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Background Statement of Peace and Goals

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Background Statement of Peace and Goals Submitted By: Chelsea T Evans, Lake Forest College ‘17 Dates: June 2016- July 2016 in Q’eros Hatun, Peru In Partnership With: The Willka Yachay foundation of Peru, The International Q’ero Foundation Background The Q’ero are an indigenous population located in the Southeast part of Peru, high in the Andes mountains near Cusco, in a set of fourteen villages in the Q’eros nation. The population is often called “the last Incans”, and are often discriminated against by the more modernized Peruvians in Cusco and other nearby locations. In recent years, the population has been dwindling as a result of increased migration to the modernized areas around these villages for simple reasons: better healthcare and education. Fortunately, Willka Yachay (founded by Davis Grant Recipient Hannah Porst) was able to help drastically decrease the migration from villages by successfully building a school in that area. Because less people are leaving for educational purposes, the population has stabilized. Though less Q’ero are migrating, there is still a very high child mortality rate of 40-50%.The Q’ero are also desperately trying to preserve their traditional medical practices and culture and are a population in need- but, because of their isolation, they are not often targeted by relief efforts or charities simply because they are “off the map”. The goal of this project is to help the Q'ero by providing clean water using filtration systems, thereby reducing the need for medical treatment. Providing information on sanitation and a sense of community by working with a team will ensure that the systems will be maintained and the community will receive lasting benefits. To help with this, the goal is to design and build water purification systems that can be used in every household to ensure a stable and clean water source. Working with Willka Yachay, we have decided to target approximately 140 households that comprise six villages high in the Andes Mountains of Peru. Each of these remote villages at the top of mountains are accessible only by horseback or a recently installed road for a few lucky villages- but no mail services to any. As a result, the project will require all of the systems to be shipped to the closest city (Cusco) then sent to the villages individually. So- why choose such a remote population? Indigenous populations worldwide are dwindling. The Q’eros are special in that they have been able to isolate themselves (and therefore survive) to a large extent by retreating to the tops of the mountains. However, they are still facing pressure to modernize through others adding roads, trying to change their health systems, and parts of their own families leaving to try and help others or to pursue education (often not returning). Because they are located near the popular tourist destination Machu Picchu, it is difficult for them to be able to travel to Cusco to get resources without facing ridicule or questioning of their practices. The Q’eros are easily identifiable with their unique dress and indigenous language. Though the world is modernizing, the Q’eros have been able to keep their strong community identity- we want to help them maintain this identity, and reduce the incidence of preventable illness introduced by contamination of the water supply. Statement of Peace and Goals Peace has many forms- in state of existence, between people, between populations, and more. As stated above, the Q’ero are often discriminated against- particularly in healthcare, as they use more folk remedies than biomedical treatments. The majority of contamination for this Peruvian population is caused by something easily preventable- basic contaminants like animal dung in their water. One of the most common factors in these preventable illnesses is unsanitary water, often with ailing bacteria or toxic levels of materials unsafe to populations. The Q’eros have a high child mortality rate- between 40% and 50%. If we can help prevent these common ailments, the Q’eros can find peace through not having to go to the (often out of budget) healthcare systems of modernized Peru as often, causing less stress on the family budgets and also fostering sense of community with the team effort we intend to employ in this project- and possibly lower their high child mortality rates. The goals of the project are simple, yet have far-reaching implications: as stated, we want to provide the Q’ero with sanitary water through simple yet effective systems that they will help build. I intend to do this project in four phases, as follows: Phase one: Data collection and Partnerships (January - March ’16): Establish partners for raw material and local Q’ero partners, collect data on population, design and build prototype filtration systems, collect samples of farm animals and other biological matter for biological testing of potential systems. Start independent funding campaign for travel expenses to maximize grant. Phase Two: Finalization (March - May ’16): Based on data collected and systems designed, finalize choice in water system. Finalize community partners and distribution of funding. Finalize distributers for raw materials. Finalize funding sources and partnerships both in USA and Peru. Have instruction manuals for systems printed in English, Spanish, and the Q’eros native language (Quechua- Qusqu-Qullaw). Finalize timeline in villages. Phase Three: Implementation and Outreach (June - July ’16): Travel to Q’eros, implement systems with team of Willka Yachay and village natives. Collect data for future presentations on population and the systems themselves. Teach the Q’eros how to put together and maintain their systems. Maintain contact with Lake Forest College partners. Phase Four: Data Interpretation and Presentation (August 2016-): Using photos and data collected in Q’eros, as well as data collected in P1 and P2, write final summary paper on experience. Create presentations on maintaining cultural identity in an increasingly homogenous world and importance of basic access to clean water’s importance. As you can see, the goal is to design water filtration systems based on the Q’eros’ unique issues with water sanitation- which will be accomplished through laboratory testing of prototype systems in Phase One. Willka Yachay has stated that they will be the primary partner in the project, helping by allocating workers for the project and providing instrumental data for designing the systems, translation, and budgetary assistance. In order to try and provide more room in the budget outside of the Davis Grant, I have also started an independent funding site to add to the funds for the project (see link at bottom of proposal). The long-term impact of the project: to ensure the Q’eros people can maintain their unique culture by facilitating water-born disease reduction in their population; fostering a sense of community by working directly with the indigenous population; fostering sense of independence in families; and, finally; educating households on the value of basic hygienic practices and value of clean water for overall health and wellbeing. See my independent funding site for more information here: http://tinyurl.com/cleanwaterperu .
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