J728N Empowerment through Education, Arequipa, Peru
Peru, Americas
In partnership with Asociación Vida y Esperanza
The Situation
Sprawling squatter settlements cling to the foothills of the volcanoes surrounding Arequipa, Peru; where families live in single room shacks with tin roofs held down by rocks. With no sanitation and few waste disposal services, whole valleys choke with garbage. One tap per household brings water to those who can pay the bills, but it is contaminated and most children suffer from parasites. Adult illiteracy is the norm, rampant alcoholism, serious domestic abuse and abandonment abound.
In the heart of this forsaken area, an independent primary school, Colegio Elohim, is changing lives. Offering all subjects on the national curriculum, dedicated teachers work to encourage academic endeavour, social responsibility and hygiene in severely marginalized children and their parents. Colegio Elohim receives no financial backing from the Peruvian government.
The Objectives
- To improve the education of children and livelihoods of marginalised communities surrounding Arequipa.
- To improve the financial sustainability of the school so some operating costs can be raised locally.
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