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Will you support the ethical and humane treatment of the porters on Peru’s Inca Trail?
Can you help us ensure that the women porters are safe and free from sexual harassment and gender discrimination?
The porters of Peru’s Inca Trail have struggled to have their voices heard.
WE CAN CHANGE THAT.
KM 82 is the documentary that will tell the porters’ stories directly to the world and reveal the inequities behind the trekking tourism industry.
The women porters have recently become a part of the trekking industry and we want to support their voices to ensure that porter conditions improve and that they can work safely on the trails.
The tourists must know the truth about where their tourism dollars go so we can advocate for a new kind of industry – WORKFORCE EQUITY TOURISM.
This campaign is ALL OR NOTHING. Join us to make KM 82 a reality.
Marinel Malvar de Jesus
Writer & Executive Producer
Machu Picchu and the Classic Inca Trail have captured our collective imaginations— millions visit the trail and UNESCO World Heritage Site each year. The four-day classic Inca Trail, which starts at the iconic Kilometro (KM) 82 and takes trekkers over high mountain passes up to 14,500 ft and down thousands of stone steps to end at Machu Pichu, is a common bucket-list item for good reason. But a tourist’s ability to trek the trail relies heavily on the labor of porters who carry food, tents, tables, and even portable bathroom tents for paying clients.
Despite the popularity of this trekking destination, the porters of Peru’s Inca Trail have generally not had an opportunity to speak about the realities of their lives. On the surface, many of us can readily assume that the job of a porter is physically and mentally demanding— this is true. But there are also certain truths that are less obvious.
Porters commonly lack proper tents on the trail and sometimes resort to sleeping in filthy toilets or outside in the cold. Many are severely underpaid and accrue expenses on the job that aren’t covered by their employers. Lacking life insurance and medical insurance to cover injuries or illnesses on the job, and discrimination are regular occurrences. These abuses are usually hidden from clients and it’s difficult for trekkers to do research on their own. In order to create a more humane working life for the porters who undoubtedly serve as the backbone of the trekking tourism industry, it’s time for the world to learn about the experiences of porters on the Classic Inca Trail and hear their untold stories.
The film project will focus on the lives of the porters on the Classic Inca Trail, most of whom belong to Quechua-speaking communities in Cusco, Peru. The film will share a collection of stories of porters on the Inca Trail as told by them directly to the world. These stories belong to porters who have been working for decades, those who are retired, those who are relatively new to the industry, and to female porters who recently joined this industry against all odds.
The documentary will capture their personal experiences as we join the porters’ own journey and struggles toward individual and collective efforts to change the industry. The collective effort is led by the current Porter Federation president and elected leader, Alberto Huaman Huamanhuillca, who will lead and guide us through this documentary as the focal point of hope for the porters, but with the kind of leadership that is also filled with its own challenges and uncertainty.
KM 82 documents the realities of the working conditions for porters, the porters’ struggles, their vision and hope— both individually and as a collective movement—for the betterment of their lives and for the well-being of their families.
Our production team will be in the middle of the action wherever the porters are in terms of their struggle to fight for better treatment on Camino Inca, whether in the general assembly meetings led by the Porter Federation, the communities in which the porters live or on the Camino Inca itself. We will bring to the audience actual footage of the working conditions on the Camino Inca that will leave no room for doubt as to the much-needed change in the treatment of porters.
KM 82 is the iconic starting point of the 4-day classic Inca Trail. Hence, this documentary is about the Inca Trail porters’ trek towards a better life. KM 82 is a film project in support of the mission of the Porter Voice Collective (PVC), an advocacy organization which aims to listen to, celebrate, amplify and elevate the porter voices in Peru, Nepal and Tanzania. PVC aims to create Workforce Equity Tourism. Learn more about PVC and Workforce Equity Tourism below.
Film Timeline:
With the help of local volunteer professionals, we initiated the process of pre-production two months ago. However, fully producing a film is expensive and we are currently only relying on volunteers. With the funds from this campaign, we can properly hire a film crew and complete the filming in the next 3-4 months. We initially envisioned this as a short film (less than 40 minutes) but depending on the stories and voices that we capture, it may also turn into a feature length film. In any case, we plan to complete the film by early Spring 2020.
Filming Location:
We are filming in the Cusco region of Peru where porters live and work including the city of Cusco, the Sacred Valley and the Inca Trail.
Filming Costs:
Our production team is comprised of local professionals to preserve the authenticity of the film and to maintain an attainable budget. The funding goal will allow us to complete the film in its entirety. The funds will go towards paying for:
Pre-production costs (which includes film research, creation of the trailer and the supporting videos & photos for the crowdfunding).
Filming over a 3 to 4 month period
Equipment rental
Post production (which includes editing, sound, color)
Travel costs (which includes filming 4 days on the Inca Trail, 5 or more days filming in and around Cusco & Sacred Valley, and gifts to the local communities.
NOTE: This is a joint project with the weaving cooperative of Huilloc Alto and therefore a portion of the funding goal will go towards the community which raises our funding goal a bit higher than the actual cost for the film production.
Note on Distribution: Depending on our budget, we will be exploring the possibility of submitting the film to film festivals in Peru and the U.S. Ultimately, the film will be distributed widely as a way to educate tourists and to realize our vision for Workforce Equity Tourism.
Additional Funding Can Create Greater Impact
We aspire to go beyond our baseline funding goal so we can create a greater impact by reaching a bigger audience. If we go beyond our funding goal to produce and complete the film, we would like to use the surplus funds for the following:
Translation services to create two additional versions of the documentary - in Spanish and Quechua. This will ensure that we meet our goal of educating the porters themselves and local Peruvians about their own tourism industry.
Additional film days to do more interviewing of porters and/or documentation of the porter living and working conditions. The additional funding will allow us to increase our travel budget in order to interview porters who may live further away from the city of Cusco to document their stories. Any interview materials that are excluded from the film will be published on the Porter Voice Collective website as a resource for tourists.
Distribution/marketing (minimum target: $2000).
Film festival entry fees in the U.S.
Legal services for the production team in the event of threats to our safety from companies or anyone within the trekking tourism industry.
A documentary on the realities of the porters’ lives on the Inca Trail that will help tourists to make better decisions in ensuring that their tourism dollars are supporting an equitable and humane trekking tourism industry.
As donors of any of the perks, you will receive the following during the filming and post-production phases:
1. Regular updates and behind the scenes footage.
2. Insider’s tips and advise for tourists including how to select a trekking company that aligns with Workforce Equity Tourism (see more below about Workforce Equity Tourism).
3. An exclusive Q&A session online with the production team and possibly alongside some of the porters to answer any questions you may have about the porter life and work conditions, the film and the trekking tourism industry.
And...
We are bringing the tourism from Huilloc Alto to your doorstep.
The porters we interviewed have shared wanting more tourism to be brought to their mountain communities. To do that, we are bringing the unique artistry of Huilloc Alto to your doorstep. This campaign is a joint project with Huilloc Alto's newly created weaving cooperative, llawlli ti'ka, in Ollantaytambo where porters originated.
Today, over 500 porters live in the area with their wives and families. By purchasing their products, donors will be supporting the local weaving cooperative comprised of the porters’ wives. The community receives full payment of the cost for each item sold. Each product is hand-made and uniquely designed that depicts the history and customs of the community with a personal note from the weaver/artist. The design is very much a representation of the community's identity and heritage and you can be a part of their community from afar. The item(s) you purchase will be shipped from Huilloc Alto, Cusco, Peru to your doorstep.
A MESSAGE FROM THE WEAVERS OF HUILLOC ALTO:
Here are some of the perks from the weavers and artists of Huilloc Alto. Each one is uniquely designed and comes with a thank you or personal note from the weaver/artist.
BABY WOOL HAT
JOSEFINA SALLO AND JUMPIO HUAMAN
ALPACA PURSE
ELIANA FUTURE
ALPACA SCARF
SONIA USCA
ALPACA TABLE RUNNER
TERESA CINCHE
Partnership with KULA Cloth in Support of Women
For this campaign, we have partnered with Kula Cloth to create a unique Kula Cloth design created by one of the female weavers of Huilloc Alto. The artist, Celia Future Qispe, has graciously shared her talent with us by creating the design below. This is one of the perks that the campaign offers and comes with Celia's signature and the PVC logo. Portion of the donation will be given to the Huilloc Alto's weaving cooperative, llawlli ti'ka.
What is Kula Cloth?
A Kula Cloth is, quite simply, a reusable cloth designed for absorbing pee. It is the first of its kind - an intentionally (and obsessively) designed antimicrobial p-cloth for adventurous women! In a wilderness setting (or heck, even at a porta potty!), it's very important to have good hygiene. Traditionally, women either pack in excess amounts of toilet paper and/or employ the 'shaking off' method (aka 'drip dry'). Neither of these are good options. A pee cloth is a way that women can stay comfortable AND have a positive impact on the environment at the same time. You can learn more about Kula Coth here.
KM 82 came to life through the voices of the Porters of Camino Inca.
The porters are the creators of this project.
Marinel Malvar de Jesus, Esq., Writer, Director & Executive Producer
PVC Volunteer (Peru, Nepal & Tanzania)
"I see porters in Peru, Nepal and Tanzania as my brothers and sisters. When you are an avid hiker and feel love towards the mountains, it is only natural to want everyone on the trails to be treated with utmost level of humanity and respect. It broke my heart the first time I learned the truth about the inequities towards the porters. The worse part is carrying this truth around for almost a decade without knowing how to create change in the industry until now."
Marinel is Filipina by birth. She migrated with her family to the U.S. as a child. She was a human rights lawyer in Washington, DC for 15 years who discovered her passion for mountain trekking over 17 years ago. She left her legal career in 2017 and founded her social enterprise, Peak Explorations, and media site, Brown Gal Trekker, both of which share the mission of creating equity and inclusion in the outdoor and trekking tourism industries. Marinel is currently based in Cusco, Peru where she investigates current business practices on the Inca Trail and acts as a volunteer for the Porter Voice Collective. She is also a freelance writer and has published lesser told and controversial stories related to the travel and outdoor industries. Her articles have been published on Outside Magazine, Adventure Journal, Backpacker Magazine, Matador, Huffington Post, and more.
Marinel has been featured on Vice Cable TV’s Second Act Mini-Documentary Series, House Hunters International, Backpacker Magazine, Vox, Outdoor Project, Roadtrippers, Gear Junkie, She Explores Podcast, among a few others. She is a member of the Board of Directors for the American Hiking Society, an Ambassador for Marmot and AKU and a member of the steering committee for the Outdoor CEO Diversity Pledge.
Jose Luis Palomino Escalante, Co-Director, Director of Photography, Editor
PVC Volunteer (Peru)
“As a filmmaker, I believe in audiovisual media as an effective tool to generate changes. It is difficult to ignore the situation of abuse towards the porters and do nothing. We cannot allow today to build industries that are based on exploitation and inequities. It’s necessary to fight against these problems so that we can reduce social gaps and build a more just society for all.”
José is a filmmaker, photography director and editor with seven years of experience in the industry. Jose is Peruvian-born. He completed courses in filmmaking at Enerc, a film school in Argentina. He has filmed and edited documentaries, fashion films, commercial and promotional films.
Iris Vela Paredes, Field/Associate Producer
PVC Volunteer (Peru)
“I feel the need to tell this story – to be the voice of those who have no voice. The purpose of this project is to seek justice for those who need it and to use my skills as a communicator towards creating impact on the lives of the porters.”
Iris has 5 years of experience in production and post-production. Iris is Peruvian-born. She completed courses in filmmaking at Enerc, a film school in Argentina. She has worked as a producer in fashion films, documentaries, promotional films and independent features.
Jose and Iris founded Kintu Films. They reside in the Sacred Valley of Cusco with their two children, where they discovered the Porter Voice Collective and the porter working conditions that prompted their involvement in this film project in order to create changes in the trekking tourism industry.
Special thanks to the PVC volunteers, Chuquihuayta Cesare Navarrete, Nely Cyujro Mescco and Hugo Ivan Clemente. Trailer credit: Bernard Chen.
And, of course, we are indebted to the porters who broke their silence and took the unnatural step towards sharing their truth with the world.
The documentary, aptly called KM 82, will shed light on the dark side of the trekking tourism industry. KM 82, which is the short version for Kilometro 82, is the starting point of the 4-day Classic Inca Trail. While tourists, at the start of the trek, are on the verge of a once in a lifetime adventure, porters who join them are on the verge of routine exposure to exploitative practices in the industry. With the production of KM 82, we are on the verge of a long overdue industry-wide change.
Aligned with the Porter Voice Collective’s overall mission of creating a set of best practices that ensure the fair and equitable treatment of porters worldwide, it is imperative to educate the general masses consist of the tourists, the local and foreign companies, the porters, and tourism authorities about the ongoing work issues faced by the porters as a start towards having honest conversations about solutions to this industry-wide problem. (Scroll down to learn more about the Porter Voice Collective).
This documentary will highlight the problems specific to the daily working lives of men and women porters on the Classic Inca Trail from their own voices. Utilizing the voices of the porters to tell their stories is important because to date the articles and films about porters have only been narrated from the viewpoints of outsiders (e.g. western journalists, athletes as protagonist in the film, etc.), most of which are inauthentic and are part of marketing schemes for the sole benefit of adventure travel companies.
KM 82 intends to disrupt this type of storytelling and narrative by giving back the ownership of the story to the porters. We are seeking crowdfunding for one important reason: To ensure the authenticity of the film. This documentary utilizes a social impact storytelling strategy that aims to empower and elevate the porters while educating the audience about the untold realities of portering in this multi-billion dollar industry. The documentary purports to mobilize and inspire the voices of both porters and tourists to create allyship for change in the trekking tourism industry worldwide.
Creating this film has its host of serious challenges. Porters have routinely experienced retaliation and threats from trekking agencies, both locally and foreign owned. Hence, the work involved in filming porters requires trust and an enormous amount of research in order to fully capture the porters’ stories in an authentic manner. The participation of the porters in this film is fully voluntary. We leave it up to their discretion to participate, knowing fully that their participation can potentially create risks on their end.
For the production team, exposing the realities of the working conditions carries the risk of similar threats from trekking operators and the industry as a whole. The topic of the film is highly controversial which can place the team in harm’s way. And yet, as the production team, we have fully committed ourselves to this project despite the risks. We have already put in the pre-production work; hence, with the funding, we will move ahead with the filming and post-production.
The Porter Voice Collective (PVC), an advocacy platform, was launched in July of 2019 to listen to, celebrate, amplify and elevate the voices of porters in Peru, Nepal and Tanzania. It advocates for the basic human rights and indigenous rights of the porters in these 3 regions. These three countries have the largest trekking tourism industries that employ humans as porters. Porters are tasked to carry the group gear and traveler’s belongings on the mountain trails of Nepal’s Himalayas, Tanzania’s Kilimanjaro and Peru’s Inca Trail. PVC operates through the help of volunteers who dedicate their own personal time and effort to elevate the voices of the porters. PVC’s group of volunteers consists of lawyers, advocates, activists, NGOs, guides, writers, journalists, photographers, social entrepreneurs, interpreters, filmmakers, and porters themselves.
PVC immediately launched its efforts to document the abuses that were happening on the trails in Peru, Nepal and Tanzania by way of face to face interviews with the porters, some of whom expressed a desire for anonymity to avoid retaliation. PVC volunteers quickly learned that the porter voices, if collectively shared with the world, can be the key to changing the porters’ circumstances for good. However, these voices are rarely captured, let alone heard on media outlets for a number of reasons including the difficulty of conducting interviews, language barriers, lack of interests by journalists/media entities in telling their stories, and the most disturbing of all: Porters have experienced retaliation from companies when they spoke truthfully about their experiences on the trail and the treatment of their employers.
THE PORTER VOICES COME AT A HIGH PRICE AS THE PEOPLE BEHIND THESE VOICES CONSTANTLY LIVE IN FEAR.
WE CAN CHANGE THAT.
PVC is stepping in to provide the forum and the means to empower these voices that have been silenced for far too long. PVC believes that the collection of these voices is crucial for the change that the porters themselves have long desired. This change will rely heavily on PVC’s ability to connect these voices and stories with an audience comprised mainly of tourists who hold the ability to advocate for a version of responsible tourism that is unshakably rooted in the fair and treatment of porters worldwide.
We must make the choice individually to listen to, celebrate, amplify and elevate their voices. The tourists are their best allies for creating an industry that values its workforce – the porters. Collectively, we can create a new set of industry standards and a trade certification that is driven by the voices of the porters which will pioneer a new type of industry: workforce equity tourism. Workforce equity tourism is based on the notion that ethical and responsible travel includes equitable and humane treatment of the industry’s workforce.
To learn more and support the Porter Voice Collective, visit the PVC website.
PVC’s efforts in Peru quickly yielded this revelation: The community of over 6000 porters on the Inca Trail is significantly experiencing poor working conditions that have managed to exist for over 50 years.
At the same time, tourists currently lack awareness of the porters’ struggles on these trails. PVC aims to bridge this gap of knowledge between the workforce and the tourists in order to create a fair and equitable treatment of porters in the trekking tourism industry.
INDIGENOUS RIGHTS AND HERITAGE ARE COMPROMISED
PVC’s initial assessment through interviews of porters of the Inca Trail revealed the diminishing of the identity and culture of the Quechua people of Cusco, Peru. Over 70% of the porters belong to Quechua-speaking communities. Regulations or protocols on the trail requiring them to wear uniforms as a marketing strategy is one prime example of devaluing the identity of the Quechua porters. Yet, this industry practice has become the standard for all companies, which contradicts the provisions contained in the United Nations Declaration on Indigenous Rights.
WOMEN PORTERS LACK SAFETY AND PROTECTION
PVC’s investigation in Peru has yielded substantial information on the rise of women porters which is a sign of progress and change in this male dominated industry. At the same time, this has attracted problems that are related to sexual harassment and discrimination. This further makes for a stronger argument for all of us to demand changes in the treatment of porters and the creation of a new set of best practices to ensure the safety of female porters.
This campaign is the beginning of a global movement towards workforce equity tourism.
Besides donating, you can be an ally and support the porter voices by sharing the campaign with your network and urging others to join our community. Not only is this about raising funds for a documentary, this is also a means to create a community that prioritizes ethical and responsible travel by ensuring fair and equitable treatment of the porters. Many tourists find themselves unable to empower or support the porters due to the lack of an authentic means of doing so.
THIS IS OUR CHANCE TO CREATE AN IMPACT IN THEIR LIVES.
You get to see the final cut of the film before its general release (and while it's still showing at film festivals). Plus, a thank you note and a bracelet created by the women weavers from Huilloc Alto.
Included Items
Bracelet + Thank You Card
Private Link to the Film
Estimated Shipping
June 2020
9 claimed
Osprey Archeon 65 L Women's
$340 USD
This is Osprey Archeon 65L for women in Space Blue color. Size M/L. Only 1 available.
Included Items
Osprey Archeon 65 L Women
Estimated Shipping
March 2020
0 out of 1 of claimed
Ships to United States of America
Film Contributor
$500 USD
We will add your name to the film credits as one of our contributors. Plus, you get a downloadable link to the film in advance of its screening. Please note that to stay true to the mission of this film, we will not allow donations by or credits to be given to trekking companies (locally in Peru or foreign owned) for this film.
Included Items
Film Credit
Downloadable Link to the Film
Estimated Shipping
June 2020
1 claimed
Film Lead Sponsor & Perks
$1,000 USD
You'll be added as one of our lead sponsors on the film credits + access to a downloadable link to the film & exclusive film footage + a surprise gift & a thank you video note from filmmakers & the porters. Note: To stay true to the mission of this film, we will not allow donations by or credits to be given to trekking companies for this film.
Included Items
Film Credit
Downloadable Link to the Film
Surprise Gift
A thank you note from us!
Exclusive footage
Estimated Shipping
June 2020
0 claimed
Producer Credit
$2,500 USD
You will be named as one of the producers of the documentary and will have a chance to preview the final edit and have a meeting with the production team to share your feedback. You'll also receive a special thank you video from us and a shout out via social media for your support.
