.Bruce Peru
Lima: "La Victoria" Children's Centre
Challenges: On the week
end before schediçuled to open we had an unforsene emergency. |
Introduction
'LA VICTORIA' CHILDREN'S CENTRE is in the LA VICTORIA community of the 'Cono Este' slums on the East side of Lima, Peru. Our aim is to give aid and support to the children of the families (mostly abandoned mothers) who have been squatted two sandy hills overlooking Lima. The "Ceros" they are called, and are considered to be the most dangerous part of Lima. For this reason we are locating our Centre in a safe neighborhood nearby, and the children will come to us.
The LA VICTORIA Children's Centre will be housed in the campaign
headquarters of the ex (and maybe future) Alcalde of La Victoria - They
have rented the house for two years and are prepared to let us use part
of the ground floor for our Children's Centre (school) during that time.
A marvelous feature of LA VICTORIA is that it is only a few minutes from
the centre of Lima, but to enter either is to enter another world, an
urban jungle: where necessity, poverty, crime and illness combine to make
these communities "NO GO" areas. The children who live in these
conditions are in a sad state of malnutrition, abandonment, abuse and
illiteracy. We are going to provide them with a new opportunity to build
a different life to what they have known until now.
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Many children
do not attend school in LA VICTORIA, due to one or more of three
reasons: the nearest school is too far away, extreme poverty (even
attending free school in Peru costs about $110 a year), abandonment
or parental abuse (children of poor parents often are made to work
instead of attending school) Our primary goal is to
get as many children into school as possible, and this involves
encouraging learning, talking to parents and in some cases purchasing
uniforms and school books. We also are prepared to educate those
children who cannot get into state schools. |
What to expect as a Volunteer:Your Job at 'LA VICTORIA CHILDREN'S CENTRE' will involve:
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Accommodation & food costs:We ask a fee from our volunteers to keep our work going. The money goes to pay for the bills, meals, and the cost of the social worker, cook and secretary, as well as maintenance of the Children's Centre- also to promote the opening of other Children's Centres in Peru. This fee includes accommodation 7 days per week and 3 meals a day, 5 days a week.
To read more about Peru click HERE | |||||
Besides these activities, we welcome new ideas to make our project most effective for the children. Volunteering at Bruce Peru Lima can be a tiring but immensely rewarding experience. You should be able to cope with big groups of street children demanding a lot of attention and enthusiasm. You will have to be a team worker, working together with Peruvian and international volunteers. In the centre you will be a representative of the project and are expected to be responsible and behave as an example for the children. What you do in your free time outside the centre is up to you.
Volunteering at 'LA VICTORIA' is a fantastic way of getting to know Peru, of improving your Spanish, and above all, of interacting with the community and with the children of the city in a positive and helpful way.
The Region:
More than 400 years ago, the Spanish
conqueror ("conquistador") Francisco Pizarro named Lima the City of the
Kings ("Ciudad de los Reyes"). Nowadays, that same city, which rose from
the lands of the native chief Taulischusco, is a metropolis of over 7
million people who proudly preserve the colonial convents and mansions
which are symbols of their ancient and noble traditions. Lima, capital of
Peru, founded on January 18, 1535, is a modern city which, while
constantly expanding, has also managed to maintain the elegance of its
Historic Center. Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Center, due to the large
number of artistic monuments found there, Historic Lima is an enchanting
haven of a period long gone.
The Programme:
The Children's Centre will be located in nice house in a safe neighborhood
in La Victoria.. Our international volunteers will leave Miraflores at 8:30
AM and be in class teaching the children by 9:AM. Children will attend the
centre between 9 AM and 12:30 PM, (ending with lunch). During the morning
volunteers and local teachers will organize a range of classes, workshops
and activities: including English, reading, writing, maths, art, music,
science, sport and drama. Groups will be divided up according to age or
ability. None of these children go to school, so an important aspect of
our program is teaching them group discipline and study habits. We regularly
plan trips outside the centre, to play football and other games and activities..
The Language School:
In the evenings English-speaking and French-speaking volunteers will give English and French classes to adults in our Miraflores campus in Lima (where also our international volunteers live). The small donation our language students make is a contribution to the work of the Satellite Children's Centres.. Our students know that their tuition goes towards our work with the children and enables us to participate in the activities and expenses of the Children's Centre and our volunteers. Volunteers are therefore obliged to give at least one class per night to maintain our Language School.Spanish classes are offered for free to all our volunteers.
