Help Inca Trail Guide Rubén Reinvent Himself
Donation protected
Hello, my name is Rubén Apaza Holguín from Cusco, Peru.
I am a tourist guide, but during the ongoing pandemic I have had to reinvent myself.
I need your help to create my own local market stall much like the ones I would- under normal circumstances- have taken international visitors to see in San Pedro market.
I was born and have always lived in beautiful Cusco city. You might know me better by my nickname "Chino". I'm descended from a very Andean family, my Peruvian parents taught me all about our ancestral traditions. I admire my father, who in life was a person who supported the spiritual needs of our local community through spiritual healing work, offerings to the Pachamama or mother earth and teaching me about traditional Andean medicine and Inka religion and traditions. From a very young age, I learned many things from my parents. My mother had very limited studies, she only studied until the third year of primary school and my father was totally illiterate, he never went to school. But even so, they were people who knew a lot outside the conventional sense and I admired them for that.
I studied in the city of Cusco, from elementary school to finishing university and getting my degree in History, but at the same time I was also studying tourism. I once taught history at the local university and when I finished my studies in tourism, I started working immediately.
I now have a wonderful family, my daughter and my wife who are the reasons for my days, they are my inspiration.
Up until March 2020, I was working exclusively with Amazonas Explorer for a period of almost 14 years, it is incredible. Tourism gave me the opportunity to meet many people, many cultures, but above all to have friends from all over the world. Maybe one day, my dream is to also travel the world like them. In my list of places I want to visit, Africa is on the first place, I dream of going there since I was a child.
Currently facing this pandemic that has left us without work. Since August 13th, with my family, we have ben renting a market stall in Ttio in Cusco. We plan to mostly sell cereals, corn, grain, flour and other basic necessities. We have applied for and received the permits, and the health card required by the Peruvian government to set up our stall safely. And we are managing to pay the rent.
The plan is to raise $1500 equivalent to £1122
1. Buy wholesale grains such as corn, lentils, beans, rice, oats, wheat, pallar beans, barley, quinoa, kiwicha, etc. and sell it by kilos to future customers.
2. To buy, I already have the suppliers and contacts, most are from Arequipa since they are producers who export their products to the international market, prices are low if you buy in quantity.
3. The sales permits, we already have along with a health certificate and a large number of clients, many who already know us. We also need to invest in some PPE to comply with the guidelines and keep ourselves safe.
Your donations will help us buy more stock in wholesale quantities.
Hopefully everything becomes a reality. Thank you very much and I hope my dreams come true.
Take care end be safe.
Rubén Apaza Holguín
How it works:
I, Paul Cripps, owner of Amazonas Explorer have agreed to help set up these Gofundme crowdfunding pages for my guides who are struggling to make ends meet whilst the tourism industry implodes in Peru. We hope it will be back one day soon, but for now, they need to reinvent themselves in order to feed their families.
The funds will be collected here in the UK into my account and then I will pay the exact equivalent in Peruvian soles from my Peruvian account into their personal accounts to minimise bank transfer fees and exchange rate fluctuations.
I will also personally contribute the first $150 of each proposal to help them get started. This will be donated directly into their accounts to avoid charges.
Our guides provide a big part of the magic of any trip to Peru and it is their personal touches, professionalism, wit and charm that makes each trip they guide unforgettable.
So, if you enjoyed your trip to Peru with one of our guides, please give what you can.
I know times are difficult everywhere but these guides are true heroes, their projects are borne out a desire to survive this pandemic and come out the other side better for the experience.
If you cant donate, please share and spread the word to help them achieve their goals.
Let me take this opportunity to thank you so much for anything you can do.
Paul Cripps
Amazonas Explorer
Cusco
Peru
I am a tourist guide, but during the ongoing pandemic I have had to reinvent myself.
I need your help to create my own local market stall much like the ones I would- under normal circumstances- have taken international visitors to see in San Pedro market.
I was born and have always lived in beautiful Cusco city. You might know me better by my nickname "Chino". I'm descended from a very Andean family, my Peruvian parents taught me all about our ancestral traditions. I admire my father, who in life was a person who supported the spiritual needs of our local community through spiritual healing work, offerings to the Pachamama or mother earth and teaching me about traditional Andean medicine and Inka religion and traditions. From a very young age, I learned many things from my parents. My mother had very limited studies, she only studied until the third year of primary school and my father was totally illiterate, he never went to school. But even so, they were people who knew a lot outside the conventional sense and I admired them for that.
I studied in the city of Cusco, from elementary school to finishing university and getting my degree in History, but at the same time I was also studying tourism. I once taught history at the local university and when I finished my studies in tourism, I started working immediately.
I now have a wonderful family, my daughter and my wife who are the reasons for my days, they are my inspiration.
Up until March 2020, I was working exclusively with Amazonas Explorer for a period of almost 14 years, it is incredible. Tourism gave me the opportunity to meet many people, many cultures, but above all to have friends from all over the world. Maybe one day, my dream is to also travel the world like them. In my list of places I want to visit, Africa is on the first place, I dream of going there since I was a child.
Currently facing this pandemic that has left us without work. Since August 13th, with my family, we have ben renting a market stall in Ttio in Cusco. We plan to mostly sell cereals, corn, grain, flour and other basic necessities. We have applied for and received the permits, and the health card required by the Peruvian government to set up our stall safely. And we are managing to pay the rent.
The plan is to raise $1500 equivalent to £1122
1. Buy wholesale grains such as corn, lentils, beans, rice, oats, wheat, pallar beans, barley, quinoa, kiwicha, etc. and sell it by kilos to future customers.
2. To buy, I already have the suppliers and contacts, most are from Arequipa since they are producers who export their products to the international market, prices are low if you buy in quantity.
3. The sales permits, we already have along with a health certificate and a large number of clients, many who already know us. We also need to invest in some PPE to comply with the guidelines and keep ourselves safe.
Your donations will help us buy more stock in wholesale quantities.
Hopefully everything becomes a reality. Thank you very much and I hope my dreams come true.
Take care end be safe.
Rubén Apaza Holguín
How it works:
I, Paul Cripps, owner of Amazonas Explorer have agreed to help set up these Gofundme crowdfunding pages for my guides who are struggling to make ends meet whilst the tourism industry implodes in Peru. We hope it will be back one day soon, but for now, they need to reinvent themselves in order to feed their families.
The funds will be collected here in the UK into my account and then I will pay the exact equivalent in Peruvian soles from my Peruvian account into their personal accounts to minimise bank transfer fees and exchange rate fluctuations.
I will also personally contribute the first $150 of each proposal to help them get started. This will be donated directly into their accounts to avoid charges.
Our guides provide a big part of the magic of any trip to Peru and it is their personal touches, professionalism, wit and charm that makes each trip they guide unforgettable.
So, if you enjoyed your trip to Peru with one of our guides, please give what you can.
I know times are difficult everywhere but these guides are true heroes, their projects are borne out a desire to survive this pandemic and come out the other side better for the experience.
If you cant donate, please share and spread the word to help them achieve their goals.
Let me take this opportunity to thank you so much for anything you can do.
Paul Cripps
Amazonas Explorer
Cusco
Peru
Organiser
Paul Cripps
Organiser
