Esencia Andina

Esencia Andina

August 21, 2020 Planeterra Partners

Esencia Andina

Cusco, Perú

Impact

Planeterra provided a $10,000 grant to launch a small women-owned business called Esencia Andina based in Cuzco, Peru. This women owned-business produces biodegradable soaps, detergents, and natural products for use by travellers, porters, and cooks on the Inca Trail. 

This initiative is empowering young Peruvian women to start their own businesses and also lessen negative impacts on the Inca Trail – helping to grow a green economy and preserve this treasured destination. All of their products must receive sanitary registration by the government of Peru in order to be sold to the tourism industry on a wide scale. All Inca Trail, Lares Trek, and Amazon trips with our travel company partner G Adventures use these biodegradable products.

6
women employed
24
community members benefitting

Critical Need

Approximately 500 people (tourists and trekking staff) begin the Inca Trail Trek every day. This huge volume can leave behind more than footprints. Not only are plastics a problem but also non-biodegradable soaps and shampoos that can leave behind chemicals that pollute the land and the water in the area. Protecting the natural environment for future generations is a priority that cannot be ignored.

Our Involvement

With a $10,000 grant from Planeterra, Esencia Andina registered as an official business, and was able to scale the sale of their products, vastly improving their market access and making their business viable. Planeterra also connected Esencia Andina to one of our travel industry partners, G Adventures, who is their biggest client. This partnership provides this women-run business with a sustainable monthly income and credibility for them to increase their client portfolio.

After less than one year they had more than 15 hotel and travel company clients in Peru, growing each month. The success of Esencia Adina has inspired other tourism companies and government organizations in Cuzco to become more environmentally responsible.

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Ccaccaccollo Women’s Weaving Co-op

August 21, 2020 Planeterra Partners

Ccaccaccollo Women's Weaving Co-op

Sacred Valley, Peru

Impact

When Planeterra first developed a partnership with the women in the Ccaccaccollo community, the cooperative was run by only 3 women – today, the cooperative is owned by 46 women. Planeterra funded training programs to help bring back the weaving traditions that had been lost over the previous generations as there wasn’t a way to earn a significant income. 

Through our partnership and a connection to travellers, the Ccaccaccollo Women’s Weaving Co-op has been able to contribute to their families’ income. The women who have been with the project since the beginning report that all of their children study in university. Those involved in the cooperative are the first generation to be completely literate in Spanish. Today, the community is using tourism as a tool to protect and preserve natural and cultural resources and express, share, develop, and pursue their traditions.

Due to the success of the Co-op, they have since opened a Community Homestay.

80
people employed
560
community members benefitting

Critical Need

The community of Ccaccaccollo is an Indigenous community located in the Andean area of Cuzco, Perú. It is inhabited primarily by 140 Quechua speaking families. Despite the close proximity to Cuzco and Machu Picchu, and the thousands of tourists that visit these sites each year, very few communities from the surrounding countryside benefit from tourism. The Ccaccaccollo community maintains a traditional way of life and many work in agriculture. Like many communities around the world, women are frequently excluded from educational and economic opportunities. 

Our Involvement

Since 2005, Planeterra developed a partnership with the Ccaccaccollo community to develop a women’s weaving cooperative, to create economic opportunities for the women of this community. Planeterra implemented capacity building programs, built facilities and purchased equipment for the co-op. Planeterra supported the women with new methods of production that would make items more desirable to travellers (smaller, less expensive items such as hats, socks and sweaters that can be used on the treks in the area), while also maintaining their traditional weaving methods made from llama and alpaca wool. 

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Cuzco Youth Drop-in Centre “Inti Runakunaq Wasin”

August 21, 2020 Planeterra Partners

Cuzco Youth Drop-in Centre "Inti Runakunaq Wasin"

Cusco, Peru

Impact

Thanks to a partnership with Planeterra, Inti Runakunaq Wasin has been able to grow as an organization and has expanded to five other locations throughout the country where children are more vulnerable: San Jeronimo, Ccatcca, Huayopata and Quillabamba. In these locations, they have implemented four other centres for well-being called “Centros para el Buen Vivir” (Centres for Good Living) impacting and benefiting more than 2,600 children, adolescents and young adults. Now, these children and young adults have recognized their own potential while also developing their creativity and social skills so that they can face the future with optimism and confidence in themselves.

2,600
people directly impacted

Critical Need

Despite Cuzco being one of the most touristic cities in Peru, social problems persist in the population. According to a study of National Comprehensive Programs for Family Welfare (INABIF), there are 26,000 children and adolescents who have been abandoned by their families or they have fled their homes in order to avoid forms of domestic violence in Peru. Frequently, these children are prone to begging, homelessness, crime, addictions, and victims of sexual exploitation. Their situation also prevents them from accessing education, protection and nutrition leading to poor health.

In Cuzco there is a lack of support and lack of programs for families, children, young adults and people with different abilities. This has resulted in many to turn to the street for support including children(economically and socially), especially since the boom of tourism in Cuzco began. This need was what prompted Planeterra founder, Bruce Poon Tip, to support a sustainable program for this community back in 2004.

Inti Runakunaq Wasin (IRW) is a non-profit organization with 19 years of institutional experience, whose mission is to contribute to the development of children, adolescents and young people who are victims of family violence.

Our Involvement

Planeterra partnered with Inti Runakunaq Wasin to support the development of children, adolescents, young people, women and people with special needs who are at risk, abandoned victims of domestic violence or those looking to improve their quality of life by promoting positive participation in their communities and families.

Planeterra funded the purchase of their main centre in 2009 so that they could have a permanent place for a voluntary drop-in centre, now known as  Inti Runakunaq Wasin “The House of Children of the Sun” where children and youth grow and flourish with different educational training, workshop, occupational and income generation programs.

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M5V 2H5, CANADA
+1(416)263-4671
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Canada Not-for-Profit Corporation Number: 793488-2, US 501 (c)(3) public charity, EIN 83-1619668