Peru: The Start

Idea Engineering Agency has partnered with Circle of Women, a student-run organization at Harvard University, to support the education and healing of a particular group of women in Peru.  Circle of Women has projects set up in Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, and now Peru. They started a rapport with Casa Mantay, which houses young women who have been victims of rape. Circle of Women is working on giving them an education and a way to generate income with the goal of helping the women attain economic independence. The organization reached out to us, inviting us to support the project through the use of the neurological research and tools we have developed to help these women move away from the trauma of rape into providing a happier life for their children. While there, we will seek to understand how they see the world and will work to empower them to create a world they own beyond Casa Mantay.

Our first step will be to observe the environment; from why rape has become a cultural norm, their diet, habits, cultural view, ethics, how they view themselves, what they need, how they would like to be helped, their neurological state, to infrastructure needs. In most cultures, women carry the responsibility of raising the children, therefore if we empower them with education and economic independence, we truncate child trafficking, sexual exploitation, disease, poverty, etc. Rather than simplifying the problem, we recognize that change can arise from the smallest details. In September last year, we attended the Do Lectures, where an amazing woman called Chido Govera shared her story of how learning to farm mushrooms changed her life. That simple skill catalysed an education for her younger brother, a career of education for her, and a better life for other orphans. She was able to truncate so much suffering by giving women economic independence. What was striking about her story was the simplicity of the solution: give a girl a skill with which she can create economy and she thrives. Since we opened our first innovation space in London 2.5 years ago (THECUBE), we have wanted to tackle a project that would make use of all of the skills and resources we have accrued. Circle of Women is providing Idea Engineering Agency with a pivotal opportunity to act on a need that we can best support. Through the creation of THECUBE and WECREATE, we have learned the importance of a healthy community. Healthy communities create healthy minds that have balanced levels of the key neurochemicals for innovation. Furthermore, they lower anxiety and fear helping people reach their goals in a more effective way. By exposing our research and knowledge to other communities, we believe we can create lasting positive change. It is not about giving money- it’s about sharing skills, knowledge, time, and kindness.

Our dream for our spaces is to grow a communities that not only generate strong businesses but also help other communities cultivate their own economy. It is a long road, but are excited to be starting our first step.