Tribal Leaders Descend Mountain in Harsh Storm to Meet Heart Walk Board Members

This exemplifies the mission of Heart Walk Foundation, which is to provide projects that help the Q'ero people improve their quality of life by becoming self-sufficient. 

 -- David Jamieson, HWF Board

The five weary men faces of the men were shivering after hiking all day in sandals through snow and freezing rain to meet with me and Board Member, David Jamieson. The Q’ero leaders endured this hardship to request our help in building a better future for their villages. I saw the hopes of hundreds of Q’ero tribal people resting on the shoulders of these weary men. 

The men wore flea-market clothes, and some  wore the traditional pointed Q’ero hats, which they knit using five knitting needles. Each hat is tiered in sacred Andean symbols. The men hand-stitch thousands of white beads in intricate patterns, reflecting their calm and patient manners.

Their eyes twinkled and they clapped with excitement when we told them that the HWF Board had approved their recent proposals for two more trout farms. 

We added that the board welcomes more proposals because we see the outstanding success of the trout farm in their hamlet of Aychampita.  

 Help Give a Trout Farm to Feed Many Families

My heart fills with joy at the significance of funding these projects. We know that each sustainable agriculture project contributes to food security for all the villagers, builds skills to be passed on to future generations, and feeds the children now. 

 

From left:   Penelope, translator  Vidal,  Quico leader Wenceslau, and Quico tribal President Miguel

David and I worked with the men with assistance from Bertha, our field coordinator, and Vidal, our tri-lingual translator (Quechua, Spanish, and English).  As the village leaders worked to list materials and costs for each trout farm and greenhouse, we realize that they are building very basic skills in planning, writing, and arithmetic. They eagerly undertake these challenging tasks to ensure that their children and grandchildren will have better food.

In 2003, when my husband Tim and I were in Peru the second time, we learned that an entire tribe of Q’ero people were starving. We felt called to help the people to achieve food security.   

Eleven years later, sitting with Q’ero leaders, my heart celebrated the accomplishments and for each person who will be eating the trout for years to come.