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CURRENT PROJECTS
Updated February 2009.

Introduction

Most of Reto Peru's work focuses in and around Cuzco in areas considered as some of the poorest in Peru. The population of communities we assist is essentially indigenous, of Quechua origin, uneducated and very malnourished.

The department of Cuzco is located in the southeast part of Peru. It covers an area of 70,000 sq km, most of which is in the Andes Mountains, at an altitude of more than 3,000 meters above sea level.

Within the Cuzco department, 75 percent of its population live in a situation of poverty and 60 percent of the inhabitants have at least one unsatisfied basic need. Departmental levels of education and literacy are worse than the national average, with Cuzco among the worst in the country at 18%.

Although the region of Cuzco is one of the most popular tourist areas in all of South America (more than 1 million people visited Machu Picchu in 2006), none of the economic benefits and investment of tourism reach the local rural communities.

PROJECT ONE - QUILLA HUATA

Date Reto Peru started
September, 2008

Location
Situated in the mountains, 20 minutes from the centre of Cuzco.

Description
Quilla Huata, meaning “House of the Moon” in Quechua, is home to over 100 families, with an average of seven people per household.

Families rely soley on agricultural produce. Each family is in charge of looking after two or three plots of land which they work by hand. Produce is then sold down in the Cuzco markets (a two-hour walk away), which brings in an average wage of approximately US$5 per week.

Teenagers and young adults are leaving the community to find work in Cuzco and the nearby jungle. The majority are uneducated or underskilled and don’t find work and therefore become homeless or run into problems by selling drugs or stealing.

The Quilla Huata School has been abandoned by the Department of Education and therefore children who do want to go to school walk one hour to the nearby community school in Pumamarca.

The children are severely malnourished and full of parasites. Houses are poorly equipped with no electricity, safe drinking water or toilets. Beds are usually a couple of blankets on the floor and cooking facilities are dismal with kitchen areas full of smoke.

Despite all this, the Quilla Huata community is made up of positive, happy people. They are full of hope and ideas and are dedicated to working side-by-side with Peru’s Challenge to ensure a better future for their children.

PROBLEMS:

In September 2008, Reto Peru spoke at length with the communities and outlined the following problems:

School Construction:
• One classroom in poor condition
• No toilet
• No kitchen
• No seating areas
• No play area or equipment
• No running water
• No electricity
• No security or perimeter fence
• No self-sustaining projects

School Education:
• 20 students attending Kindergarten and Grade One.
• Two teachers
• No education materials or resources
• No extra curricular classes
• No assistance from Department of Education

School Health, Hygiene and Social Behaviour:
• Extremely malnourished
• Poor dental hygiene
• Cheek infections
• Parasite problems
• Blocked sinuses
• Vision problems
• Lack of clothing and shoes
• Dislike physical contact
• Lack energy and spirit
• Violent and angry

Community Construction:
• No community centre
• No clinical post
• Eroded water system and no water reservoirs

Community Development:
• Agriculture only source of income and not sustaining families.
• Poor animal husbandry.
• No future business development ideas.

Project for Life:
• Domestic violence and alcoholism prevalent.
• Young teenagers being physically abused resulting in many young pregnancies.
• Lack of basic necessities in houses.
• Adequate hygiene and nutrition standards non-existent.
• No education facilities or opportunities for further education for teenagers or young adults.

PROJECTS ALREADY COMPLETED

Since September 2008, Peru's Challenge has accomplished the following:

School Construction:
• Built chicken coop
• Built flushing toilets
• Two classrooms renovated
• Fix the roof of the Grade 2 classroom
• Secure the front gate
• Build a chicken coop to supply eggs for meals for the kids
• Equip the kindergarten rooms with toilets
• Two classrooms under construction
• Fully equipped kitchen with gas cooker
• Perimeter fence under construction
• Hot showers under construction

PROJECTS STILL TO BE COMPLETED
Between March 2009 and December 2011, Peru's Challenge aims to finish the following projects:

School Construction:
• Seven classrooms
• Equip all classrooms with furniture, white boards, equipment needed
• Library
• Computer centre with photocopier
• Performing stage
• Sports area developed and equipped: soccer goals, volleyball net and basketball ring, swings, balancing beam, monkey bar, see-saws.
• Water reservoir to provide safe drinking water
• Wash stations
• Perimeter fence with front entrance
• Covered eating area for students
• Vegetable garden with greenhouse, fruit trees, irrigation system and fence
• Chicken coop
• Animal farm
• Bee hives for a bee farm
• Install bread oven

School Education:
• 200 children attending primary school
• 100% of children moving to secondary school
• Quilla Huata recognised as legitimate primary school
• All teachers being supplied by the Deptartment of Education
• Lesson plans and curriculum finalised for classes in English, art, sport, music, dance and theatre, computer
• All educational materials supplied
• Students being entered in school competitions – sport, music, dance, theatre etc.
• End-of-year excursions organised

School Health, Hygiene and Social Behaviour:
• Fresh fruit provided every second day
• Provide nutritious breakfast and lunch every day until school kitchen becomes self-sufficient
• Teeth cleaning every day
• Flouride treatment every week
• Face washing and application of cream
• Quarterly anti-parasite medication provided to all students
• Quarterly dental visits and follow-up treatment
• Quarterly doctor visits and follow-up treatment
• Medical cabinets stocked with medication
• Clothing given or made when necessary
• Specialised hygiene teacher supplied by the Deptartment of Education

Community Construction:
• Build a community centre
• 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
• Community kitchen functioning and self-sufficient
• Local doctor clinic functioning and self-sufficient. Regular visits from medical professionals and follow-up treatment: gynaecologist, optometrist, etc.
• Complete irrigation system for fields
• Community houses constructed for those in need
• Toilet system connected to sewage system
• Processing mill for crops

Community Development:
• Lessons given on drenching cattle, constructing and cleaning pens
• Working with community on future business ideas and setting up a "Small Loans for Community Development" program
• Workshop for craft, carpentry and other manual labour skills
• Guinea Pig breeding program
• Chicken breeding program
• Trout breeding program
• Cattle breeding program for meet and dairy products
• Legal assistance where possible

Project For Life:
• All houses supplied with basic necessities: beds, kitchen supplies, tables, etc.
• All houses supplied with smokeless stoves/chimneys
• All houses have toilet
• All houses connected to electricity
• Workshops on alcoholism, domestic violence, your rights, cooking nutritiously and hygienically, etc.
• Social worker has visited every house and plans put in place to assist with kitchen supplies, bedding, chimneys, food packages, etc.
• Social worker involved in urgent cases – violence, alcoholism, lack of employment, illness, etc.
• Decrease cases of domestic violence and alcoholism

PROJECT TWO - PUMAMARCA

Date Reto Peru started

September, 2005

Location

10km from the centre of Cuzco.

Description

Pumamarca, meaning area of the Puma; is a small agricultural community located in the mountain region above Cuzco.

The community members survive on their agricultural products – fresh flowers, maiz, potatoes and other vegetables, which they sell at local markets in Cuzco.

The producers have access to plots that are farmed continuously year-round for maximum produce and are also conitnuously cutting down trees. Both these practices are causing erosion and a decrease in the fertility value of the land.

Producers rely on weekly local rural markets which, because of the region's isolation, appear as the main place for exchange and transactions.

Because the community does not have any funds, the Department of Education in Peru does not support the local primary school, and it is left to fend for itself.

The benefit of non-agricultural activities is that they bring about a more stable and better time-distributed income stream. Women play an essential role in developing such activities, particularly small shops, cattle raising, flower markets and in the craft industry.

PROBLEMS:

In September 2005, Reto Peru spoke at length with the communities and outlined the following problems:

Education:

The school urgently needs to be renovated.
There were only classes for kids up to grade four.
More teachers were needed to separate the grades.
The school had no learning or sports materials.

Health & Wellbeing:

The community often ran out of and had no access to safe drinking water.
The kids were not getting a healthy and nutritious diet, which Peruvian schools are meant to provide.
The community had no access to medical facilities.

Social:

Because the school facilities were so terrible, most of the children were moving into Cuzco to go to school or find work.
Families were breaking up, and none of the younger generation was staying within the community to work the fields.
Alcoholism and domestic violence were problems within the community as a result of unemployment.

PROJECTS ALREADY COMPLETED

Since September 2005, school attendance has risen from 14 children to 150 children within kindergarten to Grade 6 classes.

Volunteers working side-by-side with the local community have completed the following projects:

School 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.
Two hot showers completed.
Vegetable garden with 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.
Performing stage completed.
Two new classrooms and kitchen for kindergarten completed.
School kitchen for primary school completed.
Kitchen for kindergarten completed.
Computer centre completed.
Chicken coop completed.
School dining and storage area - construction underway.
Four flushing toilets for kindergarten - construction underway.

School Education:

150 students attending (40 of these are in kindergarten).
Three kids (100%) moving on to secondary school.
Eight teachers (2 supplied by Peru's Challenge and 6 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 legitimate 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 and Social Behaviour:

Peru's Challenge providing fresh fruit every day.
School providing nutritious lunch every day to kindergarten and primary school 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.
Specialised hygiene teacher being supplied by Dept. of Education.
School kitchen providing breakfast (powdered milk and fruit) each day to students.
Medical cabinets stocked.

Community Construction and Development:

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.
Regular visits from medical professionals and follow-up treatment: gynaecologist, optometrist, etc.
Community houses constructed for those in need.
All houses supplied with smokeless stoves.
Decrease cases of domestic violence and alcoholism.
Legal assistance where possible.

Talleres (adult workshop classes):

Peru's Challenge initiated the first project under our Small Loans for Community Development program--Pumamarca Talleres (Workshop) Group.
Attendees, the mothers of the community, attend classes in the afternoon three times a week and have learnt the following skills: weaving, knitting, painting, jewelry making, arts & crafts, ceramics and woodwork.
Peru's Challenge has organised weekly visits from a number of tourist groups so the Talleres Group can see their products directly. The funds raised are put into a bank account and accessed by the group at the end of the year.
Attendees: 23 in 2006, 74 in 2007, and 204 in 2008.
2006: 100% of the materials were supplied by PC. At the end of the year, Christmas hampers for members were purchased with funds raised.
2007: 25% of the materials were supplied by PC. 15kg Christmas hampers (with fresh turkeys) for members were purchased with funds raised. Members also went to Machu Picchu with the funds that still remained. Mothers also received payments for their product sold. Top payment was US$160 in one week.
2008: PC didn't have to provide any materials. Each mother made a profit, Christmas hampers were purchased, and the mothers decided the remaining funds should go to medical campaigns necessary in the community.
Construction of workshop – completed.
34 visits from tour groups in 2007 to purchase products –more than 300 passengers.
Record sales of US$1,000 during one group visit.
Website for online sales currently under development.
English classes for attendees.
Financial Education for attendees

PROJECTS STILL TO BE COMPLETED
Between December 2008 and December 2010, Peru's Challenge aims to finish the following projects:

School Construction:

Install a bread oven.
Library.
Build beehives to supply honey to the kids.
Build two covered eating areas for the kindergarten and primary students.
Possibility of constructing secondary school

School Education:

Organise for the Department of Education to provide all eight teachers salaries and curriculum materials.
200 children attending primary school.
100% of children moving to seconday school.
Extra-curricular teacher being supplied by the Department of Education for physical education (sport, dance, theater, etc.).
Music teacher being suppled by the Department of Education.
Students being entered in school competitions--sport, music, dance, theater, etc.
More end-of-year excursions organised.

Health, Hygiene and Social Behaviour:

The following activities continued by school and Department of Education:

• Teeth cleaning everyday.
• Fluoride treatment every Tuesday.
• Face washing and application of cream.
• Quarterly anti-parasite medication.
• Quarterly dental visits and follow-up treatment.
• Quarterly doctor visits and follow-up treatment.
• Medical cabinets stocked.

Community Construction and Development:

Ensure the community kitchen is functioning and self-sufficient.
Ensure the local doctor clinic is functioning and self-sufficient. Regular visits from medical professionals and follow-up treatment: gynaecologist, optometrist, etc.
Complete irrigation system for fields.
Community houses constructed for those in need.
All houses connected to electricity.
All houses connected to closed piping system for safe drinking water.
All houses have a toilet.
The toilet system is connected to a sewage system.
All houses supplied with smokeless stoves/chimneys.
All houses supplied with basic necessities: beds, kitchen supplies, tables, etc.
Decrease cases of domestic violence and alcoholism.
Processing mill for crops.
Legal assistance where possible.

Talleres (adult workshop classes):

Increase or maintain current level of attendees.
Finalise purchasing of all equipment necessary for classes.
English classes for attendees.
Financial education for attendees.
Business education on how to maintain business and become sustainable.
Money raised for the general fund to be spent on medical campaigns and treatments.
Finalise online sales website and markets products around the world.
Ensure the business is sustainable--via website sales, regular orders.
Possibility to construct Talleres workshop for carpentry and other manual labor skills.
Continuation of other Talleres classes, taken by local professionals.
"Small Loans for Community Development" program functioning for:
- Guinea Pig breeding program
- Chicken breeding program
- Trout breeding program
- Cattle breeding program for meat and dairy products
- Large greenhouse for flowers, fruit and vegetables

PROJECT THREE - HUANDAR

Date Reto Peru started

March, 2005

Location

Situated 5km from Pisaq in the Sacred Valley, a one-hour drive from Cuzco.

Description and problems

Approximately 200 families live in this community and the majority cannot afford for their children to go to the State primary school in Pisaq.

For the families that can, the biggest problem is that their children, mostly between the ages of seven and twelve, have to walk the five kilometres into Pisaq along a dirty and dusty road. This road is the main transport route for trucks from the Amazon Jungle to Cuzco. Little kids are getting lost in the dust by one truck and then getting run over by the next. The result is devastating. Many have lost their lives or are bedridden for months with serious injuries.

Another problem for the community is their water supply. Approximately 1km up the facing mountain from the village is an ancient Incan water drain that holds fresh water. This is the only fresh water accessible for the community but it takes approximately six hours to reach (due to the altitude of 3000m and the sheer steepness of the Andes Mountains). This exhausting trip usually provides only two buckets of water.

How Reto Peru has already helped

Education:

Renovated, painted and equipped the two existing classrooms
Provided physical education and learning materials

Health and Wellbeing:

Provided a motorised water pump
Built a water resevoir and installed pipes, and there is now clean water for each house.
Built flushing toilets
Provided toothbrushes and taught children how to brush their teeth properly
Provided clothing to all the kids and families
Organised numerous doctor visits and provided free medicines
Organised for Santa Claus to visit and give every kid a gift and a mug of hot chocolate

Social:

Conducted numerous House Challenges

What still needs to be done

Education:

Build and equip a kitchen and eating area
Build a play and sports area
Construct a perimeter fence
Organise for a van to be donated to transport older children to the primary school in Pisaq

Health and Wellbeing:

Develop a vegetable garden to supply the lunchtime meals for the kids
Continue to organise for doctors to visit the community at least once a month to diagnose and provide free medicines
Organise for specialists to visit the community throughout the year ie. optometrists, gynecologists, nutritionists and pediatricians

Social:

Provide afternoon classes in English and other agricultural, mechanical and tecnical fields to teenagers and young adults
Provide afternoon classes to the mothers of the community in weaving, art & craft, painting etc.
Provide education sessions on hygiene, nutrition, pregnancy.
Organise counseling sessions for victims of alcoholism and domestic violence.
Run the House Challenge program to renovate houses in the community.
Develop micro-finance programs for the community.

COMPLETED PROJECTS

PICOL

Dates

October 2003 to October 2005.

Location

Situated in the mountains, 20 minutes from the centre of Cuzco.

Description

Picol was primarily an agricultural area providing employment to the community of over 100 families. In the last ten years, much of the fertile land has been taken over by property developers pushing the Picol families off the land, forcing them to leave the area and into unemployment. This unemployment results in families using their children to beg and sell sweets and postcards to tourists, therefore not allowing them to attend school.

The other problem was that the Department of Education did not recognise this community as an area to support. Therefore the school was not receiving teachers or materials.

In October 2005, Reto Peru met with the parents association of the school and it was decided that the school should be handed back to the Picol community.

Although it happened a lot earlier than we anticipated, we are very happy with the result. As always, the aim of any Reto Peru project is to give it back to the community when they feel they are ready to take over.

Reto Peru will continue to assist the community via the Mothers Group. We will also continue our House Challenge program and the regular visits from medical specialists.

How Reto Peru helped

Education:

Reconstructed the roof of the school.
Renovated and painted the four existing classrooms.
Built and equipped a kitchen and eating area.
Built flushing toilets and hot-water showers.
Provided a salary for another teacher to split up grade one and two.
Provided physical education and learning materials.
Organised excursions for each grade.

Health and Wellbeing:

Developed a greenhouse and vegetable garden to supply the lunchtime meals for the kids.
Organised for doctors to visit the community and provided free medicines.
Organised for specialists to visit the community throughout the year ie. optometrists, gynecologists, nutritionists and pediatricians.
Taught general hygiene to the kids and their families, by providing toothbrushes and toothpaste, hair cutting and face and hand cleaning.
Developed community action groups in regards to access to safe drinking water.
Provided facilities for safe drinking water into a number of houses.

Social:

Provided afternoon classes to the mothers of the community in weaving, art & craft, painting, jewelry making, etc.
Provide education sessions on hygiene, nutrition, pregnancy.
Organised counseling sessions for victims of alcoholism and domestic violence.
Ran the House Challenge program to renovate houses in the community.
Built and equipped a workshop for the mothers group.

YUTTO

Yutto is also an agricultural community situation an hour's drive south of Cuzco.

The community survives on selling agricultural products - maiz, potatoes, etc.

The school at Yutto is different from most in that it organises two weekly sessions for students. During these two weeks, an agricultural specialist stays at the school to teach the kids all about their field of expertise ie. growing and selling maiz, or breeding and looking after cuy (guinea pig).

The community realises that the younger generation cannot keep moving into Cuzco to try and find work as the majority end up unemployed. They know that their livelihood is based around their agricultural success.

Reto Peru volunteers assisted as teachers in English, Art and Sport.

SAN MARTIN

San Martin is a great school for kids with special mental and physical needs. Because the school has such a great reputation, placements are hard to find. Over the last six months, we have helped register two girls into the school.

Our volunteers regularly visit the school to keep an eye out on Roxanita and Luc Clara and to make sure they are enjoying the classes and doing their homework!

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