Peruvian herbs to improve women's standard of life

Our mission

Our mission is to make a difference in the difficult life of Peruvian women in rural areas with the Peruvian herb Muña. 

The problem

A lot of  women in the rural area of Chucuito don't have an easy life. Most opportunities to earn money from tourism ended with the Covid pandemic. In a lot of cases, women have to singlehandedly take care of their children with almost no money. The average rural woman accounts for 80% of her family’s labor force, working in agriculture, livestock and traditional household care. The circumstances make them work for ridiculously low wages.  

How do we solve the problem?

It is nearly impossible for us to solve the whole problem, but we will try to make a difference in our area of Chucuito where Tierra Amada (our home & workplace) is located. With the help of this peruvian herb, we want to support local women, and give them a chance to take care of their families and to live a fair life they surely deserve. So, we offer appropriate working conditions with fair payments for our team that consists of brave local women who have an extensive knowledge of local plants. 

Our team

Our team consists of seven Peruvian women who are very familiar with local plants, their growing process and how to use them - especially in healing capacities. Most of them are originially from Chucuito or from nearby villages. They grew up in this area learning about the landscape and its natural gifts trough the shared knowledge of generations. Thanks to their experiences and expertise about herbs we are able to grow the muña project! 

Additionally volunteers from all over the world support us in our project. They bring diversity and a range of qualities, skills and expertise that enriches our project.

About Muña

Muña, also sometimes called Andean mint, is a green plant that grows in the Andes highlands near cities like Cusco and Puno. It is high in calcium, iron, and phosphorus, making it beneficial for strong bones and teeth. Among the many benefits of the herb, it helps ease altitude sickness, especially if you experience stomach pain at high altitudes. It has carminative and digestive properties, it relieves flatulence and diarrhea. According to modern medicine, muña assists the function of nervous system and prevents osteoporosis. You simply can't go wrong with using muña.

In Peru, the use of muña tea has a long tradition. In naturopathy it has been used for its healing properties and it is also indispensable in home medicine. Since the period of the Incas, the men from the Andes used the muña root as a portable refrigerator because it is able to preserve food for many days. The leaves, flowers and stems are used to make tea. As in the past, we collect and process the wild muña plant by hand. We do not use any plastic containers for storage, as the softeners they contain can severely impair the quality and thus the effect of the tea.

Market size and opportunity

Muña, known for its mint-like scent, is very popular in Peru, however the market in Europeis largely untapped. Because we believe in the plant’s huge benefits, we want to make Muña known beyond the Peruvian borders and share it with the world.

Our plan is to start in the local market gaining knowledge, improving our laboratory and  manufacturing processes. Shortly after, we want to make the herb available in Europe. 

Spending the funding

The fundings will be used to cover the expenses of fair work wages.

Currently our budget is just enough to pay for our laboratory, without which we wouldn’t be able to start the production. At this time it is simply beyond our limits to pay the salary the women deserve. 

The usual salary in the rural region of Puno is 1,30 dolars an hour, we would like to pay them 2,30 dolars an hour. We are working hard to improve because it is our first priority to offer them fair working conditions and wages.

With the funding of  10.000 dolars we will be able to pay the seven women for one year a salary of 2,30 dolars an hour.

Thank you very much for your support

We are sending you a virtual hug, you helped us making a difference!