Living in Peru : your everyday companion

Living in Peru
Israel Ruiz

A congressional commission for disabled people has begun a campaign to raise funds to purchase the material necessary to teach 5,000 blind children in Peru how to read Braille.

There are half a million visually disabled people in Peru, this is 13 percent of the country's entire population, said a report released by EFE news.

Of this total, one hundred thousand are school-age children and adolescents that do not know how to read or write because their families do not have the means to teach them Braille, said Michael Urtecho, head of the parliament commission for disabled people.

Urtecho, who uses a wheelchair himself, explained that of the total number of blind people in Peru, 90 percent are illiterate because the country does not provide the tools needed to help them.

Faced with this problem, Urtecho has contacted a Brazilian company that manufactures this material and plans to purchase the supplies needed to teach 5,000 children Braille with donations.

It is hoped that the campaign "Hands that See", which is to last until April 5, will raise enough money to purchase the material to teach 5,000 children to read Braille.

A set of supplies for one child costs $10.

Have other topics you'd like to see in our news section? If you or someone you know would like to contribute a news article to Living in Peru, whether it's translated or based on a personal investigation, send it to editor@livinginperu.com.

Living in Peru
Israel Ruiz

INDECOPI, Peru's consumer protection agency reported that thirty-eight private schools in Lima were charging parents fees that were not permitted.

Among these was the infamous "cuota extraordinaria", which parents were being charged when registering their children in the schools.

It was also detected that these schools were violating Peruvian consumer rights by charging parents tuition for future classes, said Patricia Sarria, member of INDECOPI's consumer commission.

She stated these schools were ordered to immediately stop charging these fees and that punishments were being decided for these establishments.

Another problem found was that schools were obligating parents to purchase supplies and uniforms at certain stores.

Have other topics you'd like to see in our news section? If you or someone you know would like to contribute a news article to Living in Peru, whether it's translated or based on a personal investigation, send it to editor@livinginperu.com.

Living in Peru
Jobana Soto

With the help of a Peruvian immigrant living in White Plains, New York, children from Pisco will finally get the chance to attend school in a newly constructed building fit for their educational needs.

Carmen Guevara, 49, is a devoted volunteer at QuipuNet, “a non-profit organization made up of Peruvians and friends of Peru” dedicated in helping advance education in Peru’s poorer regions. Guevara, who heads the organization’s New York chapter, will host a benefit concert on January 31 at the Slater Center in White Plains featuring the Gabriel Alegria Afro-Peruvian Jazz Sextet.

Guevara hopes to raise at least US$2,000, enough to paint a new school building that was built earlier by QuipuNet. That school was also built in the Pisco region where a massive earthquake devastated the area in August 2007.

The performance will consist of Afro-Peruvian jazz with performers playing saxophone, guitar, bass, drums and the traditional “cajon,” specifically used for this type of Peruvian music.

Details of the concert are as follows: 8:00 p.m., January 31 at the Slater Center located at 1 Fisher Court, White Plains. General admission cost is US$20.

QuipuNet has dedicated their services to building schools and libraries in Peru since 1995. For more information on QuipuNet, head on over to their official website.

Peruvian Vice President Luis Giampietri Rojas said the National Anti-Corruption Plan should be taught in schools to educate students on this important subject since early ages.

He recalled that these types of subject areas, such as civic education, were taught in schools years ago to instruct students on how to behave and interact properly in society.

"I always thought that the fight against corruption could be part of civic education courses in schools," Giampietri said as he reiterated that civic education should be included again within the school curricula.
 
Giampietri even suggested that El Niño weather phenomenon and its impact should also be taught in schools so students can be aware of the danger involved when building a house in areas where flooding may occur.

Regarding the fight against corruption, Giampietri noted that Peru's government and the private sector should work together to address this problem.

Peru's National Anti-Corruption Plan is crucial in the government’s efforts to mainstream the anti-corruption agenda and promote ethics and integrity in the country’s individual, corporate and social structures.

News Source: Andina

Peruvian 13-year-old student Jose Garcia Sulca won a gold medal at the XVI Mathematical Olympiad held in Mar del Plata, Argentina, solving all math questions without any mistake.

He achieved a score equivalent to 20, which made him deserving of the golden award.

The Olympiad, held between December 7 and 12, gathered the best mathematical students from Argentina, Peru, Mexico, Brazil and Uruguay, who participated in this event after a disputed classification in their respective countries.

García, who is no stranger to winning competitions, joined the Universidad Nacional Federico Villarreal two years ago when he was in the sixth grade, one of his greatest achievements according to Andina news agency.

He was born in Ica, Peru where he lives with his parents. Due to the region's scarce economic resources, García was taken in by Saco Oliveros school, where he receives food and daily care.

Two of his classmates, Nohelia Jimenez Valenzuela and Iván Muñoz Castillo, each won bronze medals.

by David Hidalgo Vega - El Comercio
Translation: Vanessa Castro Chesterton- Living in Peru

Kei Kamara is a football placer from Sierra Leona. He plays for the American league and also works as an ambassador for Right to Play, a non profit organization which uses football as a way to help children in war torn countries or extreme poverty situations. Its message is one of solidarity.

As he masters a ball on his head football player Kei Kamara makes it evident why he has come here. In another time and with some very different luck he might have ended up dead, a victim of the bullets which managed to kill so many other dreams and tear apart his country. Kamara is a talented young man who managed to flee Sierra Leona and who now shows of what years of athletic training have taught him in the United States, the country which took him in as a refugee when he was in his teens. Teaching kids a few of his professional footballer tricks is what allows him to give back the happy moments he was able to have thanks to having been rescued.  

Kamara is 24 years old. He plays for the Houston Dynamo’s major league American football team. He is meant to be traveling with his team mates in England to play a few matches there; he however asked to be excused from some of those games so he could fulfill other commitments which he considers equally important, his humanitarian visits. He is an ambassador for Right to Play, a nonprofit organization which promotes games and sport as a way to educate children and adolescents living difficult situations involving violence and poverty.

Kamara knows this because both things plague his earliest memories. His home country Sierra Leona was in a state of civil war for 20 years. He spent half this time at risk. “I have seen my friends die on the streets. I have lost family members because of the conflict. It was a very difficult life”, he remembers. Due to contacts with American citizens Kei was able to travel to the U.S. were his mother had emigrated when he was very young. He has no doubt that was the best way for him to be saved. His new destination, California was a different world.

“The change was a big one. There, in the U.S., I could go to school for free, something that was not possible in Sierra Leona. After school I got to study at university with a sport scholarship because I played football. I had many opportunities.” he says. 

Kamara chose the career of physical education. The fields were he used to practice were also used by the Los Angeles Galaxy football team to train. He was able to watch the players in real life while others only watched through the TV screen. Two years later he joined the league. His life kept changing; he traveled to Mexico, El Salvador, and Panama. By then he had heard of Right to Play.

“One of my first coaches told me about the organization. I told myself that when I had the opportunity I would participate. I wanted to help because when I was a child someone helped me.”

Kei has taught children in Chosica and at the Antonianas de Maria School were he played different games. In one game 7 boys and 7 girls are selected to play a game which teaches children not to be prejudiced. The game consists of the 7 members of the team standing together and passing a small red ball from player to player behind their backs. The other team must guess which player is holding the ball. The ball represents disease, most of all AIDS. The name of the game is “don’t trust your eyes” and it teaches children not to discriminate people because of their appearance.

The first Right to Play program in Peru has already pledged to help children in Lambayeque, Huaraz and Puno. The idea is for other Peruvian and international athletes continue with this work. “The game is powerful” says Kamara. Few things have its strength and resonance.  

News source: El Comercio

To read the original article click here.    

 

Living in Peru
Israel J. Ruiz

Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (UNED), the public Spanish Open University is to send tens of thousands of books to hundreds of libraries across Peru.

In a book collection campaign known as Librotón 2008, the Spanish university collected 66,000 text and literature books along with multimedia material that is to be delivered to educational centers across the Andean nation.

In an effort to improve the education given to Peruvian students, a convoy has set out for Peru carrying 36 pallets with 1,260 boxes of books, CDs, DVDs and other educational material.

In a press release issued by the university, it was affirmed that the campaign, which included the participation of 26 centers associated to UNED across Spain, was a tremendous success.

Librotón 2008 had the important support of over one dozen NGOs and public Spanish institutions.

The Peruvian Associations Federation, the Municipality of Lima, the Hispanic Peruvian Center and the Peruvian Consulate in Madrid all helped in the campaign as well.

Living in Peru
Israel J. Ruiz

Keeping a promise made to a group of teenagers in Peru's highlands, Minster Araoz went 4,000 meters (13,123 feet) above sea level to the city of Cerro de Pasco and gave these students rewards for work well done.

Despite difficult conditions such as a lack of roads, few teachers and just one computer without an internet connection, students at Alberto Pumayalla Díaz High School won a national competition organized by the Ministry of Tourism.

The students came in first place by writing a report on how their city could take advantage of its non-traditional products such as canola oil, sacha inchi plants and alpaca fiber.

Aside from personally being honored by Minister Araoz, the five students that won the contest were given computers and scholarships to study at San Martin de Porres University in Lima.

"The four computers and the notebook that we are giving you will serve to establish a computer lab at your school and help you develop the knowledge you'll acquire in a short time when you start studying at the university," said Araoz.

Noel Vivar, the teacher who guided the students during their investigation thanked Araoz and the Ministry of Tourism for keeping their promise and strengthening education in the region.

Living in Peru
Israel J. Ruiz

Beginning in 2010, all preschool students in the constitutional province of Callao will be taught in two languages, announced Governor Alex Kouri, stating this would better prepare children to face 21st century challenges.

To carry out this project, the governor explained that 5,000 pre-school, elementary and high school teachers would be taught a second language.

Among the languages teachers can choose to learn are English, French, Portuguese, Italian and German.

Despite the variety of languages teachers can choose to learn, Governor Kouri affirmed 85 percent of them would want to command the English language.

The decision to make all of Callao's preschools bilingual is a part of the region's educational reform and was published in Peru's official gazette on Friday.

An auction is to be held to determine the institution that will be in charge of teaching these 5,000 teachers a second language. The institute to handle this task will be named on November 15, said Kouri.

"The amount that has been calculated to be invested is 4,890,570 soles", said the governor, explaining that books and other pre-school material would begin to be replaced next year.

Assuring students would have adequate bilingual material to learn, he also affirmed that the teachers to be taught the second language would receive appropriate training.

There are approximately 8,000 teachers in the region of Callao.

Peru’s president Alan García said this morning that the government would purchase three hundred thousand laptops for children during 2008-09, with the aim to open the way towards modern and digital education.

“Until now, we have acquired 140,000 computers, of which 40,000 have been delivered and 100,000 are still in the process of distribution; and for next year, there is a budget to purchase 150,000 more computers. We have the support and commitment of regional governments to bring thousands of computers to schools”, he stated.

“The delivery of laptops allow children to be incorporated in the future’s education, and I am sure this will represent an exceptional jump for children’s imagination and criterion’s capacity”, he said.

García reaffirmed that education is one of the mainstays of his administration, and that in addition to this program, there is one similar developed for teachers that goes together with electrification projects in the country, which, so far, have benefited 2,050 towns.

The Peruvian president offered these statements during the presentation of the achievements of the One Laptop per Child program, before national and foreign entrepreneurs.

News source: ANDINA