Julia Tomasone
“When I went down to Peru with AYNI in 2015 I taught ESL to a wide-eyed and curious group of grade one students, worked as a social advocate and participated in community rehabilitation initiatives such as AYNI’s Neem Tree planting, water walks, and micro-credit loans. I questioned what success was, when I saw how happy the native Peruvians were in comparison to those in North America.
I was inspired by the children’s desire to learn and the women who did not conform to the societal norm of only running the household – how they ran small businesses and earned income thanks to the opportunities AYNI gave them. The whole experience has shaped the person I am today and I would like to go back very soon. Those kids have my heart.”
Phil Anderson
“I was privileged to work for AYNI during the second half of 2012 and it was an experience that I’ll never forget. Because the project is focussed on one village and has been going for long enough to have earned people’s trust, it really gives you the chance to get involved in lots of different ways. I think what we all remember most fondly is the chance to work with the kids at the school: teaching English, playing games, teaching the younger ones to read and above all just making friends.
However we were able to do a lot of other things that touched their lives less directly but maybe more profoundly: setting up microcredit loans for families, building “cocinas mejoradas” (ovens), painting the school, working on the curriculum – AYNI operates on a budget, but the real limit is your own creativity. It was a chance to work with people like Raquel and Ines that are still sources of inspiration to me years later, a chance to challenge yourself and most important a chance to really make a difference. I don’t think I’ve never gone home more tired at the end of the day, but I don’t think I’ve ever gone home happier either.” 
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