Ayni was established in 2001 and works together with the rural community of Alto de los More in Peru to alleviate some of the major barriers of extreme poverty for indigenous Peruvians.
Ayni’s projects are continually evolving and always place emphasis on education. They organize english classes, women’s development projects, as well as workshops in the local school on various issues including health, nutrition, safety, domestic violence and vocational opportunities.
Ayni’s other development projects focus on sustainable agriculture and farming, such maintaining the Tamarind tree orchard and vegetable garden, as well as a micro-credit loans program aimed at providing viable development opportunities for the community.
SLAFF’s donation will be used by Ayni to fund the Healthy Kitchens Project, which aims to replace the standard open pit fires that pose a threat to householders and children with economical adobe mud brick stoves, for 85-90 families. The project will also help create jobs in the local community and reduce the amount of timber used for for combustion. Concurrent projects that will benefit from SLAFF funding are an emergency medical fund, maintenance of the school and the playground, and the development of the school library.
A letter of thanks to Sydney audiences
“ Dear SLAFF, I’m just writing to say THANK YOU SO MUCH for choosing to support our grassroots organization Ayni. ... it was very exciting to receive such a generous donation! It will be incredibly helpful in allowing us to expand our programs such as micro-credit loans and cocina mejoradas to more people. I can’t thank you enough for all your support, this money will really make a difference to our organization in terms of being able to reach more people in the community of Alto de los Mores.
Margie Orsi, AYNI”