Your Donation Empowers Indigenous Communities of Peru!

Who We Are

The Andean Research Institute (ARI) is dedicated to helping the people of Maras and other villages in the Sacred Valley region of Peru create their own sustainable ways of life and maintain their extraordinary culture, even in the face of dwindling natural resources, economic challenges, and radical climate change.

Like many villages throughout the world where food, water, jobs, and education are scarce, in villages like Maras new ways are needed to revitalize the community as a whole. Chairman and Founder, José Luis Herrera, believes this is best accomplished through the power of practical education, and he is guiding ARI to become a leader in creating and implementing educational programs for the social and economic wellbeing of indigenous communities, beginning in Maras, and extending to other villages in the Sacred Valley. Eventually our programs will become models for assisting communities in similar regions throughout the world.

Already, ARI's Weaving Program and Children's Education programs are helping the people of Maras and nearby villages improve their lives socially and economically while preserving their culture. We believe that education is a primary tool that can be used to enhance what has value for local communities. Whereas many Western efforts to assist indigenous people and economies can create dependencies or put the indigenous culture at risk of extinction, ARI's way weaves indigenous wisdom with modern technologies and puts the power to thrive in the hands of the communities we serve.

Why Maras?

Chairman Herrera, a native of Cusco, grew up being mentored in the powerful wisdom of the Andean cultures, and guided by the wishes of some of the greatest elders of these lineages, helped to establish the relationships and settings needed for the transmission of that wisdom to western students. The wisdom of these traditions is invaluable for the modern world, where we are seeking to re-establish true collectivity, caring community, and an economy of inclusion rather than exclusion. In exchange for the gift of this wisdom and guidance, it has been Chairman Herrera's dream to give back to the communities of the indigenous leaders who are transmitting their wisdom to us, and to do so in a way that is equally empowering.

In offering practical education as a primary tool, we are empowering these extraordinary people to create their own new sustainable ways of life in a rapidly changing and intensely challenging world. Maras is a perfect example of the effects such challenges can have on the coherence of communities and cultures.

On a community scale, the outcomes we see in Maras demonstrate clearly how the right kinds of educational assistance give people the creative knowledge and tools they need to overcome globally imposed limitations and once again thrive on the land they love.

On a world scale, the unique wisdom we are receiving from the people of the Andes is priceless. It is wisdom that has sustained and evolved the wellbeing of people, nature, and the planet for thousands of years, and we are being asked to carry it forward. It is for our future that we must remember the Andean Wisdom Keepers are standing behind us, supporting us in improving our world. In turn, we must support them, their children, and their world – not just for today, but for all times to come.

Our Programs, Our New Headquarters, Our Impact

Our current programs are already making a big positive difference in Maras. For example our weaving classes have helped the women of Maras learn the time-honored Andean art of weaving, which has been central to their culture for centuries, but in recent times has been nearly forgotten. The teachers are local weaving masters who are not only passing on the traditional patterns, but also teaching the women how to prepare the wool, make the natural dyes, and evolve their skills. In the process they have opened their own weaving store and now operate it themselves as a professional collective. They are becoming financially independent for the first time, able to supply income for their families when jobs for the men have become scarce. The Weaving Program is one of our biggest successes, and we have many more students signing up for the next rounds of classes.

We are planning classes in other skills that can immediately be turned into self-directed businesses for the people of Maras, including computer classes for the children of Maras, horticulture classes and greenhouse construction to help the people of Maras maintain a bountiful food supply no matter the weather patterns, a medical dental clinic operated in conjunction with local doctors and dentists, a radio station, and more!

Our presence in Maras has brought surprising benefits to the community as a whole, not just to our program participants.

• As we've been in the process of building our new Headquarters in Maras, we have been instrumental in getting new electrical wiring and service for the whole town of Maras.

• Our exploratory water wells are helping us understand how to bring better natural water sources to the whole town.

• And our Weaver's Program has been instrumental in helping revive the local economy and positioning the women of Maras to take advantage of recent upturns in tourism.

All of this points to the strength of the model we are building – a model for cultural and economic revitalization that works locally, nationally, and internationally. It is truly a model for the restoration and stewardship of collective wellbeing that can benefit our whole world.

What's most important now: Furnishing our Global Headquarters in Maras!

Our beautiful Headquarters Building is up and ready to be furnished! We have students and teachers ready for January and February sessions, but first we need tables, chairs and computers to launch these classes. In addition our new dental clinic is now open and we need additional equipment to provide full services.

Our funding goal to furnish the Headquarters is $150,000

and our immediate year-end goal is $50,000.

We have received over $23,000 in gifts towards this year-end goal.

Your donation toward our final goal of $150,000
will help us manifest our beautiful dream!

Please join in with your generous gift.

For full details about our headquarters and our educational programs, see our campaign pages!

Andean Research Institute EIN 26-2545518

No goods or services are provided in exchange for your contribution. Your donation is made to a 501(c)3 organization and is tax deductible to the extent provided by law.

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