The Peru Support Group

I've just found out about the Peru Support Group. Take a look via this link - I've also added it to the useful links on the right-hand column.

THE PERU SUPPORT GROUP

Yanamilla Primary School update 5

I've been wanting to do this for a while, but it's much, much harder to keep on top of this from a distance - not surprising, really, is it?! Thanks to Marisol and Steve, I've now gathered some information on what's been happening since I left in January ...

The good news ...

• The additional 2,000 adobe bricks were made, as planned, in January. The parents' association paid 100 soles, and we used some of the contributions we'd collected to pay the remaining 400 soles and another 100 soles for the builder.

New adobe bricks being prepared (and back wall in background)

• Steve plus some new volunteers and our builder managed a few more wall-building sessions at the end of January and the wall is now almost finished. Click on the link to Steve's photos on the right-hand column for more photos - wall-building mixed up with a walk to the cross on the hill above Ayacucho, but it's all good scenic stuff! And here are some photos that Marisol has just taken:

Back wall and half-finished new classrooms as of end February

Front wall as of end February

• We finally have our 2nd lockable cupboard, another shelf unit, and about 15 tiny chairs that we collected last term. Though the 2nd cupboard that we'd ordered and paid for back in November never actually arrived! After months of chasing and dealing with loads of lies from the suppliers, Marisol finally decided to take drastic action at the end of January and went down to the shop to demand that they give us a different cupboard from their storeroom instead - so we now have a cupboard, plus another shelf unit to compensate for not getting the cupboard we ordered!

Lockable cupboard

Shelf unit (and some of the tiny chairs in background)

• We have 880 soles still to spend on the school, and there's more to come from Gillian (ex-volunteer) to buy more lockable cupboards.


• Piles of second-hand books collected by volunteers last year have been sorted and are ready to be donated to create a library.
  
• Playground equipment bought by another charity is still being kept for the school.

The not-so-good news ...

• Rumour had it that the Head was going to be replaced, but now it sounds like it's going to be the same one again for another year. Still to be confirmed.


• Although the wall has grown, it's still not finished! And the 2,000 adobe bricks weren't enough to finish it, so now we're stuck with no more bricks, and the payment that was supposed to only be paid once the wall was complete, was actually paid out when the bricks were used up. Not quite my plan, nor what was on the agreement we signed, but I guess that's one of the problems of trying to co-ordinate this project from a distance!
  
• 24 chairs and 14 desks were stolen during the school holidays - all the more need to finish the wall and make the school secure as soon as possible!


• Still no news from the regional government - still waiting for a reply to the letter and documents requesting help that we sent in early January.
  
• No news from the new mayor, though I've just found out that CCS hasn't yet given him copies of the documents we sent to the regional government. He's going to be given them now, so hopefully we'll get a response soon.

So what next?

Finishing the wall and making the school secure is obviously a priority, and I'm hoping that Marisol will be able to get something moving again with the teachers and parents once the school terms starts up next week. We may need to spend some of our money on more adobe bricks and a builder, though I'm waiting to hear what the parents' association comes up with - maybe they can make more bricks and complete the wall themselves? Wishing thinking???

Once the wall is complete, we'll need a lockable gate - hopefuly the mayor will supply this; rumour has it that he promised to donate one. And then, unless the regional government can help, we'll probably then need to spend some money on stucco and paint to finish off the wall.

I'm hoping that the mayor and regional government will come up with some support soon, but this could be a long process. The priority will now be to supply more chairs and desks to replace the stolen ones and to equip the new classrooms. I'm also hoping that we'll get a bit more support than that, and don't really want to make any firm plans re what we do with our money until we now how they can help. I'm hoping they'll be able to supply some of the following: stucco, paint, gate, more school furniture, rooves and windows for the new classrooms, floors, new toilets ... again, wishful thinking?!

We can now donate the 2nd lockable cupboard, the shelf unit, and the tiny chairs. I have suggested to Marisol that we give these as prizes to the school at about the end of March - maybe to the classes who have kept their classrooms the cleanest without any reminders.

The books that volunteers collected last year have all been organised and are ready to be donated to the school to create a library in lockable cupboards, once the school is secure.

The playground equipment is still available and will be donated to the school once the school is secure - the charity that is going to donate the equipment is insisting that the wall is complete and a lockable gate fixed before they hand over the equipment.

So that's it for now! A bit frustrating that the wall didn't get completed before the beginning of the new term and that we've still not had any response from the regional government or the mayor. Let's hope there's more progress and good news soon!

Many thanks to everyone who's been supporting this project - it's much appreciated!

Peru launches plan to combat lateness

I heard about this on the radio yesterday, and found this article today - it amused me, see what you think! Maybe we'll see some more efficient action at the primary school from now on?!

Peru Launches Plan to Combat Lateness