Educate 120 Girls in Cusco for Economic Survival

Chicuchas Wasi wishes to dedicate this month’s update to all the mothers who live in the shadows and are invisible to most; a mother who quietly stays up all night to make a dress her daughter needs to wear in the morning and then goes to work as a house cleaner, or the mother who drives her son all over town to find him just the right baseball cleats she can’t afford, so he can fit in with the rest of the team. Mothers who sit with us quietly sharing our pain and hold us tight as our heart breaks at the end of a first love. Mothers who cheer our successes and stand next to us with our failures. If we had that kind of mother we were so blessed. But not all of us do. And many mothers that do their very best for their children are not honored - are not valued at all. 

Chicuchas Wasi Girls have mothers who have nothing material, nothing at all. They cannot read, write or do basic sums, but most do care and try to give their best, with all their limitations, even if very little.

Our special classes for mothers have lifted the spirits of some of our mothers and today they enthusiastically engage with their daughter's class, choose a lead mother to organize each group of mothers to help with what they can do. Lifted out of depression they present creative ideas to help the teacher and show their daughters they care.

Last year during Cusco’s annual festival to honor the ancient culture of Cusco, each room mother organized her mothers to purchase and prepare food from a village (many villages to choose from) to sell at the school festival - using the money loaned by the Administrator Ruth to buy ingredients. They then compete with other classroom mothers who prepare food from a other villages. A local chef was invited to judge the best representation and taste prepared of the village and the mothers were thrilled if their culinary talent won. The money raised from guests and parents who bought the food was used to repay the loan to Ruth, and then to buy something the class needed. One year they bought DVD players for each class for educational presentations. Each class received a TV donated 2 years ago by a local tour company, so a DVD is useful as no internet is available in this area. This is a win-win for the mothers, girls and the entire class. The girls are proud of their mothers and the mothers of their daughters - a change from the burden of believing your daughter is destined to suffer like her mother.

To every Mother who does her very best with what she has to care for her children - Chicuchas Wasi honors you today.

Education for poor indigenous girls has never been important in Cusco and was not accepted by this rural community until CW opened a special school for these intelligent and curious girls. Mothers and some fathers are now seeing how their daughters are progressing and are very proud of them. We are changing the old beliefs, day by day.

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When I look around our beautiful primary school, I see happy girls in bright red uniforms and a big Van to safely deliver them to and from school. I see 105 hot dishes of hearty nutritious meals being served to hungry students and I see classrooms filled with eager students actively engaged in the process of learning. AND I see the huge impact of YOUR generosity. Your financial donations have made it possible for us to provide free education to girls who would not otherwise receive it.

                                 THANK YOU FOR BELIEVING IN OUR GIRLS

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                                              IMPORTANT NEWS

                             ** CW must be sitting under a very bright star ** 

WOW An extra Microsoft YouthSpark Bonus Day.  The next matching campaign will be on Wednesday, June 25, 2014.  There will be $200,000 available in matching funds from Microsoft, and the matching will be applied at 100%!  up to $1000 per each donation. More to come next month...

Please consider taking advantage of the 100% match...it will double your donation...DOUBLE IT !! More details next month..so not yet please - wait for the 100% match June 25.

Rare that this would be offered. Thank you Microsoft