Yachachiq Voices

In rural areas, 7 of 10 individuals are poor. The majority of the rural poor are active in agriculture, mainly as producers and often with limited access to health, education and markets. The Sierra region consistently has the worst indicators for access to health, water and sanitation services, education, poverty and extreme poverty.
The target groups for the proposed media project are the Yachachiqs. "Yachachiq" is the quechua name for people who pass on knowledge.
We propose to develop Yachachiq´s Voices in the 8 poorest regions of Peru, around 5 million people.
The project will be conducted in two phases: (A) pilot phase in 2 regions (3 months) (B) scale-up phase in 8 regions (6 months). The first phase will be implemented with the Rising Voices funding.
The Yachachiqs, their knowledge and their communities are underrepresented in global world.
The content will be generated by Yachachiqs from rural communities and we wish them to create their own discussion platforms. They can translate it into native languages and add relevant localized content.
Technology alone will fail and our project provides support with a comprehensive approach and including: technical support, change management, training, coaching and cultural sensitivity.
In Peru social problems do not solely rest on the access to services but the problems are also embedded in behavioral and cultural practices. Cultural practices are particularly influential in matters of technology adoption and use.
New initiatives would be developed specifically to meet the needs of the rural communities and professionals, Yachachiqs and community promoters should be trained to deliver those messages appropriately.