What it's all about

Every student understands the healing properties of a good cup of tea. Every student drunkenly drops their housemates crockery and worries guiltily about replacing them. Hence every student will at some point need to buy a new mug. And as UCL students are generally compassionate and worldly individuals, they would rather give money to charity than trip down to ikea.

Aldea Yanapay is a venture, a beautiful dream created by an inspiring young Peruvian called Yuri. He plans to open an orphanage, an ecovillage which teaches children on the basis that: 'The most beautiful thing about teaching is the being able to give opportunities'. Currently Yuri runs a Restaurant and cafe, run by volunteers, which funds the Yanapay school:

The Yanapay school is a place that has areas such as classrooms, a library, a game library (educational games), reading room, kitchen, and others, that are necessary for the development of the children and adolescents we work with.

We work with children from various public schools who come after class. In the Yanapay Village they do their homework, making use of the library and the materials that we have. They also receive another type of education based on the arts (theatre, music, painting, etc), as well as other topics that are important in today's world: world cultures and religions, ecology, sexuality, and reading.

The Village is also open to all types of cultural expression, for example. Meditation, massages, capoeira, circus arts, etc., since people from all over the world arrive at the Yanapay school and each one has something to give.

There is a phrase that is fundamental at the Yanapay school: 'The most beautiful thing about teaching is the being able to give opportunities'

This, with a strong dose of love, tolerance, and trust, to me [Yuri] seems to be a way to educate human beings who are free in themselves, with the ability to give.

The school is free to the children of Cusco.

MY SUGGESTION is that I contact Yuri, to send me some designs by the children of the school to put on various mugs and to sell these mugs to students, all profit, of course, to Yanapay. At the same time raising awareness about Yanapay and how they can help.

What's needed to make it a reality