|
On Tuesday we flew from Lima to the Andes town of Huaraz and commenced a trek over dirt roads and mountainous terrain to the small village of Uruspampa. There were "Welcome Arches" constructed by bowed trees and hanging flowers that greeted our bus at points along the road. We took in breathtaking scenery at every turn but nothing prepared us for the moment of our arrival.
 The whole town turned out to greet us, schoolchildren met each of us with a glorious, fragrant bouquet and smiles and hugs. Pipers and drummers played a magical melody, an Andean welcome that will play in our hearts forever. Classes in school were cancelled that day. Instead, the children sang to us. They delivered words of welcome in their native Quechua and in Spanish. and then the music started to play again. The children smiled. They walked up to each of us and took our hands, one at a time and then we all danced.
 ...and danced
 ...and danced
... and danced.
After our dance we spoke with teachers and townspeople. Some teachers walk to work each day ... a three-hour walk each way ... and they arrive smiling and committed ... during the rainy season teachers arrive at work covered in mud .. salary for teachers is just a little more than $200 a month.
"My motivation is my students' face. To see their faces and be able to pull them out of sadness because they do not understand, or think they aren't smart. That is what motivates me to do this job." -- Yolanda Ayala Milla
 CARE Peru's New Bilingual Intercultural Education in the Andes Project (EDUBINA) aims to improve access to a quality basic bilingual intercultural education for 1,833 students from eighteen poor rural communities of three districts in the province of Carhuaz and districts adjoining the others in the province of Huaraz, in the department of Ancash. The activities are diversified curriculum development, training for school principals, teachers and experts, promoting gender sensitivity in education management, community workshops and promoting bilingual (Spanish and Quechua) and intercultural education through local government and media.
Bilingual education is important because Quechua is the only language spoken by 80% of the children in these communities. Unless they learn Spanish, these children are often unable to assimilate into other schools as they get older. Without Spanish language skills, they typically fall behind and drop out of school.
In the meantime, the children and the teachers of Uruspampa taught Las Gringas a lesson they will never forget ... a lesson about the power of the human spirit ... the magic of pure love ...
CARE is doing a magnificent job in Peru ... and children and families in the Andes are beneficiaries of educational benefits ... The Web Women Giving Circle and More Magazine had the extraordinary opportunity to meet the children and the teachers face to face ... and we were the beneficiaries of kindness and generosity dispensed in joyful abundance ... in a region where many families subsist on less than $1 a day ... it gives one pause for thought. --Frances Flynn Thorsen
8:09 AM - Jun. 10, 2007 - {1} -
View more entries tagged with: None
re: Day 4 in Peru;<br>Magic and Enchantment in the Andes
This day we truly experienced the love, generosity and gentleness of the Peruvian people in a way I'll remember always. They showed us their basketweaving skills and embroidery. They cooked a feast for us. They had even prepared cuy (guinea pig) especially for us! And we ate many potatoes, rolled in a wonderful chili powder. And the children kept smiling.
Fran neglected to tell you we did the hokey pokey for them too, but they had obviously never seen it before and looked at us somewhat shocked and amazed. I am sure there was a little talk about these gringas being a little crazy!
The beauty of the region was stunning and breathtaking. Our ride to the school took us up a dirt road that was barely as wide as the bus we were in and there were a few tense moments when another vehicle came because the outside of the road was 200-300 ft straight down. The flowers that covered the hillsides, which we discovered later are imported for sale, and the distant 20,000+ snow covered mountains were an idyllic setting.
That CARE is helping with projects to sustain the culture and help improve the living conditions, health and nutrition, was evident and made me feel a sense of hope that many of these families will not have to send their children away to Lima to work but will be able to continue to live amongst this beauty.
|
RSS Blog Feed
