Chalhuanca

We built a greenhouse on the school campus in Chalhuanca, for both primary and secondary students, to provide fresh vegetables for the school meals. The village sits above 14,000 feet, higher than anywhere in the continental United States, and it is an amazing journey to get there. The need is great: much of the time, the parents are far away herding their alpacas, and nothing grows at this altitude.

We provided the materials for the roof, windows, and door of the new greenhouse. These were given only after the foundation and walls were completed with volunteer labor from the community, which sent four reports detailing how it would build and manage the greenhouse. Urban Angels required that student leaders be closely involved in planning and managing the project, so students learn farming as they work the crops.