Peru: A school in a poor village in the Andes

For 16 years Loudres Jibaja taught at a Waldorf school in Lima. At the end of 2004 she gave up her well paid secure job to follow a strong impulse and take Waldorf education to the poor people. A past pupil gave her the idea of the village in the Andes.

In a little village in the Andes Lourdes became the class one teacher at the village school. There she endeavoured to give the teachers new ideas for teaching and had to battle for a better education and training. Soon there was a carpenter’s work shop, afternoon courses for children and English lessons for children as well as adults. In the evenings Lourdes worked in an orphanage and gave literacy courses to woman there.

In Autumn of 2007 Lourdes met with severe resistance – the school director ant the teachers did not want her to continue to teach… Jointly with the parents of her class she started to look for a space where she could continue to teach Waldorf education and found in the neighbouring town a small school for orphans that had to work during the day and have school in the evening. Here she could start anew.

Unfortunately there is no money available for little schools in little villages in Peru. Thus this school finds itself in a very dilapidated condition. The windows are broken, the wall need an urgent coat of paint and during the rainy season one notices that the roof is not sealed.

Many little projects enriched the school again: they also now have a carpenter’s workshop where the children from the day and evening classes can do their wood work, in the house building main lesson Lourdes and her pupils built a garden shed and many volunteer workers did the garden work.

Hard times and hope

In order to repair the roof, donations are needed. Another need is the possibility to feed the children once a day after their long working day before they come to the evening lessons. 60 euro a month would provide a daily warm meal for a child. We also need: wax crayons, water colours, children clothes and shoes …

The WOW-Day could help to contribute to this school becoming a place where children could be happy!

More Information:
Homepage
Opening of the Waldorf inspired school of "Kusi Kawsay" (11/2008) - Lourdes Jibaja is teaching there class 5.
Letter of the culture initiative "Kusi Kawsay" of the indigenous parents in Taray (9/2008).
Report from Sita Reiners (6/2008).

Contact

Asociacion Cultural Estrella del Sur
Lourdes Jibaja

E-mail: lourdesjibaja(at)yahoo.com
Homepage: http://estrelladelsurcusco.pe.kz/