By Diana Rae Lewis | Founder & President
The Peruvian 2022 school year begins now.
CW Girls eagerly connect with their friends and classmates of many years in CW. They are almost dizzy with giggles and laughter as they arrive for a trial run in street clothes on the school patio today. After 2 years in home school, girls need to get used to the rules and procedures and many girls in a big school again. So cautious gathering with good hand washing and masked distance feels correct for now. All staff is vaccinated and girls 5 yrs and up are vaccinated too.
The Girls sit in lines on the patio to listen to director Ruth explain new routines and food restrictions from the Ministry of Education (for now). Ruth and teachers spent much of their summer planning a curriculum to energize the girl's passion and love of learning creatively again. School supplies were given to each student and also the donated computer tablets (one for each girl). Some of our girls have acquired a new shyness after 2 yrs of isolation. Teachers plan to gradually bring out our outgoing girls again. CW has learned a lot and has been blessed for 34 years.
We could never have achieved all we have the last 2 years without the love and support from you.We pray the covid nightmare is over for everyone everywhere, but we realize it is not.
THANK YOU ALL
Our CW girls are excited to be back in school with their friends, but many things can change in 2 years especially at their age. Parent meetings have begun to help CW team understand what home life in lock-down was like for the girls, and any problems or achievements?
CW girls are creative problem solvers and many of the girls have become more self-motivated and independent, demonstrating more self-confidence than before Covid. However, Covid changed all our lives and we know that some of the changes, Ruth has noticed in some girls, might need support.
CW parents have planted every inch around the school (see last news update for images) and we should have a large food harvest in a few months.
Please donate on hot link below
https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/send-disadvantaged-rural-girls-to-school-in-peru/
Upsetting news:
The three student families forced due to hunger to return to their rural family farm in the mountains still have not yet returned. We planned on 123 returning students for this school year, but two fathers refused to vaccinate their 4 daughters and after so much Covid illness and death in Cusco we must require vaccinations. So far we have 100 primary grade students (a few more to return soon) and 11 four-year old kindergarten girls. Returning to a somewhat normal life will take getting used to for everyone so we know a few more will return. Parents have needed older girls to work and those are probably some of the missing students now. Home visits will begins soon.
The fundraiser tuition based Maria School has been ready to open for 2 years. We have the green light to begin registering new students, but parents are cautious, and tell Ruth the public schools have sometimes up to 80 students in a class since many schools have closed. Few private schools are still available. We will open the Maria school in March if there are enough students to pay the teachers needed. Our patience is needed since the pandemic was horrific and time will help parents believe it is really gone. Ruth is checking on how the few private schools are doing - all will need some reassurance and time.
Great News:
CW Alumnae, Flordina, graduated in 2013, our first graduating class and then completed high school, then went on to study education in college. She is today a student teacher at Chicuchas Wasi School for girls like her - here dream to teach at CW school all along.
We look forward to returning foreign visitors to Cusco and to CW school with the occasional volunteer coming to CW in June. The economic lift Cusco needs is dependent on tourism. The year 2022 will be a lift for us all.
Some photos for you:
Patio assembly to welcome the new school year in a pre-school day. Then our bright red uniforms will be seen on every girl this week, that they wear with pride.
After the first day at school the little ones board the school bus to return home with a snack. Forbidding food for the children is completely crazy and Ruth is working on a plan to manage without a fuss so the girls will have a meal. Our kitchen and dining room are not allowed to open yet, but Ruth will find a way. Our girls arrive in the am and get off the bus and run to get their oatmeal and wake up. With out this morning nutrition they will be asleep at their desks in 15 minutes.
CW School is our beautiful sun burst color school created for poor Indigenous Girls (tuition free), and the new modern (tuition based) Maria school will one day soon fund both schools.
Chicuchas Wasi School for Girls survived the last 2 years!
THANK YOU
Your support has made the difference!
CW's future when the 'Maria Tuition School' classes are filled, will be self-supporting. CoVid upset our plans to open the Maria school in 2020, but we are grateful that our CW large extended family is well. We plan to begin enrolling new maria students soon now in March 2022 the school year just began and parents are almost ready but cautious. Many are inquiring now.
NOTE: Thank you all for hanging in there with us. We have a little way to go yet but the impact of our work is self evident in the success of our girls...some at the university today.
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By Diana Rae Lewis | founder & President
By Diana Rae Lewis | Founder & President
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