Before the project was started, ICA Peru had an existing relationship with the Peru government animal specialists from an earlier training they conducted on how to breed guinea pigs. Faced with rising poverty and other problems, the trainers realized that outside help was needed to change Cochamarca's existing situation. Thus, the project plan was initiated with ICA Peru's expertise, professional skills and knowledge as well as the villagers' consensus for change.

 

ICA Japan places a lot of emphasis on the development of the local people. No matter where the project is based, ICA helps the residents of local communities at the grassroots level and holds leadership training for them. ICA Japan believes in empowering the local people to help themselves with its unique Technology of Participation (ToP) participatory methods by holding workshops to achieve consensus decision-making and long-range planning. Using its methods of human consciousness and organizational transformation in town meetings and leadership training programs, it seeks to maximize the participation of grass-roots people in the process of taking responsibility for their own lives and for their community as a whole. ICA projects are more sustainable because ICA works with the local people and the local government becomes involved in the project with the appropriate resources such as human, money, energy etc.