Damiana Apaza Samata lives in Hapu Grande in Q’eros. She wove this poncho for her young son when he learned to walk. Happily, he survived his young years and outgrew this poncho. Until recent years, almost half the Q’ero children died before they reached the age of five years. He is now attending school funded by donations to Heart Walk Foundation and from proceeds from this store
Our generous donors are funding the first high school in the ethnic Hapu Q’ero region of Peru. Children will no longer have to leave their families to attend secondary school. This new high school at 12,000 feet elevation in the Andes will bring relief to many families struggling to help their children get a basic education.
Creating yarns for weaving takes many weeks. The hair is cut from the alpaca, washed, then pulled into soft clumps. Men and women spin the fiber into fine yarns using a simple drop spindle. Many people spin while hiking across the mountains...