Our work

POVERTY IN PERU

With approximately 54% of the population living below the poverty line there is an increased need to help the most vulnerable people in Peru's society - the children. Many children between the ages of 6-14 work in the streets or the countryside to help supplement the income of their parents and support their families. From shoe-cleaning in the cities to working in the mines in the countryside, this is a serious issue facing Peru. At Seeds of Hope we educate the parents about the importance of schooling and the long term benefits that this will bring to their family. We then bring the children's education up to a standard that allows them to enter the education system and we continue to support them until they graduate.

THE COST OF SCHOOLING

Education in Peru is free at the point of entry but there are many hidden costs of sending a child to school. Firstly, the family are used to the child supplementing the family income so they are suddenly left with a gap in their income. Secondly, there are the costs of the uniforms, pens, paper, books and food that amount to around $11 per month per child. Many parents simply can not afford this, particularly when they may have 3 or 4 children of school age. Providing books to help the children learn, materials so they can do their homework and uniforms so they can attend school are just some of the things we provide to help support the parents.

WORKING WITH THE CHILDREN

Once the children are attending Seeds of Hope, we work to provide a high quality education which will develop the children's capabilities, confidence and skills. As part of this, we teach them important principles such as peer solidarity, acceptance of responsibility, honesty, punctuality and respect. We achieve this through a group of professional volunteers, both local and international, who work with the children in a peaceful environment wich is conducive to learning.

Some of the daily activities we conduct:

• Work with the children to build up their basic reading, writing and arithmetic to a level appropriate for their age, so they can enter school.
• Help the children with their homework and ensure it is completed by the end of the session.
• Ensure all the children understand the importance of personal hygiene including showering, brushing their teeth and washing their face and hands, especially after using the bathroom.
• Provide a nutritional meal at the end of each session.

From time to time we also bring in trained professionals for other matters, including:

• Sexual education with the aim of reducing teenage pregnancies and the prevention of sexually transmitted diseases, especially HIV and AIDS.
• Legal advice to protect the rights and integrity of the children and their families.
• Psychological support for the children that come from broken families with a high incidence of violence and/or parental negligence, often due to economic conditions or alcoholism.
• Workshops which teach knitting, t-shirt printing, card making and ceramics so that we can start micro-businesses including the exportation of goods, job creation and providing income now and in the future.
  

The Costs

$30 = The cost of books, pens and pencils

$35 = The cost of a uniform to attend school

$135 = The cost of sending a child to school for a year

To find out how you could help, click here.