enterprise by buying some of their beautiful textiles, jewellery, and more:

http://www.penduka.com/en/for-you/webshop/

UbuntuMade

Located just outside of Nairobi, Kenya, are our partners at Café Ubuntu, part of the businesses of UbuntuMade, a socially-conscious social enterprise that provides support to women and children living with disabilities.

Many of UbuntuMade’s products are sold in the United States, and their online store hosts tons of great buys, including tote bags, traditional beaded bracelets, and even something for our four-legged friends!

https://www.ubuntumade.com/collections/all

Nyamirambo Women's Centre

The Nyamirambo Women’s Centre in Kigali, Rwanda not only hosts travellers for tours and lunches, employing women in the tourism sector, but also hosts community classes for literacy, computer skills, and handicraft making.

Support the women of Nyamirambo by shopping clothing, bags, and other crafts at their online store:

http://www.nwc-umutima.org/products.html

Squamish Lil'wat Cultural Centre

The Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre, located in Whistler, Canada is home to a training program that empowers indigenous youth to conduct tours of the centre’s museum and grounds. The space is a celebration of the two indigenous communities of the region, and teaches local and international visitors about the region’s history.

Choose from clothing and other items depicting traditional indigenous art, handicrafts and music on their online store.

https://shop.slcc.ca/

Salaam Baalak Trust

Planeterra is working with Salaam Baalak Trust, an organization that provides safe housing, counselling, education, and support to over 5,000 children in New Delhi, as well as managing five safe homes across the city.

You can shop their online store and support their efforts through the purchase of tea, calendars and t-shirts.

http://www.salaambaalaktrust.com/shop.html

We’re excited to bring Sthree, our holiday campaign partner, into our social enterprise fold next year. We hope you’ll see some of their handicraft products soon!

Until then, you can support our campaign to launch their craft shop and cafe here

 

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Learning about the spirit of Ubuntu in Kenya

From the moment I stepped foot in Café Ubuntu, it was clear I was in a place filled with meaningful connections and change-makers, but nothing could prepare me for the magnitude of difference being made by the organization’s members.

Ubuntu is an African word used across the continent to describe a feeling of togetherness, and the widely accepted definition is simply: “I am because we are.” It is the word that celebrates human connectedness, and Ubuntu’s vision for the community espouses this ethos to perfection.

Café Ubuntu makes an immediate impression on its visitors. From the painted murals on the walls to the well-kept grounds located about an hour’s drive outside Nairobi, the entire visit is a feast for the senses. Smells from lunches being cooked in the open kitchen waft into the large room where handicrafts made on-site are laid out. Meat sizzles in pans, the pizza oven hums and the coffee machine steams as the entire café gives the impression of being a living, breathing entity.

Upon our arrival, Assistant Director Ruby Ruth gave us the grand tour of the kitchen and café itself, and let us taste our first course – a delicious zucchini soup. We followed in the footsteps of G Adventures’ travellers as we received a tour of the grounds and headed up towards the Ubuntu Made Workshop, where about 20 women, most with children with disabilities, hand-make crafts to be sold locally and around the world.

That’s the really special part about Ubuntu: the women who work there. Next on our itinerary was a discussion with three of them; Josephine, Beatrice, and Esther. All three have worked at Ubuntu for at least six years, and their families have benefitted from the school for children with disabilities that is funded by Ubuntu. A true social enterprise, the funds raised through the café and handicrafts go not only towards the women, but also towards a school in their community that employs a special needs teacher and an occupational therapist.

From our chat with the ladies, it was easy to see just how much of an impact both the school and their employment at Ubuntu have had on their lives.

“I have so many blessings through Ubuntu,” says Josephine to our group during the discussion. “After some time in the Ubuntu school they did an assessment on my daughter and found she could attend regular school. Thanks to Ubuntu, my job allows me to pay for school fees.”

Esther, who has also worked at the cooperative since 2008, chimed in to say that Ubuntu’s training helped her when she was displaced during election violence in Kenya. “I earn a living and I’m able to be with the family,” Esther explains. “I was able to buy a piece of land and I constructed my house there.”

It was an incredible hour chatting to the centre’s employees and receiving our tour, and as I sat down afterwards to enjoy a locally-made meal, I couldn’t help but feel incredibly blessed to have had such a meaningful discussion with just some of the cooperative’s members. This visit to Ubuntu was my first field visit as a new member of the Planeterra team, having just started as a coordinator in January. Although I have spent many years living in Africa, the experience with these ladies, the café and workshop is one I won’t ever forget.

Alanna Wallace
Coordinator, Planeterra

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