Sowing Sustenance: The Patacancha Greenhouse Project
By Ali Alford, Marketing and Education Volunteer In April and June, Awamaki welcomed two groups of high school students, each led by a teacher who was a former Awamaki volunteer, to build greenhouses in the village of Patacancha, the home of one of the weaving cooperatives with which we work. With a total of nineteen students from Barbourville, Kentucky and Chicago, Illinois, and greenhouse funding assistance from a generous donor, the groups built an impressive five greenhouses for weavers and their families. Greenhouses help families improve their nutrition and earn supplemental income. Patacancha’s altitude of 12,600 feet makes it difficult...