This week, the Peruvian government took huge steps toward being made accountable for the future of their children. Laptops were provided to each of the children in all six grades. Government representatives spent the week in the school, teaching the children the basics of how to navigate the computers, use different programs, and begin the process of learning how to type! The schools’ teachers also spent hours every day after school, learning how to teach different levels of computer classes.
The children could not be happier, and we have never seen them enjoy math problems so much!
Computers at Maldonado!
This past weekend 7 members of the GVI team in Perú took to conquer the Atacama Desert. We trekked 35 kilometers in two days along a beautiful Peruvian coast, raising money for the GVI Charitable Trust.
The money raised through this challenge will continue providing the children of Perú with daily fruit and lunch.
Although the challenge was tough, as we walked through the driest place on earth, in temperatures of 40+, we were amazed at the beautiful scenery that engulfed us. Surrounded by mountains on one side with a seemingly never-ending ocean on the other, we felt we must have been the first people to have ever stepped foot on that land.
Perú Desert Challenge!
In Perú we have begun celebrating Volunteer of the Week, a brand new initiative recognizing the hard work and dedication of our volunteers.
The volunteers put in their all throughout the week and compete for the medal of honor that we hand out every Friday. The winner is able to decide the sandwich options for the next week... which is no small thing here in Perú! Bribes are made and friendships are won and lost over the intensity and pressure of being in charge of the lunch menu.
Four more days until we reveal the winner of this week... Stay tuned!
GVI Perú Volunteer of the Week!
There have been a lot of goings on in our Peru schools this week! Up at Triunfo, construction has begun on two new classrooms as well as new bathroom facilities, all of which have been much anticipated by both the local teachers and the GVI volunteers since the end of last year. The new classrooms will allow us to give one on one attention to students that need a bit of help catching up with the rest of the class, and will also allow us to have a resource room that will essentially act as a library for the school.
In order for us to build, however, first we have to engage in a bit of demolition! The architects want to be sure the structure is strong enough to support the weight of the new classrooms, and with that in mind, they are installing new support beams in the existing classrooms. This involves a lot of jack hammering, which is why I walked into our first grade classroom to find everyone (teacher included!) with tissues stuffed into their ears. Regardless of all the noise, we are all very excited to see this work progress!
Construction Begins in Perú!
Small piece of Phoenix history today in Guatemala, where the kids in our school in Itzapa are taking their exams for national qualifications, the first ones since we finally legalised earlier this year. Good luck to all of them!
History made in Itzapa, Guatemala
For anyone contemplating signing up to participate in the Ecuadorian project, this could be your view from the "office". This photo was taken yesterday in Huayrapungo, the highest of our mountain communities at 3,300 metres.
View from the office in Ecuador
Recuerdan el gran "hoyo" afuera de la escuela en Santa María, Guatemala? Finalmente ya no está! y con ésto hemos ayudado y contribuido con la Comunidad, gracias Beto!
Hole fixed in Santa María, Guatemala
The volunteers at out kindergarten school at Alto Chiriguana, Perú have been coming up with great, creative ways to get the kids to be as creative as possible. Unfortunately, Latin America is well known for its copying teaching technique. The kids are constantly made to simply copy off of the board, which limits their creativity and makes it difficult at older ages to know how to let their imagination flow. Lead by Laura and Olga, the kids at Alto Chiriguana have been having pretend play time! The government just provided the school with lots of pretend kitchen equipment for the kids and if Phoenix was not in the school, it probably would not be used.
Some of the kids were cooking on the stove, others served the ‘food’, and the lucky ones got to eat! At the end everyone participated in making sure the dishes were properly ‘washed’. The kids loved this part and we had to literally pull them away from the water in the end! At the beginning it took a little while for the kids to get into the pretend play as they don’t often get the opportunity to do things like. However, once they realized what the volunteers were allowing them to do, they were in heaven. Surprisingly enough, some of the toughest boys in the school were the ones that liked it the best! Great work girls for coming up with this idea. This is something we’re going to have to keep going to make sure the kids’ creativity grows and doesn’t get lost.
Kinder in the kitchen in Perú
Plan Iron Woman (Plan Hierro) is a community development project that aims to provide
pregnant mothers with the essential nutrients, including iron, for the healthy development of their children.
Promoting pre-natal health through the production of iron rich vegetables and pulses
complements the Phoenix Project’s educational goals. According to the World Health
Organization, improvement in nutrition before birth and up to 3 years of age have the greatest impact on the child’s future growth and development.
Plan Ironwoman in Ecuador
The reinforcement program in Itzapa is off to a great start!!! Heres Seno Louise with grade two students reviewing their morning lessons!!
Reinforcement in Itzapa - Guatemala
