Want to help impoverished communities? Like archaeology?
Our list for ways to benefit both:
1. Visit!
Festival at San Jose de Moro, Peru
Put on your adventure shoes and travel to smaller, lesser-known-but-just-as-amazing places like San Jose de Moro and Pampas Gramalote in Peru. You get to see ancient ruins, learn about some incredible history (did you know the ancient Moche performed human sacrifice??), and sample new cuisine. The local community gets to share and preserve their cultural heritage by earning money that supports the community. It’s win-win.
2. Buy beautiful, locally-made artisanal work.
Locally-crafted ceramics like those found in excavations at San Jose de Moro.
You could leave your vacation with a cheap souvenir made elsewhere, or you could purchase a hand-crafted local work of art, such as a replica ceramic from San Jose de Moro, or a reed mat hand-woven with a technique passed down through the centuries from Pampas Gramalote. Wherever you go, support local work and artisans. It brings in thousands of dollars to those communities.
3. Donate!
Don’t have time for trekking in Peru or Jordan? Go to the SPI website and donate here. Any amount, large or small, helps fund grants that invest in locally-created and -run businesses that secure the preservation of cultural heritage for future generations to study and enjoy.
4. Spread the Word!
We’re doing amazing work, but we need your help! Keep checking our blog, join us on Facebook, stay up-to-date on Twitter (SPInitiative) and tell your friends. Our paradigm for preservation is unique and we need your help in getting the word out.
5. Encourage microlenders and other financiers to support projects of this type.
Inaugurating the new artisan and tourist center at San Jose de Moro.
Creating transformative opportunities that empower people to help themselves is the most responsible way to save the world. It makes it realistic and it makes it happen. It’s a TWO for the price of ONE benefit: empowering impoverished communities AND preserving endangered archaeological sites.
