Today was a jam packed day of driving through the Andes and seeing many different aspects of Plan’s work. We left San Marcos for our first community visit, the road was very windy but mainly smoothn and I was thinking back to the pictures and stories from other visits to plan communities and thinking how lucky we are that other than a twisty turny road it wasn’t so bad…then we turn off the main road. Then my thought was, Chris would love to bring the quad here and go bombing around the road or even taking the Jeep and putting it in 4x4. We weren’t in a Jeep, it was a van, and it was very bumpy. I have nothing to compare it too, it was that bumpy.
After winding our way through the road and bumping along we had our first stop. It was a newly constructed school that was made possible by a major donor in Canada. This school is one of 8 he is helping fund in the Crisnejas program area. To see the contrast between the older building and the new building was significant. Where the old building was solid it had a few small windows with bars versus the new building with walls of glass to let in the natural light along with all the amenities needed for learning. It made me smile. I have a bit of a soft spot when talking about education especially children in primary school (in Peru that is grade 1 – 6) because my mom loved being a teacher and took great pride in shaping the minds of future leaders and it is so clear the same passion exists in Peru.
The teachers and the students at this school were so excited to bring us in and show us their classrooms and demonstrate their reading skills. We saw 4 schools in total today, 1 preschool, 2 primary schools and 1 high school. The other primary school we visited was also selected to beneficiate from the 8 school project however construction hasn’t started yet. We were provided with a presentation on how disaster planning and education will benefit the whole community. The presentation took place in the court yard of the school and there wasn’t the excitement to show us their classroom. The passion for learning and teaching is there and it will be a great day for the community when their new school opens.
Other than the 2 primary schools we also visited a Pre-School. This was probably the most touching moment for us on the trip so far. It was the place we had the longest time to interact with children and the younger children are much less shy than the children we met at the primary school. Plan and the government are trying and encouraging different types of learning techniques. This school was concentrating on showing affection and praise. The teachers encouraged all the children to show their appreciation for the gifts we brought by giving us all a big hug. I think it’s safe to say that the children will have a special place in our hearts.
The final school we visited was a high school where we had the opportunity to speak with 6 teenagers who are actively taking part in a plan project designed to empower youth. They work together to put on a Radio show every week that reaches not only their community but also the whole San Marcos region. They take turns interviewing guest, writing copy to present, offering advice to their peers and speaking on the radio. This program has been in place for 2 years and all 6 want to have a future career in broadcasting. After we finished with the presentation and we were heading out to our next stop one of the girls who is part of the radio program came up to me to let me know that she is being sponsored by a Canadian and has been for 2 years and wanted to know why this sponsor hasn’t written to her. “Not once in two years” she said. Shelia is going to see what we can do for her, but it broke my heart.
We had 2 other locations where we visited and learned about what plan is doing to assist. The first was a health clinic where plan filled a room with all the materials needed to help stimulate infants. They have worked hand and hand with the hospital to educate the staff on different techniques that are effective. We then went to a community center and leaned about another project that is very common in this area of Peru, which is educating people on how to fix broken water pipes to ensure that the community will be able to repair it and keep fresh water flowing into the community. They are also working with the locals on how best to take advantage of the rainy season to maximize their crops.
We also took a little time to just enjoy the landscape that makes up this region. We have a nice lunch and the best chicken noodle soup I’ve ever had. We also were able to visit one of the natural hot springs in the San Marcos area. Don’t worry when I return home I’ll have lots of pictures to share. I filled up my memory card today but not to worry I transferred those pictures to my laptop and emptied the card so I have lots of room for tomorrow.
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