Collaboration is at the heart of everything we do at Awamaki, from our artisan partnerships to the meaningful experiences we co-create with visiting groups. In addition to supporting artisans in hosting tours to their communities for small tourist groups, Awamaki also welcomes larger educational and service-oriented groups to connect with and learn from Andean communities.
Recently, a group of high schoolers visited the community of Huilloc, and joined local community members in a collaborative effort with Awamaki to build a stone wall.
The wall is the first step in preparing land for a new space where the cooperative can meet and run their business. Like all the service projects Awamaki facilitates, our artisan partners purchase the land and provide their own labor and materials. Visiting groups contribute their work and additional materials in exchange for the cooperative’s welcome, sharing, and teaching on the project site.
Ayni in action.
As the marketing volunteer, I was there to document the work, but I also had the opportunity to assist with construction—an experience I’ll carry with me for a long time.
Manual labor under the high-altitude sun while storm clouds loomed might not seem ideal, but it was the conversations, shared laughter, and collective spirit among both visitors and community members that made the day so meaningful. Everyone I spoke with was eager to help, and the positive energy buzzing around the site made the time fly by.
While this group of high school students could have spent their spring break sleeping in, they chose something more meaningful: traveling to Peru to engage in hands-on collaboration and cultural exchange with Andean communities.
After a weeklong journey with World Challenge, a UK-based educational travel organization, the group concluded their trip with a service experience in Ollantaytambo and Huilloc.
Every student I spoke with was genuinely excited to be working in these communities. Just three days into their service work, they had already formed a strong sense of commitment, working together toward their shared goal of contributing to the construction project. They were also excited to learn about the culture of the Andean communities they were experiencing, such as the Pachamanca lunch prepared for us by the artisans (also an option offered in Awamaki’s day tours). As I reflect on this day, I am reminded that the most lasting impact goes beyond what’s built, it’s the relationships formed, the authentic collaboration, and the stories shared across cultures
For the students, this was an opportunity to see the world through a new lens.
For the community, it was a step forward in their journey of resilience and self-determination.
And for us at Awamaki, it reaffirmed our commitment to co-creating spaces where mutual learning, respect, and equitable impact can thrive, together with the Quechua artisans, their families, and their communities.