By Diana Rae Lewis | Founder & President
I begin this news update with a heavy heart.
The 2024 Peruvian School year begins next week on March 1, and our 100 students are all ready to begin class again after the summer holiday. The normal back to school excitement is once again in the air. During the summer break out teachers were busy preparing workbooks for their students and taking the annual academic teacher's class on the latest professional information and also enjoyed some free personal downtime.
https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/send-disadvantaged-rural-girls-to-school-in-peru/
OUR CHALLENGE NOW!
The difficult news on the Maria school is hard to share. It is disappointing that 2024 will be our second school year that the Maria school has been ready to receive students, but did not have a single student register. The reason could be many: economic belt-tightening of many families struggling with the cost inflation of daily basics like food; we need a professional (and pricy) marketing expert skilled in new school start-ups to attract parents of future college bound students to our modern new Maria School.
FUTURE RISK FOR CHICUCHAS WASI SCHOOL
for girls - no charge to poor families:
We have entered a crisis mode since the financial plan going forward for the Chicuchas Wasi school for girls has counted on the expected income from the Maria school to support both school operating budgets. We expected that it would have been generating some income the last two years, but we have had zero income.
THE IMMEDIATE FINANCIAL PLAN FOR THE NEXT TWO YEARS:
Ruth is searching now for a marketing specialist for start-up new schools we desperately need to motivate parents to enroll their boys and girls to our Maria school.
Economically, we have the operating funds for the 2024 school year. Thirty years ago I created an emergency fund and we will need to spend it to keep school open through 2025.That is all there is without the Maria plan income. We will be dependent on our supporters to donate to buy some time to get the Maria school enrolled.
Chicuchas Wasi School for Girls says
THANK YOU
Your continued support makes the difference!
CW's future when the (tuition-based ) 'Maria Tuition School' classes are filled, will be self-supporting. Covid upset our plans to open the Maria school in 2020 due to strict lock-down that lasted 2 years. We will be enrolling Maria School's new students hopefully for March 2024 school year.
I hate to think beyond next year. If a professional marketing specialist cannot drive parents to visit the Maria school and choose to enroll their children for a solid primary school education - we might have to close down.
https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/send-disadvantaged-rural-girls-to-school-in-peru/
But first our California board lawyer has a good idea: offer scholarships to all the new semester students - with a deposit and sign up commitment for the second semester. This has worked in California and worth a try.
NOTE: I 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 are at the university today
Links:
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