In an effort to promote social inclusion and equality in Peru, Enigma is happy to help and encourage the support of Amantani and their “Meet My World” project.
At Enigma, we believe it is our responsibility to give back to the communities that carry on the culture and traditions of this incredible country. For that reason, we like to give back in any way we can.
Amantani is an organization that that was created to defend the rights of the indigenous children and young people of the Peruvian Andes by giving them access to high-quality education and fair employment. Since 2008, Amantani has been working in Ccorca, a Quechua district in the Andes of Southern Peru, located approximately one hour from Cusco. While Ccorca is a community of deep history and vibrant culture, the people suffer from many of the problems that are associated with marginalized indigenous communities, including discrimination, alcoholism and domestic violence.
Amantani believes that education is the key to eliminating social and economic marginalization. However, access to education in the rural areas of Peru is a notoriously difficult problem. Due to lack of infrastructure, it is difficult for students and teachers alike to make it to school. There is also a linguistic barrier in that teachers from urban areas often do not speak Quechua. The schools are simply unable to handle the growing divide between life in urban and rural areas.
Moreover, unemployment and unfair employment is at the root of poverty in Peru. Peru’s National Institute of Statistics has reported that approximately 59% of the people in the Cusco region are underemployed. Meanwhile, a 2011 study by the Universidad del Pacifico Research Center reported that indigenous Peruvians earn 53% less than their non-indigenous counterparts. Through their projects, Amantani seeks inclusive and sustainable economic growth that involves fair employment for young workers who come from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Meet My World
One of Amantani’s projects is called Meet My World. It is a participatory film initiative that helps young people from indigenous communities in the Andes to learn how to write and present their own films, all the while working to define how they are portrayed. Each video is put together or supervised by the young people and children themselves.
The goal of the Meet My World project is to address the imbalance between the indigenous communities of the Andes and the rest of the world. The films are used to teach people from all around the globe about the traditions, knowledge and way of life of the Andean communities. By sharing their stories through the short films, Meet My World aims to break down assumed cultural superiority and find a common ground that is based on respect and understanding.
Why did Enigma choose Amantani?
After hearing about Amantani and seeing the videos of ‘Meet My World,’ we immediately knew that this was a project we wanted to support. As a small welcome present, Enigma is now giving all of our guests a colorful hand-made bracelet upon their arrival in Cusco. Our purchase of these bracelets helps to support the Meet My World film project, as well as Amantani’s boarding houses in the Cusco region.
As strong supporters of Amantani and their goals and initiatives, we invite everyone to watch the incredibly moving short films that are available on www.meetmyworld.org. We are sure that, after watching the videos, you will feel as strongly compelled to support this initiative as we do.
