By Jenny Byrne | Fundraising & Communications Officer
We are very proud of the women who are working towards financial independence, creating their own guinea pig producing businesses. However, the recent downtime has given us the chance to assess the reach and the impact of our programme. This has left us wondering if we can do more.
During the pandemic, we have visited many rural villages around Cusco with our PAWS animal welfare project. Our visits are gratefully received, but communities ask us for help with other issues too. Education was one problem many parents raised. In response, we have set up a Mobile Library, to take books, teachers and learning resources to villages that haven’t had access to online learning platforms. Our visits have also highlighted issues that affect girls and young women living in rural villages. For example, community leaders told us that teenage pregnancy is a problem, as it limits girls’ futures and puts a strain on community resources. We are also aware that young women in rural Cusco have fewer opportunities than their male peers.
Our fabulous intern, Georgia, is currently working with Lucho, our new community outreach project manager, to find out what young women really need. Later this month, Georgia will run focus groups in one of the villages, to get girls and young women talking about the issues that they face and how they envisage their futures. We are excited to see what results this investigation will bring up and how it will shape this project in the future.
Of course, we won’t be abandoning the ladies of our guinea pig project! We will still visit them regularly to make sure they have the tools and knowledge they need to continue turning a profit through guinea pig sales.
Watch this space to find out how the focus group research shapes the future of girls and young women in rural villages around Cusco.
By Jenny Byrne | Fundraising & Communications Officer
By Jenny Byrne | Fundraising & Communications Officer
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