Ancestral centre
The adventure of creating an ancestral centre at 4400m in the Andes in Peru is worth sharing on itself. Let this journal take you on the journey from the very first contact with the Q’eros community to the center in full service and all the memorable steps in between.
You may want to keep an eye on this page. When noteworthy events occur, they will be listed here.
Hannah meets the Q’eros, 2010
Hannah Rae Porst’s work in Q’eros began in 2010 when she lived among its people while researching the intersection of indigenous culture and global development. During a community dinner on the eve of her departure she asked village parents how she could thank them for their hospitality. There was initial talk about soccer shoes, but what they really needed, they told her, was a school.
Working with the Q’eros people, Hannah raised funds for, founded and built the first primary school in the village of Ch’allmachimpana. She moved to Peru in 2011 to continue her work there. Up to the present day, Hannah’s heart is part of the Q’eros community and being most of her time living in this beautiful part of the world.
Willka Yachay, 2012
In 2012, Hannah founded a Peruvian NGO called Willka Yachay (Quechua for sacred wisdom) to develop education that enables young Q’eros to become leaders who guide their community toward sustainable modernity and perpetuate their cultural identity. Together with the Q’eros, Willka Yachay builds and sustains schools; builds and maintains infrastructure; provides food and water security, emergency medical care, mother and infant care, solar lighting, satellite internet, national and international travel experiences; and leads learning expeditions and spiritual retreats to Q’eros.