As always we take the month of February to rest and recharge for the year ahead. It is the perfect month to stop work as it is also right in the middle of the rainy season so no construction work is possible and the kids are on holidays.
Our staff certainly needed the rest after an extremely busy and successful year. The Pumamarca School is now really functioning with seven teachers and 150 children. The Director has worked hard to continue and strengthen the relationship we started with Department of Education in Cuzco.
We received great recognition from the Director from the Department of Education who came to visit the school. He was so impressed with our work that he recommended that the Pumamarca School and its relationship with Peru's Challenge become a model for all other Peruvian schools.
Over the year, Peru's Challenge has been increasing its work within the Pumamarca community. We now have more than 178 mothers and teenagers signed up to attend afternoon workshop classes - a rise from 53 members in 2007.
We have also had very successful meetings with community and school parent leaders to formulate plans for the next two years. Projects range from providing safe drinking water into each house through to building a community kitchen to feed those that are severely malnourished. We have even been asked to work together to build an entire secondary school in the community.
The most rewarding part of these meetings was that the project plans provided by the community leaders mirrored exactly those of Peru's Challenge, proving that we are working together for the benefit of the community and school to ensure they become self-sufficient within the next three years.
Below I have included our combined three-year plans for the Pumamarca School and community. They will certainly keep us busy and we are all looking forward to the challenge.
Also included is a statistical overview of our volunteers since we started out volunteer program in October 2003.
Thanks to all our staff for making this last year so successful and to our volunteers for their time and effort while volunteering in Pumamarca and your continued support when you get back home.
Selvy and I look forward to meeting our 2008 volunteers throughout the year.
Kind regards,
Jane Gavel
President & Co-Founder
Peru's Challenge
What we have achieved in two years at Pumamarca
September 2005
February 2008
Construction:
One classroom
No toilet
No kitchen
No seating area
No play area or equipment
No running water
No electricity
No security or perimeter fence
No self-sustaining projects
Construction:
Seven classrooms completed.
Two new classrooms for kindergarten – construction underway.
Electricity installed into all classrooms.
Perimeter fence completed.
Four flushing toilets with septic tank completed.
Fully equipped kitchen with gas cooker and storage.
Soccer goals, volleyball net and basketball ring, swings, balancing beam, monkey bar , see-saws.
Water reservoir constructed and providing filtered water.
New taps and sinks to receive filtered water.
Hot showers – construction underway.
Vegetable garden with pilot greenhouse completed.
Fence to protect vegetable garden complete.
Workshop for tools completed.
Gravel laid within school grounds completed.
Flower beds inside and outside of school completed
Education:
Eight students attending
One teacher
No education materials
No extra curricular classes
Education:
133 students attending (40 of these are in kindergarten).
Three kids (100%) moving on to secondary school.
Seven teachers (3 supplied by Peru's Challenge and 4 supplied by the Dept. of Education).
Satisfactory supply of educational materials.
Lesson plans and curriculum finalised for classes in English, art, sport, music, dance and theatre.
Pumamarca School recognised as ligitimate primary school in the Cuzco area.
Pumamarca dance group won second place in traditional dance competition in Cuzco against 32 other schools that complete every year.
End of year excursion for 50 kids to Machu Picchu – completed.
Health, hygiene & social behaviour:
Extremely malnourished
Poor dental hygiene
Cheek infections
Parasite problems
Blocked sinuses
Vision problems
Lack of clothing and shoes
Disliked physical contact
Lacked energy and spirit
Violent and angry
Health, hygiene & social behaviour:
Peru's Challenge providing fresh fruit every day.
School providing nutritious lunch every day to kindergarten kids.
Teeth cleaning every day.
Face washing and application of sorbeline cream.
Quarterly parasite treatments.
Quarterly dental visits and follow-up treatment.
Quarterly doctor visits and follow-up treatment.
Medication supplied when needed.
Clothing given or made when necessary and shoes.
Volunteers receive hugs on arrival and departure.
Recess and lunch are now a hive of activity and regular physical education classes are popular.
Boys wrestle playfully with each other but no outbursts. Occasional discipline needed.
Community assistance:
No community centre.
No clinical post.
Eroded water system and no water reservoirs.
Poor animal husbandry.
Lack of basic necessities in houses.
Domestic violence and alcoholism prevalent.
No future business development ideas.
Community assistance:
Community centre with six rooms - completed.
Room put aside in community centre for a general clinic to be staffed by local volunteer nurses. Peru's Challenge paying for emergency cases treated in Cuzco.
New water piping system installed with taps and irrigation system.
Lessons given on drenching cattle, constructing and cleaning pens.
Every house visited and plans put in place to assist with kitchen supplies, bedding, chimneys etc..
Social worker involved in urgent cases.
Working with local council on future business ideas and setting up a "Small Loans for Community Development" program.
Talleres (adult workshop classes):
Talleres non-existent
Talleres (adult workshop classes):
Attendees: 22 in 2006, 53 in 2007, 178 in 2008.
Range of equipment purchased.
Materials supplied by Peru's Challenge.
2006: 100% supplied by PC. Christmas hampers for members purchased with funds raised.
2007: 25% supplied by PC. 20kg Christmas hampers for members purchased with funds raised. Members also going to Machu Picchu with remaining funds. Mothers received payments for product sold. Top payment was US$60 for one week.
Construction of workshop – completed.
34 visits from tour groups in 2007 to purchase products –more than 300 passengers.
Record sales of US$1000 during one group visit.
Average group visit sales: US$300.
Website for online sales currently under development.
View to rent shop in Cuzco and to sell products internationally.
Goals for the next 12 - 36 months at Pumamarca
Construction work to make the school functional:
Build a covered eating area.
Build and equip a library and computer centre.
Build and equip an art and craft room.
Build and equip a music room.
Build an open stage area for theatre and presentations.
Start up school kitchen to supply lunchtime meals for the kids.
Build a chicken coop to supply eggs for meals for the kids.
Build beehives to supply honey to the kids.
Construct two new classrooms.
Finish construction of hot-water showers so the kids are cleaning themselves at least once a week.
Education materials and learning resources:
Equip each of the seven existing classrooms with materials and learning resources they are lacking.
Organise for the Department of Education to provide all teachers salaries and curriculum materials.
Health and hygiene:
Continue the teaching of general hygiene to the kids.
Continue teeth and face washing to also include daily cream for their faces.
Continue regular specialist visits throughout the year ie. optometrists, dentists, nutritionists and pediatricians.
Vision issues yet to be resolved.
Daily nose-blowing to be started.
Community development:
Finish the construction and equip the community workshop. Safe storage areas, display cabinets, furniture, equipment to be purchased.
Build and equip a technical education room and provide classes and materials for the teaching of agricultural, mechanical and technical fields.
Continue to develop the Talleres Group project and provide education in marketing and finance.
Construct water reservoirs to hold an ample water supply to last through the dry season.
Construct water system to provide running water into each house.
Build outdoor toilets throughout community.
Install smokeless ovens into all community houses.
Provide solar panels for all community houses.
Initiate more projects under the Small Loans for Community Development program:
Fresh cut flowers.
Fruits and cakes.
Agricultural and dairy products.
Cattle breeding program.
Dairy products.
Social assistance and education:
Continue to provide afternoon classes in English to teenagers and young adults.
Develop Camp Puma in the afternoon for kids: English, art, sport, music, drama, cooking, woodwork.
Continue to provide information sessions on hygiene, nutrition, pregnancy and family planning.
Continue to organise counseling sessions for victims of alcoholism and domestic violence.
Over the year, Peru's Challenge has been increasing its work within the Pumamarca community. We now have more than 178 mothers and teenagers signed up to attend afternoon workshop classes - a rise from 53 members in 2007. 
Below I have included our combined three-year plans for the Pumamarca School and community. They will certainly keep us busy and we are all looking forward to the challenge. 
