|
|
|
Cusco´s Educational Reality:
-
35 % of school aged children do not go to the school, because they have to work.
-
Many children study at night and work during the day.
-
25 % of children who study do not graduate.
-
75 % of children who study are malnourished.
-
30 % of 8 and 9-year-old children can neither read nor write.
-
Children are in classes 4 hours daily.
-
Classes are completely theoretical; none of the work is experiential. There are no theatre, music, art, or physical education classes. Fieldtrips never occur and investigation and personal development is not encouraged. This model is unable to holistically serve the needs of the students.
-
In the primary and secondary schools there is a minimum of 40 students per class. Normally the teachers are unable to learn the names of the students, let alone their problems.
-
92 % of students who finish secondary school do not know how to study or know what to do after completion of their studying
.
|
FROM PRE-INCA CIVILISATION TO NOW
(Historically Taught Values)
In the pre-Incan period the ancient people of Peru abided by the three following words:
LA MITA : refers to the “work” that had to be done within the society. People worked together as a community, for the good of the community; and at the same time to improve the circumstances of every inhabitant. Work was regarded as a moral responsibility rather than mandatory action. Participation in this activity was in fact to be part of the community.
Work changes your life, from the inside to the outside; it is a blessing, not a punishment. But the work must have one communal goal; the individual is second. What you do for the community is reflected in your personal life.
Mita= work, individual, group
EL AYLLU: stands for “the individual within the group”. The key to forming harmony and solidarity within the community is respecting your fellow individual. Thus, in pre-Incan culture every person in the group had their own qualities and position, from the children to the elderly, and from the women to the men; every person was respected for his or her contribution.
Ayllu could be a boy in the street, a beggar asking for life, a poor mother with a hungry child, and people suffering because they don’t have friends or love. Ayllu is people living well and poorly. Ayllu is everyone you know and all the people that you will know. Every person has qualities in common with the other; we just don’t have the time or interest to recognize this.
Ayllu = people, personal, and group
EL AYNI: incorporates the idea of each person’s individual rights and responsibilities within the group. The life of every person in pre-Incan society was guarded by the principle of “el ayni,” because it was the law of living together. The ayni existed in the actions of the people, not in papers or words, thus for indigenous people justice is action.
Ayni = the law, social order, natural justice
The CHAKANA is a type of Ayni: It symbolizes SERVICE, representing 4 laws: AMA QELLA (be laborious), AMA SUWA (don’t rob), AMA LLULLA (be truthful) and AMA HAP'A (be faithful and loyal).
Thus pre-Incan society was governed by the above mentioned principles of “El ayllu”, “La mita” and “El ayni”.
 |
|
|
GROUP MISSION
The work we have already accomplished and will continue to accomplish in the future is based on the three ancient words: La mita, el ayllu, and el ayni; because we firmly believe this is the only way to successfully change people’s lives.
Grupo Yanapaq Maki Kuna means “Helping Hands” in Quechua, the original Inca language. The group dedicates its work to solve the following problems:
- Lack of education and opportunities for poor children and teenagers.
- Lack of services to help illiterate mothers assure their children adequate education.
- Women’s ignorance of their rights and importance in the family and society.
- Lack of self-esteem in uneducated women of rural origin.
- lack of a suitable nutrition.
If we can achieve a solution to the problems in Peruvian society we will be able to obtain a permanent and progressive economic development.
The project’s work revolves around changing realities and in turn changing lives.
There are more people in the world today than ever. Yet people feel more isolated than ever before. The drive for wealth and material gain leads to increased individualism and egocentricism. There are more rich people, but the people are spiritually poorer than ever. Everyone thinks that his or her life is lacking. In short it seems to be a time of dissatisfaction and discontent. Everyone is running blindly not knowing where they will end up. This is definitely not the life that we want for our community, not now or in the future. The children and mothers of our project have a different view of life, we are returning to our indigenous roots.
We believe if people would respect the values of “la mita,” “el ayllu,” and “el ayni,” then life would be better for individuals as well as the community. We believe there will be changes to every ones’ lives (no matter where you come from) if we simply abide by these ancient values.
To us the most important thing is to give now and receive later. Every child and single mother that has received from our project is now giving back to others in so many ways, which is a wonderful expansion of our objective.
Additionally, every one that has given his support to our project, has received a lot from it.
There is no doubt that God is in every part of our work. |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
events
|
|
|
donation
|
|
|
products
|
|
|
|
|
Helping hands Cusco - Peru
