The Kusi Kawsay Association seeks to empower children, youth, and adults of Indigenous communities in the Sacred Valley through the creation and support of three permanent, multidisciplinary programs: the Kusi Kawsay Andean School, the Kusi Ñan Organic Farm, and Ñawpa Ñan Cultural Events Promoter.
All of these programs are carried out using the Andean Legacy approach, which incorporates traditional Andean music, dance, songs, Quechua, sacred geometry art, textile and basket weaving, nutrition, medicinal herbs, women’s empowerment, martial arts and ceremonies. Even the traditional educational disciplines, such as mathematics, geometry, biology, etc., are taught using the Andean approach.
Thanks to the adoption of Waldorf methodology, students have plenty of time to cultivate the very arts that gave birth to their culture. As they are weaving beautiful textiles, they are also learning about and expressing the Andean cosmovision. These students understand how all the disciplines they study are interwoven, just as their culture teaches that all the things are interconnected.
For the Andean culture, the most important relationship they have is with the Earth and it is one that needs to be nurtured and reciprocated. Therefore, all Kusi Kawsay students have the opportunity to learn and work in the Kusi Ñan organic farm.
At present, Kusi Kawsay runs to the ninth grade and there are currently 109 students enrolled. By 2021, Kusi Kawsay will have a complete high school up to eleventh grade.
The school also offers extra curricular intergenerational programs in karate, self-defense, and Andean cultural events, which are open to the entire community. Women’s empowerment and gender equity are also an essential part of the Andean Legacy project and workshops are offered on these issues every two weeks.
The ultimate vision of these programs is Sumac Kawsay (good living). Sumac Kawsay involves the reconnection of individuals, families and communities with their most essential values: respect, love and reciprocity for all of life, and the nurturing of consciousness by bridging the past to present issues and future hopes.
The Andean Legacy programs demonstrate how to lead a respectful, conscious and loving life that is sustainable for generations to come.