When Irma Alvarez Ccoscco, coordinator of the new Rising Voices grantee project Llaqtaypa Riymaynin (Voices of my Community) returned to her hometown of Haquira, Peru, she received an overwhelming display of support from the town's residents and local authorities. She was temporarily back home visiting from Lima and took the opportunity to inform the community that her project was recently selected as a new grantee project of Rising Voices. The project seeks to work with migrants from Haquira now living in the capital by encouraging them to maintain their native language of Quechua by producing audio podcasts about their culture and their community.

In the project blog, Irma describes this gathering of town residents[es] that was convened through the use of SMS messages. After some brief words describing the project to those assembled and how the initiative will help tell the story of Haquira in the Quechua language, they invited the town's mayor Rolando Curiyumay to some “hakitu” (toasted and ground wheat). Irma wrote, “when one finds oneself in another land, the sense of family and the need to share what one has emerges.” Following this fellowship, Curiyumay said some brief poetic words and provided some pieces of advice for the Irma and the project:

T’ikachakuna iskayniykichik kaypi tiyasqankichik, ñuqapas kusisqa kachkani qamkunawan sullkay Elverwanpas kay hatun llaqtapi. Cielupi hina wasikunapas altumanta qhawayuna kasqa kuruchakunahina pampapi, purichkan karrukunapas, chayta qhawarini. Chayqa, qamkuna sumaqta, aynata parlariwaqchik huñunakuspa, may llaqtakunapipas kachkan paysanunchikkuna haquiriñukuna… chayqa paykunawan sumaqta rimayanakuspam imachatapas ruwawaqchis llaqtanchispaq, chaymanhina ñuqapas qamkunawan aswan masta ruwasway llaqtanchik hatunyananpaq.

Aymar Ccopacatty (Qamasa project) Elver Villalobos, Rolando Curitumay (Haquira Mayor) y Raquel Alvarez. Photo by Irma Alvarez