Universal Heart Restaurant Moves to Corao

Path of the Heart is excited to announce that the Universal  Heart Restaurant previously in Ollantaytambo is moving to the village of Corao. The restaurant was started in Ollantaytambo to feed the children who walked hours from their villages in the hills to come to school in Ollanta. The schools did not provide lunch so the children were often without food and found it hard to concentrate, sometimes falling asleep at their desks. For years Path of the Heart has provided a free hot meal and often school supplies enabling the children to make the most of their school experience and giving them energy for their long walk back home at the end of the day. Happily the government of Peru is now providing food for the children at schools in Ollanta. Since the restaurant is no longer needed at that location it was closed at the end of December, 2014.

Unfortunately, other villages have not received food in their schools and Path of the Heart wanted to continue its mission to feed children and help them make the most of their educational experience. The village of Corao was selected at the site of the next Universal Heart Restaurant. Corao is located between Cuzco and Pisac and has a population of approximately 400 families. Like Ollanta, children who do not live in the village walk hours to attend school there. The new restaurant will continue to serve between 80 and 100 children five days per week all year long. The restaurant is located in a newly completed building with its own kitchen, bath and dining room. Our beloved Elizabeth who has operated the restaurant in Ollanta will continue to operate the new restaurant. It will be open Monday, February 2, 2015. The village of Corao is grateful to Path of the Heart and has welcomed everyone. As soon as the restaurant is opened, pictures will be posted to the website.  

We are so grateful to our donors and supporters for continuing to make the restaurant possible and invite you to visit and meet Elizabeth and the children and let us thank you in person.

Orchids of Light Solar Panel and Computer Installation

The installation site was in the community of Tio Grande. This community, located above the town of Calca is remote and has no access to electricity. There are 65 children that attend the school. There are 3 teachers plus a director at the school. The school has 3 classrooms + a storage room, as well as 1 living space for the teacher. We completed the entire installation on October 30, 2014. In attendance were: Washi (representative from POTH), teacher coordinator (Maxel), BPP technician and his assistant (Hafid and Yutaka), BPP Education Coordinator (Patrick McDaniel) and BPP Technology Teacher (Tilda Yeow.) Also present at the school were many parents who came to see the installation, the children, teachers and school director. BPP’s technician conducted a tutorial for the teachers on how to use and maintain the solar panel system. There were no technical issues with the system, and everyone was grateful to have access to light, computers, and the ability to charge their radios and cellphones, etc.

BPP’s technology teacher worked with the teachers and children to learn how to use the laptops. They were thrilled with the technology, and soon the children were taking self-photos with the webcams. They learned how to access the educational programs, and it was difficult to get them to stop doing the multiplication games on the computers! This project will bring a great value to the community of Tio Grande, as the children will now have access to technology to enhance their learning. They will also be better prepared when they leave the community to attend a high school in the larger town of Calca.

Alicia Kozuch
President, Buen Power Peru

2014 Solar Update

June 18, 2014, Washi and Alicia Komar completed the distribution of all 18 BBOXX solar lighting systems for the communities of Patacancha and Qalqanqa - Yanamayu. Alicia reported:

It was an extremely long and grueling day (as always!). We started out at 4:30am, only to have a flat tire on the truck within the first 15 minutes. After we finally got the spare tire changed, we were on our way. We picked up 3 other helpers on the way, as we drove first from Cusco to Ollantaytambo, then to the communities of Patacancha, Qalqanqa and Yanamayu. The roads, as you may well know, go high into the mountains and are dangerous switchbacks all the way. Our saving grace was that it is not rainy season, so we were able to pass without incident, although we still had to drive slowly and with much caution. 

We brought 18 BBOXX7 units, which consist of a 20 Watt Solar Panel, 7 amp hour Battery, Controller, 2 LED Lights, adapters for cellphone charging and radio, all necessary cables, sockets and switches. As the day progressed, we met with many different families in these communities that had been identified by the community Presidents. These families had shown interest in the solar lighting systems for their estancias, and were willing to contribute to the cost of the system. As the families are so spread out, we met with them in many different locations bringing the solar panel systems to them. In total, we made about 8 different stops. At each stop, we met with families, demonstrated the units and installation, and provided them with literature and contact information for follow-up trouble shooting. 

Buen Power Peru contributed funding for transportation and delivery costs. In total, there are 151 people that will now have access to electricity in their estancias.

Solar Electricity for Three Andean Villages in the Cusco Region

Through the 2013 Shapiro Foundation grant, solar electricity was installed in the school in Pacramayu. Students had come to the school from Pacramayu (about 50 families), Huarcayo (about 30 families) and Calcanca  (about 30 families), but before the electricity project, all but five had left to attend school in nearby Lucre, a hike of at least two hours one way. Now the students, their teacher and an aide will return to their local school.

The electricity project provided charging station for the 15 laptop computers that the Peruvian government had provided to the school. In addition, families in all three of the villages were provided with Dlight solar light kits so that they can light their homes in the evening and recharge cell pones and radios. Villagers' lives have been dramatically enhanced by the solar electricity and solar light project.

Solar Lights for Three Villages in 2014!

Good news! In November 2013, Path of the Heart received a grant from the Shapiro Foundation to install a solar panel for a school and community room in the remote Andean village of Pacramayu. The addition of electricity will not only impact villagers in Pacramayu, but also families in the nearby villages of Huarcayo, and Calcana who send their children to Pacramayu for school. 

The panel will include power strips to charge laptops, radios, television, cell phones, and lights in the school. In addition, the families in these three villages will be provided with personal portable solar lanterns and cellphone chargers and adapters.  With the personal lanterns, family duties can be carried out after dark and children can study. The cellphone chargers will enable families in these remote villages to maintain social and emergency contact outside of their village. Funding from the grant will provide light to the estimated 550 individuals living in these three villages.