Xmas Gifts for Andean Children- Tupicocha

Hola! Hello!

For those of you who are visiting this fundraising campaign for the first time, thank you for your time and consideration of this cause!

We are raising money to support children and families living in a small community in Perú. Our deadline is December 16, 2022. This year, we want to support 200 children (aged 4 months to 12 years) to ensure they are cared for this winter and are able to gather with their families during the Christmas season without having to stress about the basics. Our goal is to raise approximately $4,000 to support these children, and we are asking for your donation to make this happen. Any amount will be greatly appreciated and go a long way in supporting children during this holiday season.

A little about the organizer: my name is Sandra Suasnabar Alberco. I live on the traditional lands of the Coast Salish peoples on Turtle Island. I am originally from Lima, Perú. I am a mother and a psychotherapist dedicated to offering trauma informed healing and mental health wellness to Black, Indigenous, and racialized communities.

This is the 3rd winter that I have fundraised to support children living in my mother’s village, San Andrés de Tupicocha in Perú. Many of these children are my extended relatives as this is a rural Indigenous community, a place that I miss dearly and long for as my life continues to keep me on these northern lands.

A backgrounder on this fundraiser: My cousin Yubid (in Perú) and I started these fundraising efforts in 2019 as we continued to witness and learn about the inequities that children and their families in our home community endure. We felt compelled to do something as part of our responsibility and accountability to our community. Yubid and I were hopeful that in putting this call out for support, something would come out of the collective solidarity and community care, and it has been very affirming! In previous years, we raised enough funds to purchase gifts for 100 children.

What happens once we gather the funds? Sandra will be travelling to Peru (with her own funds) this winter and will meet with Yubid, whom in previous years took care of purchasing and delivering the gifts. Sandra and Yubid will purchase the gifts in Lima and find an inexpensive or donated ride to the village (at an elevation of 3,600 meters) that can only be accessed by a gravel road that is very fragile in the winter rainy months (Dec-Mar). During the delivery of gifts, Yubid usually facilitates a children’s circle time for the little ones to dance and sing songs while sharing hot chocolate and paneton! The organizing work and labour of Sandra and Yubid is fully volunteer-based and has no strings attached to other efforts, organizations or agendas. These funds/gifts will go directly to the children in the community and it is 100% grassroots.

A little more about Tupicocha: Tupicocha and the surrounding area have approximately 2,000 full time residents. Our village community members dedicate their lives to small scale agricultural production as a way of living, while caretaking our lands, laws, governance and traditions. Many of our young community members migrate to Lima seeking education and work opportunities, and this has been common for many generations.

The needs are significant for the families of our communities. The systemic ( and institutional) discrimination, neglect and displacement are real and historical, in addition to the profound disparities that rural Indigenous communities have faced before & after Covid.

Despite the inequities, we come together as a strong community seeking out hope and offering solidarity where we can. We are proud of our ancestral wisdom, traditions, connection and knowledge of the land, even those of us who live far away.

Thank you so much for your time. We hope that with your support and shares of this link, we will be able to reach our goal. May this also be an opportunity to expand our solidarity & appreciation for Andean people’s and communities. We know that this is a time of financial stretch for many of us so any amount helps.

Muchas gracias!

In solidarity and appreciation!

Sandra and Yubid!