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All rights reserved. No portion of this newsletter may be copied or reproduced without the written consent of the

AASD.

Welcome to the first AASD quarterly newsletter! Looking

back over the last year, much has changed the numberof employees has almost doubled, we started an

agriculture demonstration farm, and we effectively

implemented our family greenhouse program in Maucau

(more to come on that during the November newsletter).

In hindsight, we all agreed we need to do a better job of

keeping our constituents up-to-date on the happenings of

the AASD, so here it is a newsletter!

This first issue contains an overview of Team Peru

Summer 2012 and the Marshall High School students

visit to Choquecancha, a day in the life of an AASDvolunteer, and words from our Director of Morale.

Please remember to visit Alianzaandina.org, which

outlines our projects in greater detail. Were very

interested in feedback and ideas for future newsletters, so

feel free to write us at theandeanalliance@gmail.com.

~ The AASD Team

2

Andean Alliance

for Sustainable

Development

Working towards a healthy

and prosperous future.

Issue 1September 2012

Inside

Welcome!

Team Peru Summer

2012 Updates

Volunteer Spotlight

Marshall High

School Visit

Message from

Director of Morale

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Issue 1 :: August 2012 Andean Alliance for Sustainable Development

Well, it happened again; another northern hemisphere summer came and went too

quickly. Thankfully, we had a great group of graduate students from the Monterey Institute ofInternational Studies (MIIS) helping us capitalize on this precious time. Since June, eight

students pursuing advanced degrees in Public Administration, International Policy Sciences,

and Environmental Sciences, among others, have lent us their expertise and enthusiasm in

exchange for an opportunity to obtain practical international development experience in Peru.

We call this group of students Team Peru, and they continue to impress us with the

amount and quality of their work. Summer 2012 marks the 3rd official practicum, and Team

Peru consistently challenges our methods and mindsets. They provide valuable insight and a

refreshing view on our projects. This, in itself, helps us remain innovative and accountable to

the communities where we work. Here is a brief overview of the work accomplished this

summer:

Agriculture Initiative

The Demonstration Farm is still in its initial phases, but it has made profound headway. It

now contains a fully functioning greenhouse, complete with banana trees and a soon-to-come

herb spiral! We have two flower gardens, nine beds, tons of compost piles, and even some

methodology testing underway. Furthermore, we have kick-started our newest project

family greenhouses! We are very excited about the potential for this project. We have selected

to focus on one community, Maucau, before expanding to others. Over the next two months,

families will partake in weekly sustainable agriculture workshops and receive technical

assistance with their greenhouses. More updates to come!

Team

Peru

Summer 2012

Project

Updates

The AASD continues its Immersive Learning

partnership with MIIS, wraps up another

successful Team Peru summer.

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Issue 1 :: August 2012 Andean Alliance for Sustainable Development

Womens Empowerment

The INKAcase social enterprise is off and running! We have

made huge strides in preparation for the US market,

including (but not limited to) an online store, informative

tags, a video about the women, and drum roll please a

new addition to our product line - iPad sleeves!

Furthermore, our products are available online through

EthicalOcean.com and in person at Independent

Marketplace, which takes place the first Thursday of every

month in San Francisco.

NGO Network

With over 200 organizations in the Sacred Valley, collaboration is essential. After surveying

current network members about aspirations and visions for the network, Team Peru tabulated

the results and found a few common themes members desire to remain up-to-date onprojects in the Sacred Valley and would like to see more opportunities for knowledge sharing.

So, Team Peru took these findings and initiated the following:

Happy Hour Fridays. (Who doesnt like a good happy hour?) This will be an opportunityto socialize and network with fellow Sacred Valley NGOs. It will take place the first

Friday of every month starting September 7 at 4PM in Urubamba. All are welcome.

Project site visits. These site visits increase avenues for knowledge sharing and helpNGOs keep abreast of happenings in the Sacred Valley. First site visit will be in

Pampacorral and Maucau on September 14.

Panel discussions and workshops. Issues relevant to todays development world will bediscussed. The first workshop is on November 9 and addresses Volunteer Management.

Children of Inti Photo Project

The AASD continues to advocate artistic outlets for children. It not only stimulates creativity,

but also allows us to gain a glimpse of life through the eyes of children. Children of Inti Photo

Project continued for its second summer in Pampacorral and was a huge success. Over 45

students across two classes learned topics such as composition, macro imaging, and eye

movement. At the end of the summer, each child received copies of his or her best pictures as

well as a booklet containing the class top photos. These will be some of the only printed photos

these children will ever have.

INKAcases order online at

www.alianzaandina.bigcartel.com

The Children of Inti Photo Project plans an art exhibition

tour around the US. If you know of any interested galleries,

please let us know at theandeanalliance@gmail.com.

To see all photos from this years project, visit our website at

Alianzaandina.org.

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Issue 1 :: August 2012 Andean Alliance for Sustainable Development

Volunteer

Spotlight

Daisy MorenoSan Francisco, CA

Tell us a bit about yourself and why

you chose to volunteer with the

AASD?Ive been involved with food advocacy for a

number of years. I enjoy gardening during

my free time, particularly because it

involves working with my hands,

connecting with the soil to produce

nutritious veggies. As a marketing

professional, I wanted to do something to

promote healthy eating practices. I

became involved with the Edible

Schoolyard, a one-acre garden and school

lunch program in the US. Through this

program, I was able to contribute to

getting children and communities involved

in growing, harvesting, and cooking their

own meals. This has a tremendous effect

on eating behavior. Plus, kids were excited

about slicing and dicing veggies.

I enrolled in a course at UC Berkeley

taught by Michael Pollan. During the

From cubicle farms to organic farms, Daisy puts

her passion to work.

course, I met a lady who went to Costa

Rica through the MESA program. She

spoke of her experience and told me aboutthe work AASD is doing to help provide

sustainable agriculture in Peru. Shortly

after, I contacted Aaron Ebner. It seemed

like a perfect fit; Peru is an agriculture

country rich with Incan traditions and the

AASD is focused on food sovereignty.

Furthermore, the volunteer placement

allowed me to apply my experience

working with kids and school gardens.

What is a typical day like?

A typical day starts with a bus ride from

Calca to Lamay (appx. 10 minutes). I then

have to wait for a car to travel up to the

community of Chumpe-Poques (which

could take anywhere from 30 minutes to 1

hour), and the ride is about 40 minutes

through the beautiful Andean mountains.

Once there, I prep the greenhouse and

determine what needs watering or

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Issue 1 :: August 2012 Andean Alliance for Sustainable Development

- the AASD works with an

indigenous farmer that

cultivates over 200 varieties

of potatoes? He is fondly

known as The Potato King.

- the communities in the

Lares district practice

communal farming, the same

as during Incan times?

- the Incas invented freeze

drying?

- many, including the AASD,

use an irrigation systemdeveloped by the Incas?

Did you know

weeding and I check on the compost. Afterwards, I meet

with Vilma (my school counterpart who will be overseeing

the greenhouse once I leave), and we coordinate what needs

to be accomplished during the week.

At 12:40PM, class begins. I give the days lesson, which

typically relates to the food and its nutritional value. After

the lesson, we head to the greenhouse! Tasks range from

watering to prepping beds, and we divide the class into

teams associated with certain tasks. As they complete their

duties, Vilma and I walk around conducting discussions.

What was your greatest challenge working in Peru?

Probably access to resources. Having enough gardening

tools for everyone can be difficult to obtain. I have to walk

around to different family houses and ask to borrowmaterials. Thankfully, the community is very helpful.

How do you think your experience with the AASD

will benefit you in the future?

My experience with the AASD taught me an immense

amount about motivating and engaging communities to

work together to get things done. I learned how to obtain

participation with multiple stakeholders parents,

teachers, students, etc.

Any stories youd like to share?

Yes, the potato cage! I wanted to take something they

were very familiar with potatoes and teach them

something new. With the potato cage, the idea is to use

small spaces and build up. To do it, you basically dig a hole

and throw in potatoes. You then cover them with dirt and

place another layer of potatoes. The students couldnt

conceptualize how this would work because typically,

potatoes are planted in one single row. After a couple of

weeks, we dug up the potatoes and they had all sprouted;

the students were shocked! Their faces were priceless.

Are you an NGO in the Sacred Valley? Join our Network and get

access to professional development, online forums, and event

updates happening in your region. Email

theandeanalliance@gmail.com to obtain an invite.

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Issue 1 :: August 2012 Andean Alliance for Sustainable Development

Lessons Learned

Message from

the Director of

Morale

Dont eat other peoples

false teeth.

Birds are great, but not

when you get yelled at

for eating them.

Even though jumpingover the fence is a bit

scary, its worth it.

Sometimes you just

have to take the leap.

Lying in the most

trafficked area of the

house can be

problematic, but it can

also be perfect for a

dropped morsel.

Being tied up isnt too

bad as long as shoes

and paper towels are

within reach.

Couch = awesome;

Fleas = not awesome.

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Marshall High School Visits

Choquecancha, Peru

In June, a group of 10 students from Marshall High School(MHS) in Marshall, Michigan traveled to Peru and spent five

days with the AASD in Choquecancha, a rural mountain

village in Peru. The students raised over $11,000 to fund their

AASD trip expenses, a greenhouse, and part of an agriculture

technicians salary to ensure the knowledge associated with

greenhouse management is transferred to the locals. We are

extremely grateful to the MHS students, their families, the

chaperones, and the Marshall community for making this

Peruvian pipedream a reality!

The MHS students stayinvolved daily manual

labor, no showers, and

sleeping on a wood floor.

Amenities aside, each one

of the students rose to the

occasion and tackled each

day eager to work. We can

say, without hesitation, the

MHS students were a true

joy to get to know and a pleasure to have.

Manual labor wasnt the only thing on which the MHS

students were put to work. One day was devoted to nothing

but fun! The students put on a carnival complete with

cornhole, face painting, dizzy soccer accuracy, musical chairs,

and much more! The MHS students brought prizes, such as

toothbrushes and stuffed animals, and a speaker system

blared 90s Jock Jams. It was great to see the students from

Choquecancha grinning from ear to ear, and the Marshall

students got to know the local students.

The time in the community

with the MHS and Choque

students was a good

reminder kids everywhere

are all the same. Whether

they are from the US or a

remote village in Peru,

they like to play games and

drink too much soda.