Back to school in 2021? Instead, for the children in our refuge it’s still ongoing virtual education and ‘home schooling’. They last went to school in December 2019 because of the summer break till March 2020, at which point the pandemic started. And there is no realistic chance of schools Continue Reading
News from Peru
Project Peru is growing
In one sense, at least! With your help we could do much more. Our kitchen garden is one small step towards improving our self sufficiency, and is an educational asset too. Our gardener here is instructing two of our boys in planting sunflowers. And we grow a variety of crops Continue Reading
Still safety first
The safety of our children and of our staff is our priority. We take all the precautions we can. Much of Latin America including Peru is now experiencing the ‘third wave’ of the Covid pandemic. As of mid-June the Ministry of Health revised the death toll from Covid, more than Continue Reading
A long walk to the Pacific
One day, during the two week break from virtual education, the older children completed a 12k walk from the refuge to the sea, through the lovely local ‘countryside’, ending up in Ancon … with a plunge into the Pacific, even in winter!
At last, a day out!
For the first time for about 18 months the children from our refuge had a day out, with a safe excursion to the Lomas de Lachay, which was thoroughly enjoyed by staff and children alike. The Lachay National Reserve (Reserva Nacional de Lachay) is a protected area about 65 miles north of Lima, and Continue Reading
Fiestas Patrias
28th July is Peru’s national day, this year celebrating 201 years of independence from Spain. To see some more of Peru’s national symbols go to https://projectperu.org.uk/about-peru/symbols-of-peru In celebration the children made a presentation of a traditional dance routine in the school and also in the refuge, while the staff organised Continue Reading
Against the odds
Moving towards the end of Peru’s summer 2021 we continue, against the odds, at our children’s refuge, with a dangerously spreading pandemic outside our walls, with a national shortage of medication, of oxygen and of basic health facilities, with increasing poverty and economic damage and an ongoing and fractious presidential Continue Reading
200 years on … Bicentenario Perú 2021
On 28th July 2021 Peru marked 200 years of independence from Spain in 1821 throughout the country, including in our refuge … See also Symbols of Peru
Exhibition at the British Museum: Peru – a journey in time
Marking Peru’s bicentennial year of independence, an exhibition at the British Museum in London highlights the history, beliefs and cultural achievements of the different peoples who lived in Peru from around 2500 BC to the arrival of the Europeans in the 1500s, and their legacy in the centuries that followed.
More support for the local community
Where possible during the peak periods of the Covid-19 pandemic we were able to act as a local hub to help distribute donated staple food supplies to individuals, and also to go out to some of the local community groups who have set up ollas comunes (emergency community kitchens) to Continue Reading
Keeping safe and well at our refuge
¡Pan y dignidad! Keeping a healthy and balanced diet in our refuge … and here, some of our girls are learning to make bread. ¡Agua y libertad! Supplying fresh drinking water, and enough for our garden too. ¡Casa hogar y seguridad! Not only Covid-19 security, but regular fumigation and active Continue Reading
Covid-19 and its impact on poverty in Peru
Statistics on Covid-19 in Peru: https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/peru/ World Covid-18 rankings: https://perusupportgroup.org.uk/2022/05/peru-at-the-top-of-the-who-covid-ranking Poverty levels: https://perusupportgroup.org.uk/2022/05/poverty-levels-still-above-pre-pandemic-levels/ “At the end of 2019, 6.6 million Peruvians, or just over 20% of the population, faced monetary poverty. [By the end of 2020] … as a result of Covid, a further 3.3 million have fallen into that Continue Reading
Supporting the local community at Christmas & New Year
Apart from our own work at the refuge we also, where possible, act locally to help distribute donated food supplies to neighbouring community groups and individuals in the shanty towns around us. We do this in particular at Christmas-time and New Year. What an adventure! In a loaded motor taxi, Continue Reading
A walk in the brown desert foothills of the Andes
Hardly a walk in the park but, after nearly eight months inside the refuge, our suitably masked children went on a walk through the ‘countryside’ in the vast, bare surroundings of the refuge. No plant or person in sight but the inevitable ice cream seller found them…mutual delight! It’s clear to Continue Reading
Peru, England and Football
Though Perú just missed out on the Copa Mundial in Quatar in 2022, the national team did reach the semi-finals of the 2021 Copa América in July 2021. Known until 1975 as the South American Football Championship, this is the main men’s football tournament contested among national teams from South Continue Reading