10 HIGHLIGHTS FROM 2023

• 2023 is what we called our "transition year", just in time for our 18th year. After tons of collective effort, Mosqoy is now officially co-led by our Quechua staff in Cusco. Our Board of Directors in Canada is now becoming an advisory board and fundraising board, no longer a "working board," leading its day-to-day operations. This is a dream come true and a huge step towards sustainability. It also aligns with our values to support local and Indigenous-led place-based programming.

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• Textile sales increased 30% from our previous year. Led by our intrepid Textile Manager, Cusi, we are selling in 12 strategic locations across Cusco, the Sacred Valley, and Lima (which is 4 more than the previous year). One location acts as a show room, carrying all of our products! We also continue to sell online, and in fairs in both Canada and Peru.

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• Each of our partner weavers have earned an average of twice the revenue than in the previous year. The majority of weavers report that they spend their textile revenues on food and education for their children. 

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• We are actively supporting 49 weavers this year, from 5 Quechua communities, each of whom supports an average of 5 family members. Therefore, our Mosqoy Peruvian Textiles program indirectly impacts 245 people with its textile sales.

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• We held two training sessions this past year with the Cancha Cancha Weaving Cooperative on marketing and branding, and supported them to apply for a grant with the Calca Municipality, to revitalize their traditional knowledge regarding alpaca-herding and hand-spinning. This, along with our other community work, is led by our skilled Community Facilitator, Anshela.

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• Mosqoy's founder, Ashli, completed her PhD, on safeguarding cultural heritage in an era of rapid economic change. The first community outputs from her doctoral research are now coming to fruition, including a new alpaca-yarn product with Cancha Cancha spinners, and an exciting partnership between Mosqoy & the National Geographic Society to educate travellers about the importance of supporting local artisans and purchasing authentic traditional textiles.

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• Mosqoy held two fundraising events this past year - one was an online auction in Canada, in honour of our late friend, Gayle Ramsden, and the other was an in-person gathering in partnership with La Cerveceria del Valle, during Peru’s Fiestas Patrias (National Holiday). During the brewery event, our scholarship students choreographed and performed a traditional dance, typical of the Ollantaytambo region, and gave live weaving demonstrations to visitors. 

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• The Mosqoy Youth Program was awarded a unique grant for an educational project, EdJam, dedicated to the design and implementation of Mosqoy workshops emphasizing traditional knowledge, the arts, cultural identity, and social justice. Throughout the year, our students explored various themes such as Andean music and dance, photography, natural dyeing, painting, and more, culminating in a field-trip to the Potato Park where students learned about traditional agricultural practices, weaving, cuisine, and traditional medicine. The EdJam project also included the development and launch of an eight-week human rights certificate course, which will continue on for future cohorts. 

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• In July, thanks to the EdJam grant, Mosqoy's Youth Program Manager, Stephanie, and Resident Advisor, Elvira, travelled to Bogota, Colombia, to present Mosqoy's work as part of a network of Latin American partners who are engaging in similar work. It was a wonderful opportunity to explore the importance of decolonizing education.

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• We have 16 scholarship students from 13 remote campesino communities living in Casa Mosqoy right now, all enrolled in post-secondary institutions (either university or technical institutes). 13 of these students will enter their final year of classes next year!