The Pro DIA Association
What is Pro DIA?
To expedite the work in Peru, the Foundation has incorporated an operating arm, “Asociación Pro Desarrollo Integral del Altiplano en Peru” (Association for Integral Development of the Altiplano in Peru), to act in a fiduciary capacity in Peru and manage on-the-ground project implementation. The Pro DIA Association is a legally-constituted Peruvian nonprofit organization that has been working with rural communities in the department of Puno, implementing self-sustaining projects of comprehensive rural development that allow them to improve their living conditions.
Background and History
The beginning of Pro DIA dates back to 2005, when Dr. Ralph Bolton, an American anthropologist who came as a volunteer with the Peace Corps in Puno during the sixties, returned to Peru after receiving an invitation from the community Chijnaya, a town he had close ties with due to the work previously carried out. This remarkable visit after four decades provided an opportunity to renew relationships and at the request of the people of Chijnaya, to work with them again to undertake challenges reflected in community development projects.
In October 2010, complying with all the required formalities, the Pro DIA Association was created in Peru as an NGO that is registered with the Peruvian Agency for International Cooperation (APCI), to act as an operational counterpart for the work initiated by the Chijnaya Foundation. In 2012 a permanent service office was opened in the town of Pucará.
The birth of the Pro DIA Association has allowed the number of beneficiaries to grow substantially and provides better care and support to the communities we partner with. The Chijnaya Foundation and Pro DIA have worked with a total of 32 community organizations since 2005.
The Pro DIA Team
The Pro DIA staff and Board of Directors are all Peruvians who are passionate about empowering marginalized communities. Pro DIA has 3 full-time paid employees from Puno who work in the office in Pucará and an Executive Director based in Lima.
Team Member Spotlights:
J. David Cajo Cosavalente
Associate Member & Executive Director
J. David Cajo Cosavalente is a lawyer by profession who graduated from the Andean University of Cusco, and specialized in Labor Law and Social Security at the Catholic University of Peru. Together with Dr. Ralph Bolton, he is one of the founding members of the Pro DIA Association (2010), the same one that has inspired him to work in the field in social projects of rural development in the high Andean communities. He currently works as Executive Director of the NGO Pro DIA Association, coordinating and executing the different projects and programs with the rest of the work team.
Jhuver Aguirre
Project Director
Jhuver Aguirre graduated with a degree in Anthropology from the Universidad Nacional del Altiplano, with postgraduate studies in Project Management from the Universidad Nacional de San Agustín, ESAN and Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú. He has developed economic entrepreneurship projects in rural communities in Peru since 2003. As the Project Director for the Pro DIA Association he has been directing participatory projects in milk and cheese production, rural community tourism, production of handmade alpaca threads, and ceramic production. He also directs small solidarity service projects with scholars from different communities and professions within the Scholarship Program.
María Del Carmen Aragón Qusipe
Administrative Director
María del Carmen Aragón is a Dental Surgeon who studied at the Universidad Nacional del Altiplano in Puno, Peru. She performs the “Servicio Rural y Urbano Marginal en Salud” (Rural and Urban Marginal Health Service) or SERUMS in the captaincy of the Navy of Peru in the lake port of Puno. Throughout her professional career she has worked in the private sphere, participated in university teaching, and been involved in dental activities for the benefit of rural populations with different institutions such as the Lions Club and Caritas del Perú. She has been working with the Pro DIA Association since 2015 as Administrative Director and the head of the Oral Health Program.
Rosmery Montesinos Mendoza
Assistant Director
Rosmery Montesinos Mendoza completed her technical studies in accounting at the Higher Institute of Public Education in Nuñoa (Puno) and is fluent in both Quechua and Spanish. During her professional career she has worked in the Provincial Municipality of Carabaya (Peru) in different areas as an assistant in the income unit of wealth control, in the treasury unit, and the management office, among others. She has been working with the Pro DIA Association since 2015 as the Assistant Director and is responsible for overseeing the Savings Program.
Purpose and Promise
In accordance with our commitment to work with rural communities in Southern Peru to design and implement self-sustaining projects in health, education, and economic development, all projects must emerge from the community itself and be based on the perceived needs of members of the community. To assure success, our Board members and the Pro DIA staff serve as consultants, assisting the community in planning the implementation of approved projects. To learn more about the work that Pro DIA does, you can visit their Facebook at Asociación Pro DIA.