The Concept
Visit Iquitos–Discover the Culture of Peru from the Peruvian people and Learn about Rainforest Deforestation, while supporting local villages
Discover the Culture of Iquitos Peru while Giving Back
Visit-a-Village offers a unique opportunity to experience the culture of Peru by living in a rainforest community in Iquitos. We personally guide you to Iquitos, Peru (one of the few cities on the banks of the Amazon River) and into the village. You can learn the traditions, eat the food, hunt and fish, make handicrafts, laugh and live with the people of the Amazon rainforest.
Visit-a-Village is managed by The Helping Hands Project, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization. The Helping Hands Project offers assistance to a number of charitable organizations in developing countries and also manages its own community development projects in Peru. The cost of the Visit-a-Village tour is fully tax deductible (including airfare) as it is paid directly to The Helping Hands Project.
Tourism is the major source of income of many developing countries yet only a fragment of this revenue trickles down to the local villages that often serve as the backbone to the area lodges, hotels, and resorts. We offer a paradigm shift to the tourism industry by serving as a conduit to the local villages to facilitate cultural exchange and expand a hands-on knowledge and appreciation of the rainforest. Since our guests visit and live within the local communities, virtually all the money that you spend goes to benefit the local Iquitos community.
Rainforest Deforestation – Learn How and Why Deforestation Happens
The village you will live in is totally dependent on the rainforest for sustenance and, more importantly, it is instrumental in the rainforest’s preservation. Unfortunately, much of the Amazon rainforest is being lost due to deforestation for small farming. The goal of Visit-a-Village is to halt the progression of deforestation by providing alternatives to the traditional slash and burn technique of farming through crop diversification and humus production. We also actively purchase large tracts of Amazonian primary forest to be set aside as protected reserves.
Learn more about the causes of deforestation
Effects of Deforestation on Rainforest Diversity of Plant and Animal Life
The Amazon basin has the most diversity of flora and fauna in the world, yet many of the big leaf mahogany (swietenia macrophylla) and kapok (ceiba pentandra) canopy trees are being cut at an alarming rate. Rainforest trees serve as habitat for hundreds of mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians. Once the trees go, so go the animals—as they must venture further and further into the rainforest interior for protection and survival. Success in the battle to save the rainforest certainly requires a commitment from developed countries but, more importantly, if the economies of the villages that serve as guardians of the rainforest are not sustained and improved, the practice of deforestation and subsequent species endangerment and extinction will continue unabated.
