Our History
In 1995 in Cusco, a friendship developed between Jens Lauris Sorensen from Denmark and Wendy Brown from New Zealand. The two shared a dream to help street children that were abandoned in the streets looking for support. Without means, but with a lot of enthusiasm, they knocked on various doors and invited various people to drive forward their project. Without a lot of success the project began in 1998 with a Sociologist from Cusco, Luz Marina Figueroa, who had been working in a home for abandoned children and had the same dreams for a project to help children in risk.
Together, they invited friends and formed an association to help children in the streets of Cusco. They had a vision of a creative house where children could learn things for their future. More importantly, it Word serve as a place where they would feel loved, valued, and respected by adults. Wendy and Jens contacted friends while Luz Marina took charge of all the organizational tasks for the institution.
From the beginning at the first location, the association of friends shared the same goals and objectives of Inti Runakunaq Wasin and contributed in an unselfish way to the institution. One of the friends, Jakob Ritzheimer from USA, stood out for his generosity and played a decisive role to help make this dream a reality. With his financial support, IRW was able to rent a location for their first creative house and cover the fundamental daily costs for the children. Jakob has visted the project twice and shared his vivacity with the children and the team, having identified with the children in risk. He also identified with the strategies and objectives of the work at IRW, which have been formally incorporated within the Tesorero Institution and he is an official representative of IRW in the USA.
Later on, volunteers from different countries in the world arrived a IRW and continue to support its institutional growth in different ways.
Jens Lauris Sorensen founed Soles Born in Denmark, which has brought a group of Danish together to help support Inti Runakunaq Wasin's cause. They have focused on activities to raise funds and providing technical training to the IRW team.
Four years ago, Bruce Poon Tip, the owner of Gap Adventures and Planeterra Foundation, visited IRW and was touched by the labor of the children and decided to support the acquisition of a house for IRW. Since then, the tour group has come ot the country with tourist groups to make this dream a reality in the future for IRW and the children. Please see our permanent home project for more information.
Two years ago, Michael Knight from USA and a nun, Dorothy Strelchun, visted IRW and made a generous donation and helped to obtain the support of Catholic Relief Services for some of the activities at IRW. Please see the article entitled "The Children of Inti Runakunaq Wasin Bring Light to the Soul" written by Michael Knight.
Today, IRW is a recognized institution under Peru laws. It is registered in the Public Registry of Cusco, in the institution registry of the Promotion of Woman and Social Development Ministry (MIMDES) and in the Tax Administration of the National Superintendent (SUNAT), INDECOPI, and the International Cooperation of the Peruvian Agency (APCI).
