Empowerment

Community

ISA

who they are
International Studies Abroad Cusco started in 2011, for international students to have an educational intercultural experience in Cusco Peru. the organization is always on the lookout for projects that promote student involvement in local communities and provide educational opportunities. ISA students from all over the world are deeply involved in Chocco sharing knowledge from their diverse backgrounds and in turn learning from the community.
how are they involved in the community
In the year 2024, ISA began an exciting agricultural project in the Chocco community. It was the first time in the history of the Cusco valley an organization supported a local community in pivoting from their traditional agricultural products. With full support from the organization the Chocco community was able to begin production of Raspberries a more economically profitable product. with constant legal, agricultural, and logistical help, ISA is dedicated to the improvement of the quality of life for all members of the chocco community.
new timeline
alberto info

local municipalities

who? how help
compost treatment plant (cusco)
the local municipality of Cusco was able to create the first compost treatment plant in the region. Now the organic waste of Cusco is sent to Chocco where it will be composted to be reused in the parks, plaza and green areas of the city. In exchange the community of Chocco is entitled to 30 kilos of compost as well as the plant being a provider of jobs in the community
greenhouses (santiago)

Universities

USIL
UARM
USC
SAINTE MARIE
education
entreprenuership
sustainability
infrastructure

NGO

SDS (sustainable development studies)
entreprenuership
tourism
educacion
sustainability
Green program
hydrology and sustainability

The Raspberries for Chocco project began in the fall of 2023 to help the indigenous community of Chocco generate more income by cultivating a more profitable product. The first group of volunteers analyzed the community’s production, identified raspberries as a suitable product, and found a bio-garden to purchase the plants.

The NGO SDS granted them 500 soles, which they used to buy 50 raspberry plants and 2 bags of fertilizer for 480 soles. They also sent soil samples from Chocco to be analyzed in Lima at 170 soles per sample, plus 25 soles for shipping. The tests confirmed that the soil was suitable, and the students planted the raspberry seeds in the greenhouses of five families.

The next group of volunteers, in the spring semester of 2024, continued the efforts. They raised 1,230 soles on GoFundMe and bought a shade cover, which they delivered to the greenhouse. They raised an additional 500 soles and met with a lawyer to formalize the project as an association.

During the summer session of 2024, the volunteers raised more than 2,600 soles, which the community used to purchase thermal blankets to combat the cold nights that were damaging the raspberries. The project has been of great help to the community, but more needs to be done to ensure long-term success.

Why?

Chocco has existed since the time of the Inca Empire, between 1200 and 1533. Its community has remained very close-knit since then, enduring the harsh Spanish colonization, Peru's gradual independence, a violent wave of terrorism in the 1980s, and recent corruption in the last presidencies. Despite all this, the Chocco community preserves its traditional practices, including agriculture, spirituality, and celebrations.

Línea de Tiempo

The project began when ISA students (Annemarie Christiansen, Claire Hansen, Clay Higgins, Jesus Denmark, and Max Kessler) united in response to a local indigenous community called Chocco, which expressed interest in switching to more profitable crops in the hope of generating more income for the community and improving their quality of life. They started by analyzing which crops could yield high profits and would be feasible for the greenhouse environment, eventually discovering that raspberries had high potential as a profitable crop. They raised funds to purchase the raspberry plants and monitored their growth over the following months, which involved conducting soil tests, applying fertilizers, and providing general maintenance.

En the spring of 2024, Karen Rodríguez, Sara Parietti, Holly Davis, and Hermela Tedasse continued the project. After meeting with a plant specialist, they learned that the plants were being damaged by high levels of ultraviolet rays. To address this, they purchased and delivered a roll of shade cloth using part of the 1,230 Soles they had raised on GoFundMe. They also used these donations to initiate the legal process of formalizing the association after meeting with a law firm. This facilitated the expansion of the program by identifying which families in Chocco wanted to participate in the project and who was interested in taking on leadership roles. Additionally, they managed to organize training on making jams, ice cream, and raspberry products to benefit the Chocco community.

In the summer of 2024, ISA students Roxy Fredericksen, Claudia Porter, Peter Kriebel, Melangelo Pride, Favour Akingbemi, Lillian Lenart, and Emmanuel Fabian raised $700 on GoFundMe to buy fertilizers and thermal blankets for the Chocco community. This improved the quality of their product and helped mitigate the damage to the crops caused by the cold nights during the dry season. These students created an email account, a website, Instagram, TikTok, and a logo for future marketing initiatives, and centralized all project-related files in a shared Google Drive. This included many high-quality photographs taken of the farm and its members. Additionally, they conducted interviews with community members in Chocco to inform the content for social media and the website. Finally, they assisted in weeding and fertilizing the raspberry plants in the greenhouses.