Kuntur: Suyana Foundation’s Third Mobile Unit Renewed for the Healthy Municipality Program
In Huancarama, Apurimac, Suyana Foundation presented Kuntur, a renovated mobile unit supported by the Straumann Group Foundation. Its name revives the Quechua word for “condor,” a symbol of strength and dignity, also associated with the roads and highlands traveled by the operational teams of the Healthy Municipality Program (PMS).
Cusco, October 14.– Reaching the most remote communities means traveling long distances and navigating difficult roads. For the teams of the Healthy Municipality Program (PMS), having a mobile unit in good condition is essential: it allows staff, equipment, and materials needed to bring health, education, and livelihood services to the places where they are most needed to be transported.
On September 24, at a ceremony in the district of Huancarama, province of Andahuaylas, Apurímac region, Suyana Foundation officially presented Kuntur, the new mobile unit that will enable the PMS to continue its work in hard-to-reach areas. The new unit takes the place of a vehicle that traveled the program’s communities for nearly a decade, covering thousands of kilometers along winding roads and steep slopes.
A Boost for the PMS
Kuntur is the third PMS mobile unit to be renewed since 2025 with the support of the Straumann Group Foundation. Last year, two units were renewed and are currently operating in the districts of Yanatile (Calca Province, Cusco Region) and Macarí (Melgar Province, Puno Region), strengthening the program’s capacity to continue bringing its services to communities across Peru’s rainforest, inter-Andean valleys, and highlands.
The name Kuntur, which means “condor” in Quechua, connects with the role this mobile unit plays in the field. The condor represents strength and dignity, while also evoking the roads and highlands that characterize the territories where the PMS works. This symbolism reflects the journeys undertaken by operational teams to reach communities located in hard-to-access areas.
In addition, this mobile unit is a cross-cutting resource for the PMS, which brings together the subprograms of Health Promotion, Dentistry, Economic Development and Environment, and Education. Each team carries out specific activities in the communities and needs adequate logistical conditions to travel, transport equipment, and work directly in the field.
Closer to the Communities
For Jhon Vera, a PMS dentist in Huancarama, the renewal represents better conditions for continuing this work. “With this renewal, we will be able to reach the most remote communities in Huancarama District and continue working with them,” he said. The new unit will support sustainable work and enable the delivery of higher-quality, more compassionate dental care to the population, with a focus on children.
In Huancarama, the results of this work are also visible. Franklin Ocampo, principal of Educational Institution No. 54087 in the community of Arcahua, highlighted that this support has contributed to students currently reaching the “zero cavities” status. “During these three years of intervention by the dental unit, we have not only brought care to our children, but to the entire community as well.”
For Franklin, the renewal also represents an opportunity to continue providing quality care. He also highlighted that having a new unit will make it possible to maintain the services provided to communities across the district and help address the access challenges faced by people living in more remote areas.
With Kuntur, Suyana Foundation and the Straumann Group Foundation continue to strengthen the conditions that make PMS fieldwork possible, enabling its teams to keep traveling the roads, bringing services closer to communities, and supporting them.