Educate 120 Girls in Cusco for Economic Survival

What difference does education really make?

I spent a couple of weeks in Cusco this past January. I mainly stayed in Urubamba where Chicuchas Wasi once lived. Every time I go by the old CW house, memories come alive and I remember when I lived in the early Chicuchas home. 

While I was in Peru visiting my brother and his kids and we drove to a village called Lares just outside of Urubamba. Lares is basically in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by tall mountains and cold dry air. On the two hour drive to this small town we would run into young boys and girls, probably ages 6-9 running toward the paved road for each passing car. At first I wasn't sure why they would run up to the cars, then my brother said they are hoping to get some food or gifts. At that moment I had wished I brought something for them; toys, food or candy. I ended up giving them the bag of chocolate I was taking for my nephews. 

The drive to Lares is beautiful, but finding these kids hungry, cold and so far away from a town was difficult to face. These kids, all alone during the day with no parent in sight, stand on the roadside asking for food instead of attending school. The altitude of Lares is more than 15,000 feet and usually cold and not good for agriculture. My brother said that these children speak Quechua only and their job is to look after cattle, sheep and llamas while one or both parents travel to another town for work. He said that usually once the children are teenagers they look for a job and abandon their homes in these small villages. 

Like Lares, many rural towns or villages outside of Cusco have children who have no access to public transportation, no access to a nearby school and the only solution is to find any unskilled work as early as possible. Children, in most cases the girls, are the ones who stay home looking after their younger siblings, doing chores and cooking for their family while their parents are at work. Unfortunately, girls are unprepared and with less advantage for education and have few survival skills. They have no voice or guidance and ultimately have no choice but to become a young parent unable to support their children. 

In the US you can get by without a college degree and if you are lucky maybe find a good paying job, that's because opportunities in this country are much better than in my home country. In Peru, if you don't have an education or some type of skill, daily living is a constant struggle. Parents have to struggle to put food on the table, pay for basic utilities and make decisions about whether to send their kids to school or have them work to earn money. Of course all parents in the world want their children to be better than them when they grow up, to have  better opportunities and a better life, but sometimes that's difficult or almost impossible when you are born into poverty, a country with limited opportunities and resources. 

Education should not be a privilege, instead it should be a priority for every child because with it many doors of opportunity open. Knowledge is power that cannot be taken from us. Children in poverty stricken countries can flourish if they had the opportunity to learn and they are hungry for that chance and a brighter future. 

For over 18 years, Chicuchas Wasi school has been providing free education for the indigenous girls in Cusco Peru. The school was created in 1997 with 13 little girls attending our preschool. A few years later it expanded with 48 girls and began to flourish. Today, with the continuous support and donations from people like you from around the world we were able to relocate into our own primary school with 110 girls. Thank you for your generous dedication to provide the education needed to bring these girls out of poverty and be the first ones in their family to attend high school and a greater chance to attend college. These little girls are so proud to attend Chicuchas Wasi school because they receive more than an education. CW provides free education, transportation, school supplies, books and even breakfast and lunch so these girls can focus solely in their studies. It provides a loving learning environment where most of these little girls can feel safe and welcomed and look forward to going back to school day after day. 

When we educate a girl we give her the tools for a better future and she will educate her children. This is true to me because even though I do not yet have children of my own, I am making sure that my four nieces and nephews in Peru will have a college education. This is the greatest gift that one can achieve. This is the gift that Chicuchas Wasi has given me and cannot be taken away. I am forever grateful!

THANK YOU, from one of the girls whose life YOU have changed. 
                                                     -Rosa Lewis, CW California Board member

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                 Save the date
                    April 14, 2015
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                           NEW Microsoft YouthSpark MATCH
      (50% MATCH up to $1000 per donor - $100,000 available)

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Donations must be on our GlobalGiving page

                     SEE LINK in APRIL newsletter

      April 14, STARTS 6AM SHARP
                     Pacific time
                      Please note the date to
                   DONATE for THIS MATCH Please

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 Because of your donations our students are starting to read early.

And reading opens the doors to unlimited knowledge

    THANK YOU for all you give to our girls

Links:

• Our official website for Chicuchas Wasi