A School in Peru
AN APPEAL
Several years ago , while visiting relatives in Peru , my family and I had the opportunity to visit an elementary school approximately 100 kilometers down river from Iquitos, the regional capital of Loreto Province. This region, located near the headwaters of the Amazon, is desperately poor. The school that we visited was right beside the river and formed the centerpiece of the small native community of Black Monkey Island. While there, we met a group of parents and their children who showered us with generosity. I would like to give something back.
Poverty is, of course, widespread throughout the world. Aid agencies are often corrupt or have hidden agendas. Fortunately, though a friend that I made while in Iquitos , I was able to find a safe and honest way getting money directly to some desperately poor indigenous people who are resisting what can only be described as cultural and economic genocide.
So far, my friends, colleagues and I have been able to raise over $1000 for the school, money which has gone into repairing the building and purchasing basic school supplies.
If you are familiar with the region, you know that the upper Amazon Basin is beset with the uncontrolled logging of mahogany trees, deforestation, water pollution, an extensive military presence (by both U.S. and Peruvian forces) and narco-traffic terror. Native people in the region are being pushed into deep poverty and forced off the land. Those who leave the land usually end up in the infamous Iquitos slum of Belem, where disease and crime are rampant. Some manage to escape even further to the marginally better slums of Lima.
Follow the link below to see two sets of thumbnail photos (or slide shows, if you prefer) in which you can view "before" and "after" photos of the school and the people in question. The photos dated 2006 are the "before" photos. Included in this set is a map of Peru in which one can see where Iquitos is located (in the top right) and some examples of the poverty that exists in parts of Iquitos and Lima.
In particular, please check out a photo of the highly dilapidated ceiling of the school in the second set. Before the basic repairs were done, buckets had to be placed throughout the classroom to collect rain. The parents also showed me how their children had to share pencils and notebooks. A glance at the photos taken of the school will show you that there is no electricity or running water. You might notice that several of the children have extended stomachs, evidence of parasites.
The "after" photos show a definite improvement.
LINK to PHOTOS from PERU
Any amount of money you might wish to donate would go a long way in providing better educational opportunities for these children that would help many from ending up in the slums of Belem ( Iquitos ) or Lima .
If you are interested in making a donation or want more information, please contact me at dfleming@uottawa.ca