WICHANA'S
BOARD
MEMBERS.
Kaya Valencia Secretary
Kaya Valencia, Secretary of the Wichana Board, is a daughter of the Kichwa cosmogony Warmi Runa of the La Calera community rooted in Andean agriculture. Kaya is the President of the Muyumi Kanki Cultural Center, an original Partner of Wichana. Muyumi Kanki works on the revitalization of the Kichwa philosophy and language. Koya trains future Kichwa leaders as we work with girls, boys, adolescents and youth from different communities with a focus on ancestral and spiritual linguistic self-esteem. Kaya is finishing up her masters degree in early childhood education.
WHAT
INSPIRES
THEM.
Being a Warmi Runa, I am aware of the reality of the dominant patriarchal system in which we live. I like my work because I am cultivating seeds of my own, planting critical thought in fertile land so that they will grow and bear strong fruit, becoming guardians of their own culture. My great mentors are the wise grandmothers and grandfathers who have shared with me their wisdom to safeguard our mother tongue, our philosophy of the value of life and the necessity of reciprocity with our natural environment.
Wichana Foundation has become our fundamental pillar so that each project and each dream can become a reality. I like that Wichana was born together with our Muyumi Kanki Cultural Center with big dreams aimed at supporting the revitalization of the Kichwa culture and community programs.
Wichana Foundation inspires me knowing that our commitment and support is a natural essence coming from the heart, with love for the culture for which we share the same dream. We are beings who work thinking in terms of the plural Nukanchik (We) and in Minka (working together on projects that serve the community), so that from each of our seeds (projects) the best flowers and fruits will sprout and blossom.
EXPLORE
OUR
INITIATIVES.
The Wichana Foundation has two channels for our work. The first is our support of our Partner organizations. Our support can include fundraising and administration of donations, technical advice, training and support, and project collaboration. The second channel is our direct initiatives that we directly organize and administer. Find out detailed information below.
