Casa Chapi

A long time ago (1709 to be exact) in a town not far from the Peruvian colonial city of Arequipa a committee of the men decided to move a statue of the Virgin Mary from a small town in the hills to a church in the city proper. The committee supervised the loading the image of Mary onto a cart pulled by donkeys. But after moving the statue only a few feet it became so heavy that the donkeys, strain as the might, were brought to a standstill.

Suddenly the men in charge of the caravan heard a voice emanating from the statue crying, “Chaypi! Chaypi!,” others heard, “Chajachay! Chajachay!” and still others heard, “Chaj! Llallapi!” According to Quechua speakers these words are from the Aymara language and mean“right here.” Startled, the committee quickly decided that the Virgin Mary wanted to remain where she was, and so the statue stayed, and became known as “Chapi,” Quechua for “is here.”

The Co-founders of Quechua Benefit, Dr. Mario Pedroza and Mike Safley, had been traveling to Peru for almost 10 years when they decided to expand the charities mission beyond the role of providing dental assistance, disaster relief, and financial support for various orphanages. In 2004 they began an effort to double the capacity of the Musqa Runa orphanage in Macusani. Soon the plans were drawn, estimates prepared, and the funds were raised. But it was not to be. The association that owned the building reneged on a pledge to transfer ownership of the facility to the Sisters of the Cross who had been operating the orphanage for more than twenty years.

The charity moved on to a property in Santa Rosa and made an agreement to acquire the land. At the last moment, the seller tripled the price, apparently believing that a wealthy non-profit from abroad would meet the demand. The search turned to Coporaque in the Colca Valley where the Mayor volunteered to donate 2 1/2 acres plus some nearby grazing land that would support livestock to help sustain the project. The directors traveled to Peru to close the purchase, but again at the last minute, the mayor decided to withdraw the grazing land from the offer and reduce the orphanage site to less than an acre. His motives were never clear. In Chivay, the capital city of the Colca region, a local nurse volunteered to donate a piece of land but again reneged at the last moment. Then an opportunity presented itself to purchase a lovely property at the site of Chapi, a local Chapel built 100 years ago to honor the Virgin Mary. The deal failed when the owner’s relatives argued about the sale.

Finally an old Quechua couple, Juan and Oriola Condori de Uscamayta, who owned the local motorcycle dealership in Chivay, offered to sell 80,000 square feet of land lying next to the Chapi Chapel for $15,000. On October 2, 2008 Quechua benefit closed the deal and acquired the land. It seems the mother of Jesus wanted the children without parents gathered close to her and said “right here.”

In Spring 2009, Quechua Benefit will break ground on Casa Chapi, a sustainable children’s home that will provide 100 youth from the Colca Valley of Peru with a place to live while going to school and learning a trade that will provide themselves and their families a livelihood when they complete their education.

Quechua Benefit has learned over the years that the most precious commodity among the poorest of the Quechua families is hope. Hope for a hot meal, a safe place to grow, an education and a future beyond childhood. No one knows haw many skilled carpenters, mechanics, college professors or small business owners are among Peru’s most impoverished children. Quechua Benefit intends to find out.

Casa Chapi will search for the dentists, computer whizzes, mechanics, carpenters and veterinarians among the children who come to call the orphanage home. Hope will thrive, led by three hot meals a day, nurtured by self esteem and realized through the pride found in accomplishment. Quechua Benefit invites you to participate in the future of each of these children.

Quechua Benefit recently broke ground on Casa Chapi, once operational the goal will be to become self-sustaining; produce from the gardens and greenhouses and animals raised onsite will generate cash flow. Tending the animals and gardens will teach job skills. Other trades such as carpentry will be taught in order to prepare youth for work.

Phase One is targeted for completion by the end of 2009, will cost $542,000 and consists of:

Living quarters for 50 children
Kitchen/pantry and storage
Dining room/study hall
Staff and visitor’s quarters
Administrative Office
Library/computer room
Laundry
Shop building and garage
Sports Facility

Phase Two is targeted to begin construction in early 2010, will cost $295,000 with completion in approximately six months and consists of:
Living quarters for 50 additional children
Greenhouses
Barn
All purpose room and medical clinic
Chapel

Drawing by: Susan Muther

Quechua Benefit has earmarked $250,000 for the Casa Chapi building fund. These funds are reserved solely for the construction of the orphanage. When you choose to donate directly to this building fund, you can be assured that your donation will also be used exclusively to construct the orphanage. Donors who sponsor one of the buildings or facilities listed above can choose a name for the structure and a personal acknowledgment plaque will be placed on the building. Donors who contribute to the general Building Fund will also be acknowledged on a special plaque in the central plaza of Casa Chapi.

To date alpaca breeder Stephanie Pope has agreed to fund a greenhouse, Alan Cousill, Jude Anderson, Cathryn and Marcus Whitman, Beth and Ron Sheets and Mike and Kim Montjoy have agreed to build the Kitchen and Pantry and Mike and Julie Safley have pledged to build the library and computer room. These pledges add $31,500 to the construction fund.

Each of you is invited to help build Casa Chapi. You can:

Organize a fund raising event with your local affiliate.
Mobilize your local service club; Rotary, Lions etc.
Volunteer to help with construction
Donate the funds to build a specific building
Donate to the general construction fund

The difference that this project will in the lives of young Quechua Children is hard to calculate but the building will become a home and foster hope for decades to come if each of us can give a little or a lot based on where we are in our lives. Each donor will be welcome to visit Casa Chapi, stay in the visitor’s house and see their donation at work in the lives of children. We hope to see you there.

Illustrations by Susan Muther/BreedWorks