Kausana NGO

My First Gallery

Chepy

Thia photo was taken in a small Aymara village at about 14,000 feet elevation in the Peruvian Andes in southern Peru, about two hours above the city of Puno.  We were delivering warm clothing to children in the area.  Each winter, hundreds of children, mostly under the age of five, die from pneumonia and other cold-related illnesses.  The past two winters have been the coldest on record, with temperatures falling to 25-30 degees below zero at night. 

We plan to make more deliveries next year during the months of May, June, July and August (winter).  We do not have the staffing or storage space to receive, process and store donated clothing.  Instead, we need cash donations in order to purchase alpaca clothing in villages at lower elevations.  It only costs about $20. to buy enough warm clothing to save one child. As you may be aware, alpaca wool is one of the warmest materials and is also water resistant.  It is also very durable and can be passed down to younger siblings in the following winters. In addition, it is compatible with the cultures of the area.  Also, we help the local economy by buying these items locally.

We welcome volunteers. 

Logo: Kausana ONG-Perú

Raimundo

This is the logo for Kausana ONG-Perú.  The symbol on the right side is the flag of Peru.  The red symbolizes the blood lost during the war for independence from Spain.  The white represents peace.

The symbol on the left side is a chacana from Tawantinsuyu (also known as the Inca Empire).  Each of the four sides represents one suyu.  A suyu was a very large province that was governed by a Capac Apu,  member of the royal family. 

Each suyu was sub-divided into provinces which were governed by a Torikoq, also a member of thye royal family.  Each province was divided into three or four districts, called sayas.  Each saya was sub-divided into ayllu, governed by trusted member of the local community, called a Kuraka.  The ayllu were comprised of extended families and served as the bedrock of Andean society

Each step along each of the four sides of the chacana represents different aspects of the culture of Tawantinsuyu.  For example, starting at the top and moving down to the right: 

    1.  El condor = peace; 2.  el puma= protection; 3.  el serpiente = intelligence; 4.  el sol= the father; 5.  la luna = the mother; 6.  las estrellas= the children;  7.  ayini= today you work for me; 8.  mitoq= tomorrow I work for you; 9.  mita= we all work together; 10. do not lie; 11. do not be lazy; 12.  do not steal. 

APAND in a tent

Raimundo

This tent was the school for handicapped children in the small village of Perdegal, Peru.  It is located about two hours west of the city of Arequipa.  The school was formed by the partents of the children.  They received a donated tent and a vacant lot for the school.  The name of the school is APAND.  There are up to 25 students enrolled.

New school building for APAND

Raimundo

The city of Pedregal donated a vacant lot to the school and an engineering company donated a buiding.  The building had to be disassembled, moved across town, and reassembled on the new lot.  Then individual classrooms were constructed inside.  All these tasks were completed by volunteers.

Hearing-impaired students at APAND

Raimundo

These students are virtually deaf.  In this photo, they are participating in a celebration at the school.  Their hearing could be restored with the proper hearing aids.  Then they could eventually be transferred to a regular public school.   Funding is being solicited for the purchase of hearing aids.

Volunteers at APAND

Raimundo

These are a few of the volunteers at APAND.

Students at APAND

Raimundo

These are some of the students and teachers at APAND who are on break from class.

This is a photo of a young machìn blanco that was rescued from animal traffickers.

This is Cecilia

Raimundo

This is a photo of a rescued motilo terrestre. The staff at the center named her Cecilia and she comes (slowly) when she hears her name. She was rescued from an animal trafficker and then released into the reserve. She frequently returns to the center for visits.

This is a sajina

Orlando

 This is a photo of a young volunteer from the local community with a rescued sajina. It was pregnant and recently delivered a litter of six. Once they are old enough to be moved, the mother and her young ones will be released into the protected reserve so they can reintegrate into their natural habitat.

This is a photo of a young man (a local volunteer) holding a rescued machìn negro.

This photo is of an Aymara mother and her two young children. She is bringing them to the clothing delivery truck.

This little Aymara niña has just received a warm sweater. She is waiting for a cap, mittens and a scarf. Notice the bright red color in her cheeks. That´s from the severe cold. It was below zero during the day.

Raimundo

This photo was taken after a group of niños received their first items of warm clothing.

These are two local teachers in the Aymara village

Here is one of the photos from La Ropa para Los Niños. The bags are filled with alpaca sweaters, caps, mittens and scarves. The two women are teachers at the school. It is in an Aymara community located above the city of Puno at an altitude of over 15,000 feet elevation.

Physical therapy at Grupo Urpi in Puno

Raimundo

These students at Grup Urpi are receiving physical therapy. The school needs a hydrotherapy tank. We have built the hydrotherapy room and installed the tank but now we need the electrical system and drainage pipes.

Two students and the school psychologist at Grupo Urpi in Puno.

This is a photo of two more of the students at Grupo Urpi in Puno. The person on the right is the school psychologist.

A student and teacher at Grupo Urpi in Puno

 This is a photo of one of the students at Grupo Urpi who is being assisted in learning to walk.

The administrator of Grupo Urpi with some of the students.

 These are some of the students at Grupo Urpi with the administrator.

These are a few of the students at Grupo Urpi with the director of Kausana (wearing the hat).

This is a photo of some of the students in the Grupo Urpi school in Puno, located in the south of Peru near the border with Bolivia. The school is located in a very low income community. It does not receive any financial assistance from the government of Peru. The school has a bakery and the students learn how to bake bread and cakes. These are sold to the local community. The bakery sales generate enough inome to pay a part of the teacher salaries - not much, but enough to keep the school open. In the meantime, we are soliciting donations and writing applications for funding from foundations.

Thses are a few of the children who received clothing with the director of Kausana.

This photo was taken in an Aymara village high in the Peruvian Andes.  We were delivering warm clothing to children.  The clothes were purchased with donations that were received from a donor in San Francisco, California who wishes to remain anonymous.