Living in Peru : your everyday companion

LivinginPeru.com
Isabel Guerra

A group of children between ages 9 and 11, from the slum areas in the Limean district of Chorrillos, aired their first radio program yesterday, called "Voice of Children", aiming to create awareness about the importance of preserving the Pantanos de Villa, the only wetland in Lima.

About 20 children were trained for one month by some students from the School of Communication at the University of San Martin de Porres, who helped them to produce this weekly 30 minutes program.

The programs' guests were Peru's rock band Los Mojarras, who said they are working on ecological themes for an album that is to be called “Ecorock”, and Andres de la Cruz, Director of the NGO Prohumedales.

To support and to promote this initiative, the kids have created the blog Salvemoslavilla.blogspot.com.

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.

LivinginPeru.com
Isabel Guerra

Peru welcomed 15 American children between 9 and 14 years old, who, won a contest organized by National Geographic Kids.

“Peru is so diverse that seemed to be the perfect place for an exploring adventure. Peru has desserts, mountains, rainforest: that's why we thought it was a perfect destination for kids, who are naturally curious,” said Dana Deighton, Marketing Manager of “National Geographic Kids” magazine.

Once in Lima, the winners visited the Larco Museum, went shopping to Larcomar and had a tour to Mamacona, where they watched the Peruvian paso horses.

The kids also went to Cusco, where they toured Sacred Valley, Ollantaytambo, Aguas Calientes and Machu Picchu; the next destination was Puerto Maldonado, where Rainforest Expeditions led them through a 4 days tour.

The kids have been blogging and posting photographs about their trip in the webpage that the National Geographic Kids has setup for them.

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.

LivinginPeru.com
Isabel Guerra

Peru's Health Minister, Oscar Ugarte, reported that his office will strengthen preventive actions against acute respiratory infections (ARI) in the highlands of Puno.

The main goal is treating and avoiding pneumonia cases, especially in children under five years.

Ugarte expressed his concerns because the inmunization campaign against A influenza that the Ministry has launched has not actually reached more than 10% of the targeted population so far.

However, he noted that the most important issue at the moment is to reinforce preventive actions.

Up to now, more than 120 children deaths –due to the extreme cold- have been oficially reported in the Peruvian Andean highlands, although some reports claim that the death toll is much higher.

On this regard, Peruvian bloggers have started a “Campaña por los niños del Perú” solidarity campaign, in order to collect winter clothes and to get more help for the children in the highlands.

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.

LivinginPeru.com
Isabel Guerra

The Second Summit of Children and Youngsters was opened today in Puno (alongside with the Fourth Continental Summit of Indigenous Peoples), an event that is gathering representatives from more than 23 countries.

The president of the Province Federation of Saraguro (Loja, Ecuador), Jose Huaman, said that “we are here to discuss not only the importance of our culture and our languages, but also to discuss the economic systems of our countries."

He said that this meeting will serve to determine what are the rights of children and young people, and remarked that this summit's goal is to submit the conclusions to the International Court of Justice at the UNO.

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.

LivinginPeru.com
Isabel Guerra

Nearly 380 families hope to adopt a child in Peru and a 50% of them are actually foreign couples, declared Carmen Vasquez de Velasco, the Executive Director of Peru's National Institute for Family Well-Being (Inabif).

She said that some foreign families are willing to adopt children with special needs, or even victims of incest or rape.

“They are much more sensitive, especially Europeans and Italians in particular; but all in all, Peruvian families have first priority in adoption requests," she emphasized.

However, she also said that Peruvian prospective parents who wish to adopt a child are more selective, since they usually request for children younger than two years old and without siblings.

Peru's legal requirements for adoption are very strict, and this is intended "to ensure the child's welfare,” said Vasquez de Velasco.

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.

With the aim of discovering authentic talents in the world of the art, Peruvian singer-songwriter Gian Marco is promoting his summer courses for children and teenagers in Rímac’s cultural center under its own Educational Promoter Association for Music, Art and Sound.

"In 2009, we will have more surprises for young people who graduate from high school and for university students, thanks to the agreements we are signing with important educational centers and first-level universities of America and Europe,” he said.

“Be ready, because something great is coming and will give people plenty to talk about,” said Gian Marco who will reside in Peru to boost this educational dream.

The courses will run from January 5 and are designed for children and teenagers, from six years old to 16.

This is an old wish of the singer, who finally can see to come true his dream of making professional the career of an artist in the country.

News Source: Andina

Peruvian president Alan García is confident that the national Telethon for San Juan de Dios Hospital will surpass expectations. He reminded all Peruvians to participate in this solidarity event.

In a ceremony held at Government Palace, García reminded guests that the Telethon will take place on December 21 and urged all Peruvians to contribute with the campaign.

García indicated that the event will begin with a mass led by the Archbishop of Lima, Cardinal Juan Luis Cipriani, at Lima’s Cathedral, to continue later with the transmission of the Telethon at the Government Palace.

“I want to thank all people supporting us, artists and TV opinion leaders,” said the president after presenting Gisela Varcárcel and Laura Borlini, who will host the Telethon.

García is also confident that a majority of Peruvians will support this solidarity campaign recalling the number of people helping those of the highlands during the freeze, as well as to the victims of Pisco’s earthquake in the southern region of the country last year.

Participants of the Telethon, six-year-old Dílver Delgado, and Diana Rafael, 8, also attended the ceremony.

San Juan de Dios is a Peruvian hospital specialized in rehabilitation clinic for children and adolescents with mental and physical disabilities.