OPERATING BUDGET SUPPORT FOR KUSI KAWSAY SCHOOL

Top Donation CA$0.00

Average Donation CA$0.00

Founded more than 20 years ago, the Kusi Kawsay School (Quechua for “Happy Life”) merges ancient knowledge and traditions of the Andes with sustainability practices. It seeks to empower the children, youth and adults of Indigenous communities in Pisac village near Cusco, Peru, through the creation and support of ongoing, multidisciplinary programs. The school community also produces videos, cultural centre workshops and events, traditional music and dance, art and weaving, radio broadcasts and cultural exchanges with other Indigenous peoples. It practices environmental responsibility, saving seeds and growing organic food, with zero plastic use and zero waste. The school enrolls more than a hundred students and shares many common values and approaches to life with Waldorf education globally.  The Indigenous cosmo-vision of Kusi Kawsay encompasses ideals of peace, solidarity and reciprocity.  The school and cultural community’s impressive achievements were recognized by the United Nations, winning the 2021 UNESCO-Japan Prize on Education for Sustainable Development. 

The Kusi Kawsay non-profit association relies on various sources of grant funding.  Recently some key funding cycles came to an end, and international aid was cutback with political changes in the United States.  The annual operating budget for the school is now seriously compromised, and is in urgent need of support for this summer and again for the late fall and winter.  Avalon is asking its network to please give now for the school’s immediate operating needs, such as salaries and basic maintenance. Donors in this campaign will see some beautiful art created by the school children, in gratitude for the contributions.