This summer our chapter, in conjunction with Rainforest Partnership, will travel to Chipaota, Peru to provide the Kichwa artisans with workshops and training to start an environmentally friendly handicrafts business while preserving the indigenous culture. In addition, a plant nursery will be built to supply the villagers with the necessary Piassaba fibers without the harmful effects of deforestation. 

A group of volunteers from our chapter will travel to Peru for approximately three months over the summer. Volunteers for the project are Margo Johnson, John McCreary, Amanda Gerken, Ben Abraham, and Johnathan Nguyen. The tentative date for departure is Thursday, May 27, 2010. With departure less than two months away, the volunteers are planning out their marketing strategy, getting all traveling details in order, and, of course, vigorously learning Spanish.