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At Native Tours, it is part of our mission to improve the lives of local indigenous communities through:
There are hundreds of established non-profits already operating in Peru managing valuable projects and programs. Rather than re-inventing the wheel, we have chosen to fund existing non-profit organizations with profits generated by tourism sales. Additionally, during the low season, the Native Tours staff volunteer their time to advance key initiatives.
We are proud to partner with 4 existing non-profit organizations in Cusco, Peru to help implement selected projects and programs:
Peruvian Hearts is a charity organization based in Golden, Colorado that works to end poverty and gender inequality by educating young women and creating community leaders in Peru—one girl at a time–enabling young women to embrace education, believe in their own power, and dream of a life beyond the conditions they were born into. Ana Dodson founded Peruvian Hearts when she was only 11 years old. She had been adopted as a baby from Cusco Peru in 1992. When Ana visited Peru in 2003 she was moved by extreme poverty and found her life’s mission to improve conditions in her homeland for other children, especially young girls. Peruvian Hearts’ programs are designed to help women of all ages to reach their potential through education, mentorship, and community leadership. Their college-access program empowers Peruvian girls to break the cycle of poverty through secondary-school graduation and continued education scholarships at the post-secondary level in vocational institutes, colleges, and universities. Native Tours sponsors this program with the proceeds from tour packages. Travelers can meet the scholarship beneficiaries during their tour if they like and hear their stories about those scholarships making it possible to achieve their career aspirations.
Centro Bartholome de las Casas (CBC) is a Peruvian non-profit with 40 years of experience in non-profit work in the rural communities of Cusco, Apurimac, and Puno. One of CBC's priorities is partnering with local governments in sustainable land use and governance of natural water sources. Another is assisting rural communities in small business skills related to craftsmanship, culinary, native medicine, and accommodations and exposing them to broader markets for their products and services. CBC Tupay is its sister organization dedicated to training and developing community-based tourism (CBT) in rural Andean communities. As we grow, we hope to sponsor CBC Tupay in the development of additional villages in the region which want to offer CBT.
Awana Kancha ("Textile Palace" in Quechua) is a private-sector initiative born from the vision of 3 Cusqueño brothers with a mission to protect and disseminate Andean culture heritage, specifically the rich textile tradition of Peru, emphasizing the use of ancestral techniques for spinning, dyeing, and weaving of South American camelid fibers. The essence of this dream come true is based on the participation of indigenous communities with long family traditions of weaving using ancestral techniques that form the cultural heritage of Peru.
The adobe walls of the Awana Kancha Museum and Interpretive Center host hands-on activities for visitors to learn about the different types of South American camelids and the ancestral techniques for dyeing wool fibers using native Andean plants. Here, Andean women from 14 different indigenous communities happily share their craft with visitors from afar, weaving in the enigmatic patterns and borders of their multi-colored clothing a thread signature that whispers the history of their village and their lives to those who know how to listen. 60% of the proceeds from its fair trade store go to the weaver and 40% towards the maintenance and care of the museum and its camelid inhabitants.
Awana Kancha funds a sister organization called Ñawpa Yachaykuna, which is currently working on 2 projects:
Native Tours supports Awana Kancha by sponsoring tours of its museum and interpretive center and by donating its 10% commission of Awana Kancha's textile sales to fund Ñawpa Yachaykuna's projects.
Travel is a valuable experience but not everyone benefits equally. And that is why Native Tours has partnered with international nonprofit Planeterra, to change the game by ensuring that the money from the tourism industry stays within the communities it is built on around the world.
Planeterra is the leading community tourism organization working to improve lives around the world. They work with local people to ensure they have the tools they need to prosper, the power to conserve their culture and environment, and the access they need to healthcare and education. Learn more about Planeterra by visiting www.planeterra.org.
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