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A Visitor's Essay Jan 2007 |
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I was intrigued by a talk (at the South
America Explorers Club in Cuzco, Peru) given by Carmen Weick about her
work at the Q’ewar Social Project, and so I organized a visit to the
project in Andahuaylillas. It is a small town about an hour outside of
Cusco, famous for its Church nicknamed the Sistine Chapel of the
Americas. Despite this however it is also extremely poor, with all of
its associated problems. The Q’ewar Project was born in early 2001, set
up by Julio Herrera, a sculptor, and Lucy Terrazas.
They were moved to
help the many abandoned wives and single mothers they encountered in
the community. They have taught them how to sew and knit Waldorf style
dolls from hand-dyed natural fabrics and materials, in a comfortable
environment.
They endeavoured to provide the ladies with skills as
well as improve their self-esteem and were soon inundated with women
wanting to join the project. Eventually, thanks to foreign visitors
they found buyers for the dolls and were able to move to a new, custom
built site just above the town. It is a large site, nestled on the edge
of a beautiful valley. The views are incredible and give the house a
tranquil feel. The site is divided into the house where Lucy and Julio
live, with rooms for volunteers, three workshops, a nursery for the
ladies who have children too young to attend school, a bathroom block
for the ladies and a miniature version for the children, and a large
“chakra” or vegetable patch. This is cultivated by Florencio, a former
alcoholic who also reconstructed several terraces, some dating back to
before the Incas. All of the vegetables grown are given free to the
ladies and their families.
I was greeted by Julio who showed me around and introduced me to the
ladies. All are so warm and friendly. I spoke to them about Q’ewar and
they all told me of how they feel part of a big family, they are all
friends and they like having a set wage and somewhere safe and nearby
to leave their babies. Prior to Q’ewar, most of them worked in the
fields, did domestic work for other families or sold things on the
street, often from a very young age. The project also helps the women
become literate, and encourages them to talk about their projects.
Flower essence therapy has helped many of the ladies to overcome
problems they have had, and has given them more confidence. They feel
they work harder because they are not pressured to do so, and unlike
their previous jobs, they are given breaks in the morning and
afternoon, and time off for lunch.
They are always thinking about the future and are in the process of
building a painting studio and a ceramics and woodwork studio where
they hope to help more men with alcohol addiction. It is an incredibly
worthwhile project and the efforts of Julio and Lucy are starting to
bear fruit.
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