Fluoride treatments and dental health workshops for children, which had been suspended due to COVID, were resumed by Dra. Madelca Aragón at five primary schools during 2022. She also conducted new workshops to assess and prevent anemia, a major health concern in the region. 

During 2022, 50 young adults from the Chijnaya/Pro DIA network received scholarships to support their education both at universities and technical institutes. The students, who are mentored by Pro DIA Project Director Lic. Jhuver Aguirre, implemented six outreach projects focused on anemia prevention, waste removal, and internet marketing of artisan goods to give back to their communities. Please consider creating a named scholarship! 

Significant progress has been made on a multi-year project to restore high-elevation wetlands (bofedales). This effort has been funded by grants from Water Charity, New England Biolabs Foundation, the Posner Center International Collaboration Fund, and our donors. Local specialists in water and soil sciences are collaborating with five herding communities to recover native plant species to improve grazing lands for alpacas. These higher quality food sources contribute directly to improvements in the alpaca fiber that is sold by herding families.

Thanks to your investment in these communities, the Board was able to approve 40 scholarships and a diverse group of new and ongoing projects for 2023: 

• A study to transition the Savings Program into a Cooperative organization

• Expansion of the Pro DIA virtual volunteer program with San Martin de Porres University (USMP) in Lima

• Infrastructure development for tourism on Amantaní Island

• New covered pottery workshop areas for the Kojra and Pukallinki artisan associations

• Fencing and oat seed purchases for a new agricultural association in Chijnaya

• Construction of geo-membrane wells for potable drinking water in two communities 

This year also brings new leadership for our organizations, as we hire a new Managing Director of the Chijnaya Foundation (please contact [email protected] with inquiries) and we welcome Dr. Ricardo Roca as the incoming President of Pro DIA. Many thanks to Dr. Javier Ávila for his years of leadership and commitment to altiplano communities. 

The Board was delighted that several of our donors were able to attend the annual meeting in Palm Springs and to celebrate the many accomplishments of 2022 with us. We are also pleased to let you know that several new scholarships have been endowed and that the Foundation has been the beneficiary of several important pledges of financial support. Even in the midst of recent political turmoil in Peru, the Pro DIA team is doing an exemplary job of managing new projects, communicating with local groups, and mentoring the scholarship recipients. None of these efforts would be possible without your support. Please continue to invest in this work to eliminate extreme poverty and to improve household security for families across the Peruvian altiplano.