The Mirasol Project is named after Mirasol, a young Quechua girl. In the harsh environment of the high sierras of the Peruvian Andes, she and her little brother Alex, help tend a herd of 3,000 alpaca at the Mallkini Ranch. Like all the Quechua-speaking peoples of the Andes, Mirasol’s life is a difficult one. She lives with her family in a mud hut with no windows and doors and only an open fireplace for warmth and, because of the ice-cold temperatures at night, she sleeps fully clothed. Few of the Quechua people can read or write, their health is poor and there has been no way out of a life of relentless poverty until now.

The company that runs the Mallkini ranch, Michell y Cia., set up the Mirasol Project in 2006 to secure a future for the children of their employees, the alpaca shepherds. The project has raised enough money from the sale of alpaca wool and cotton yarns to finance the establishment and running  of a Boarding-Centre which focuses on an integrated health and education programme so that the children can have a secure place to develop their potential. Such a project is desperately needed as a survey undertaken in 2002 rated Peru last of 41 nations in terms of educational provision and the people of the Puno region, where the ranch is located, have one of the lowest levels of health and education in the whole of Peru.

So far a great deal has been achieved with the Mirasol Boarding-House being officially opened in March 2008. Typically the educational standards of the rural Quechua-speaking children have been behind those of children from the towns but, given support, the Mirasol children are now showing signs of improvement partly because provision is made for them to be taught in both Quechua and Spanish and they are gaining confidence. One of the older children recently did well in a mathematics competition and some of the small children won a singing and dancing contest. The children’s health is also of paramount importance as a child in poor health cannot take advantage of educational opportunities and the Mirasol children were first in the district to complete the full course of hepatitis vaccines.  The Project receives many visitors and gifts from benefactors. Stella Maris, an association of wives of the Peruvian Marine Force based at Lake Titicaca, visited last October and gave a kit of personal items to each child: a towel, soap, toothbrush and paste. The children were very excited by such a gift as personal hygiene items are a novelty. It seems everyone wants to help! The donation of a motorbike with panniers from the Christian Church of Mount Rainier in Washington has made Bernardo, the cook, very happy as it means he can transport bulk buys of groceries more easily. Progress continues and more donations arrive including 50 desks from the Anglo-American Prescott School making it it easier for the Project to meet the requirements laid down by the Peruvian Government for Mirasol to qualify as Private School. This April 2009 , the Mirasol Boarding-House was officially opened as a School for 45 children. Raul Rivera, representing Michell y Cia., says,” It has taken just three years to fulfil a dream that we hardly dared believe in but time and time again, we are showed that dreams can be fulfilled. If you really want something you can move a mountain.”

A two-way process

Every effort is being made to benefit the disadvantaged Mirasol children and yet this is a two-way learning process.  On her first visit to the Mallkini Ranch, Jane Ellison, the young British Designer who creates the patterns that showcase the Mirasol Yarns said, “Although the poverty is extreme, you get a sense of community and peacefulness. There was none of that anger you associate with city life. It is also very humbling, things I would normally worry about at home seemed unimportant.” Raul Rivera of Michell y Cia. adds, “The Project, I believe, has influenced every single person involved in it. You realise the difficult lives the people lead but they seem to be happy with the little they have. It is an important lesson to learn.” David Watt of Designer Yarns, the UK distributor of Mirasol Yarns, echoes this sentiment, “Every time I see new pictures from the project I am amazed at how it is progressing but the abiding image for me is one of the smiling faces of a large group of children, all clutching brand new toothbrushes, following the first visit of a dentist. It is extremely moving to think that a toothbrush could be a prized possession.” 

Jeffrey J. Denecke Jr. of Knitting Fever, the US distributor of Mirasol Yarns explains what involvement in the Project has meant to him, “Becoming a part of the Mirasol Project brought home the harsh reality of faraway places where there is a lack of even the most basic necessities such as food, shelter, potable water, education and health care. It has also made me more conscious of how powerful a tool money can be. How even a little bit can go such a long way in helping others less fortunate. Knowing the tremendous impact our efforts have had on these children.”

Kari Hestnes and Per Svendsen of Du Store Alpakka, the Norwegian distributor, visited the Mirasol School in April at the time of the official opening. Kari says, “ We arrived at the week-end but a lot of children had shown up to wish us welcome. There were so many happy faces, big hugs and kisses. Hands that wanted to hold our hands. For the first time in my life I wished I were an octopus with many arms. We got a tour of the school and it was incredible to see what they have achieved. With simple means, the school has become cosy and practical. The next day there was the official opening with gifts and speeches. As usual our cheeks were wet with tears of joy and emotion. The project has become my ‘child’ and it moves me to talk about it. One day we hope to have more time to spend among these fantastic people and to feel the pulse of their lives by being part of it, not only watching from the outside. I want to thank everyone who has participated in this project, by donating money, knowledge, presents and their heartfelt compassion. I have gotten to know myself in a new way, opened the doors to my heart, and received a big beautiful family on the other side of the world.”

Peter Mulley of Diamond Yarns, the Canadian Distributor of Mirasol Yarns, is also enthusiastic. He says, “The response to the Project has been positive from the very beginning. I am still amazed that everything has been so successful and that it was literally willed into being. Mountains became molehills at every turn. The Project is wonderful in that it shows just how easy it is to create something ‘good’ in the world and, most importantly, that people do have a ‘good’ side which is often overlooked.” David Watt of Designer Yarns comments, “As someone who has been in the industry now for some 40 years, I have to say that being involved with the Mirasol Project has to be one of the most positive feelings I have had in all that time. On a professional level, selling excellent yarns made from superb natural fibres combined with ‘doing some good in the world’ is quite unique. It makes me feel quite humble when I see what has been achieved in such a short space of time, due to the tireless work of some excellent people. If I am able to contribute in a small way, by using my knowledge and experience, then I feel very privileged indeed to be part of the Mirasol Project.”

It is important now to continue to raise money to finance the day-to-day running of the school. The designer, Jane Ellison says, “There is still more that needs to be completed which is even more important than before, as the children now know what it is like to brush their teeth, have medical care, have a shower, and to read and write. So we need to maintain what we have started.”

As a knitter, you too can contribute to the Mirasol Project, by buying the gorgeous yarns to make one of Jane Ellison’s inspiring designs.

Michele Matheson