Hello, we are community members of Nihue Rao Centro Espiritual who have worked together to develop a non-profit permaculture project attached to Nihue Rao and we are helping to fundraise for the town of Llanchama in Iquitos, Peru.
Our goal is to help this town in four main categories. Water, food security, prevention of mosquito born illness and supporting local children’s education.
Phase 1
Currently the town of Llanchama has no access to clean drinking water so we are aiming to help get water wells drilled, set up water towers with industrial-grade water filtration and get clean water tapped into these homes. Long term sustainable water access will also ensure greenhouses and food crops will be supported with ample water. Deep water wells will allow for access to higher quality & volume of fresh water during the dry season. Estimated at $25,000 for labour, materials, maintenance – planning to begin construction June 2023 at the start of the next dry season to allow for easy transportation of construction materials.
Phase 2
We are working with local community members to create food sovereignty so that access to a variety of high quality food sources is available while adding biodiversity to the region. We have one experimental greenhouse set up with 10 garden beds and a field of fruit trees that we have started as a project to see what works & thrives best in this area. We plan to build at least 3 more greenhouses for the community and plant as many fruiting trees as possible. The project has created gainful employment for community members and the fundraiser will continue to support our efforts to create further opportunities for more community residents of Llanchama. Projected cost $20,000 for labour, materials, soil, soil amendment, plants, management.
Phase 3
Providing housing in the community with mosquito netting & protection on windows and entry points where mosquitos are able to infect people with illnesses such as dengue fever & malaria. Estimated cost to equip all homes $3500 for labor & materials.
Phase 4
There is a small school that hosts over 100 children in the town that we want to be able to help with graduation festivities, school supplies, food, etc. We are working to come up with a curriculum to teach the children how to grow their own food organically and sustainably, how to compost, raising laying hens, etc. We have helped raise funds for the community school several times this year and hope to develop a long term sustainable way of supporting the community through friends of Nihue Rao Centro Espiritual. Projected cost $11,500
At a glance
The funds will go towards drilling multiple water wells for multiple water towers, 2500 liter water tanks, water testing & analysis, install industrial-grade water filtration and having clean water tapped into the homes in the village, supplies and labor for building greenhouses, different things the school requires for children such as graduation parties, school supplies, food, etc.
We are seeing the benefits of the project already unfolding as members of the community currently access the permaculture project for fresh eggs, vegetables, gaillina, pineapples, and a variety of other foods and medicinal plants. We are aiming to create more resources to share as we see the success of the project unfold. The 2019 Covid-19 pandemic affected this region significantly and was also the catalyst to inspire us in launching this community endeavor.
We have developed a budget and appointed several locals to manage, oversee and produce the project as funding becomes available. Our hope is to continue expanding on this work by inviting the community at large and those who visit Nihue Rao who believe in the development of long term sustainable access to clean water and food sources as we continue to see the impacts that climate change & other global situations will have on this region.
Thank you very much for helping give back to this beautiful community and supporting our efforts.