News

Welcome to our November update page. We have already been here in Huancayo for two months and we can hardly believe it!. This month has changed us in many profound ways. We have improved our Spanish, learned a great deal about the people of Peru, and have found some new ways to help the impoverished of Peru, that we are very excited about. Some of the goals that we listed for October were accomplished and some of the work has just begun. The more that we learn about the culture, the more ideas we get about ways we can make a positive impact on the community here. The page this month will profile what we have done so far, what we are planning to do next, and share some interesting stories about our life here.

The New Andean School for English:

November was a small growth month in the Andean School both personally and within the program. We were able to create a way for the students to register for class that records their personal information, puts them into a better defined class schedule, and has allowed us to track all of the students in the school. We also created a radio commercial to market the school here in Huancayo. Terry has a bit in Spanish in the beginning and Alison finishes off in English. Click below to hear our Peruvian radio debut.

 

There has been a slight increase in enrollment at the Andean School and we expect a large increase in January when the children are on their summer vacation. We have made some progress with the English curriculum as well as volunteer support with teaching English. Terry is working on a new website for the school (not quite finished yet) and you can visit it at: www.andeanschool.com . We are still working on finding a new location, something that has proved challenging with the very relaxed Peruvian sense of urgency. The move is necessary because our current school is in a poor location, is dilapidated, and is not allowed to display a sign announcing the school’s presence. With a better location and facility, the learning environment and opportunity for the students will improve. This month the Andean School program has been the most challenging for us.

The Aldea del Rosario Infintil Orphanage:

We have made the most progress in the Orphanage Aldea del Rosario. The most rewarding progress that we have made here is being recognized and accepted by the children and the care takers. The Aldea currently has 65 orphaned children ages ranging from two to seventeen and several older orphans who are mental handicap. Children are accepted here because they have been abandoned or are being protected from abusive or neglectful families. Some of the children are abandoned because they may have a physical or mental handicap or because their families cannot afford to feed them. They live in houses with about seven other kids and a caretaker they call tía (or aunt). They are fed three meals a day, most attend school, and are expected to help out around the orphanage, all do their own laundry.

So far, we have created a small program in the Aldea that consists of English class three days a week, an art class one day a week, and a sport or game activity one day at the end of the week. Bingo has been a huge hit! We are looking at doing demonstrations in the bakery, as well as expand their goods and sales and would like to work on their farm. We have created a weekly schedule for this program that we post outside of the classroom door at the beginning of each week. So far the program is having mixed success. The challenge is that our activities are in addition to their homework and chores. At times it is difficult to motivate the children to come to class or participate in activities. At other times, we can have forty or fifty and it is completely overwhelming!

We have also designed a new volley ball court and soccer field for the Aldea and we hope to start construction soon. After seeing the deficiencies, many friends and family have offered to send donated clothing or toys and supplies for Christmas. The kids are in need of socks, shoes, shirts, small toys, or school supplies. Please contact us if you wish to make a donation.

Tinkuy Peru:

The Tinkuy Peru volunteer program has been one of our largest successes so far here in Peru. Alison has been named the “Volunteer Coordinator” and Terry has been named the “Program Coordinator”. We have taken over all correspondence with prospective and new volunteers. Answering general questions, screening applications, as well as doing volunteer orientation and arranging placements, all have become our responsibility. We are excited by this challenge and hope to streamline the volunteer process.

This month, we have come close to completing the volunteer resource center and library, which includes a documented data base of books and teaching materials. We have also created financial balance sheets for the Tinkuy Peru volunteer program and the Andean School for English. Now we are able to more effectively administer funds to the English School and Orphanage programs. November also saw a growth in the number of volunteers, with a total of six including us—December will be about the same, and January is looking to be one of the busiest months yet!

We have many new goals that are planned not only for Tinkuy Peru but for the community as well. Currently our largest goal is to create a larger parent organization called the Andean Outreach Program (Programa Andino Ayuda) This would be a registered non-for-profit in the United States as well as a registered NGO here in Peru. This organization will expand as well as clarify the objectives of the Tinkuy Peru volunteer program, and reach further into the community. It will also have a vehicle for accepting donations to provide money to current and new projects that are under funded. Our goals include: raising educational standards, improving life for orphaned children, decreasing infant mortality rate, sexual education, working with abused mothers, counseling alcoholics, creating a free kindergarten for the poorest children, and creating a free institute for technology training. Our hope is to design and build a Community Center in Huancayo in which to run this program—we see much potential with this program. Please see our goals page for this month for more detailed information.