It’s almost Fall in Arequipa and the school term is beginning, including at the Cuna Jardin Corazon de Jesus. When the parents, usually single mothers, don’t have alternative child care arrangements the children come to the Cuna Jardin over summer holidays – January and February. Once the regular term – for nursery and kindergarten as well as the homework club for the older children – commences then about 120 children attend.

The Cuna Jardin is open from 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM, providing both pre-school and after school care for the children.  Because of the extended hours parents are able to work knowing their children will be well taken care of. Without the Cuna Jardin many parents would not have alternative child care arrangements; a common sight in Arequipa is a mother selling goods on the street with accompanied by her child (ren). Although extended family care is still the norm in Peru, many of the poorest families have left their traditional homes in the country to come to Arequipa in the hopes of finding employment and to provide for their children.

Pictures from the visit can be seen here: http://www.pbase.com/tracyk/2018_03_06_cuna_visit

I was in Arequipa for a few weeks and visited both the Cuna Jardin, Corazon de Jesus and IRID. So far this year the weather has been better than last year and there’s been no issue with rain. Because of summer holidays the Cuna Jardin doesn’t have the full number of children, but there are some in the homework club and several younger children come daily while their mothers work. A volunteer has been coming in to work with the children. Photos from the visit here:
http://www.pbase.com/tracyk/2018_01_18_cuna_jardin

We had a huge turnout at the annual Latin Music Night at the Yardbird Suite,people came to enjoy the music bid on the wide array of Silent Auction items and to support the work of SUPC in Arequipa, Peru.

Thanks, as always, to the musicians and dancers for volunteering their time and talent: Los Rebeles Musicales, Jorge Vargas, Mariachi Mundo, Oscar and Judith Garica and Marco Claveria group.

Thanks as well to the volunteers for helping at the door, with the food and the silent auction: Board members Brandy Berry (and her daughters Skye and Sage) and also Aisha Oboh,: volunteers Hope Martynuik, Doris Lachat, Cecilia Acat. And special thanks to Pam Josey of the Yardbird Suite.

Photos from the event here:

http://www.pbase.com/tracyk/2017_10_29_supc_latin_music_night

Volunteers, Board members with cook Carla Tamayo Aragon .

We had a good turnout at our 7th annual Peruvian dinner with food once again provided by Carla Tamayo Aragon. In addition to the food and a dance performance by Ines Castañeda we held a silent auction of Peruvian and local items. Photos from the evening can be seen here:

http://www.pbase.com/tracyk/2017_09_23_supc_peruvian_dinner

We will be holding our annual Peruvian fundraising dinner at Holy Trinity Anglican Church on Saturday September 23rd.

Once again, in addition to the fabulous Peruvian food (and Pisco Sours) we will have entertainment and a silent auction with both local and Peruvian items to bid on.

Tickets available through SUPC – supcsociety@gmail.com.

Peru has been undergoing severe rainy weather the past few months with mudslides, rivers overflowing and infrastructure collapsing.  Arequipa has been spared the brunt of the rain although some of the roads and bridges have collapsed and water has been cut for almost a week because of broken pipes and almost all the city has been without running water. Classes officially began at the beginning of March but the Government has cancelled all classes since last Thursday as it it’s considered unsanitary to have the children in locations without access to water in bathrooms. However IRID is a home as well as a day school and the Cuna Jardin has taken children whose parents have no alternative for childcare, both are coping with the lack of running water with delivery from water trucks. Once the dirt roads have been restored we are planning on making home visits the second week of April.  We will also be visiting IRID again and will send an update on both agencies in April. 

It’s Fall and traditionally the end of the rainy season, but this year the forecast is for the rains to continue until the end of April. Once water is restored the Cuna Jardin will have more than 120 children attending classes, work still needs to be done on the ceiling in some of the classrooms which buckled because of the rain and the roof will need to be repaired and a moisture barrier added. All of the classrooms also need new chalk boards.  Although there is a small fee that parents are asked to pay at the Cuna Jardin, many families, especially women raising their children without support from the fathers, are not able to pay anything. As well, the fee only covers a small portion of the costs, the funds we donate help to cover the costs of children whose parents can’t pay as well as the difference between the fee and the on-going expenses.

Photos from the Cuna Jardin visit can be seen here:

http://www.pbase.com/tracyk/2017_03_22_visit_to_cuna_jardin

Both Tracy and I visited both IRID and the Cuna Jardin Corazon de Jesus this past week. Summer in Arequipa is the rainy season and this year the rain has been particularly severe flooding many homes and also washing out roads. IRID was not affected by the rain but two of the children’s classrooms at the Cuna Jardin were damaged, the roof will need to be repaired and a moisture barrier added and then the ceiling of the classroom repaired.

As its summer holidays there are only about 35 children attending the Cuna Jardin, once school starts in March there will be more than 120 children ranging from two to five. During the school year, after their regular school hours are over, older children come to the Cuna to participate in a homework club.

We also met with Roberto D’Amico, Peru Inside Out travel agency, who provided a special Christmas celebration for the children at the Cuna Jardin. We discussed various ways of providing information to travellers about the Cuna Jardin and ways they can help support it. I will provide an update as plans develop.

Currently there are 35 children and young adults living at IRID – when the children reach adulthood there isn’t another place for them go so they remain at the centre. Some of the residents have severe medical complications and require daily medications; the Government pays a portion of the costs but does not cover the full amount. Donations from SUPC help with the additional cost. Funds can also be used to help pay for the different therapists needed to work with the residents. It can be difficult to find workers willing to come to the Centre as it is on the outskirts of Arequipa – about an hour by bus – and private agencies in the City are able to pay more than IRID can.

Both agencies accept volunteers, currently a local US/Peruvian family is volunteering several days a week at IRID – doing outdoor work and maintenance. They have also started a vegetable garden and the more able children work in it – giving them a sense of accomplishment. There are also two volunteers currently working with the children at the Cuna Jardin

Links to more photos of the visits here:

http://www.pase.com/tracyk/2017_02_03_visit_to_corazon_de_jesus

ttp://www.pbase.com/tracyk/2017_02_01_visit_to_irid

Marcia

We had a great turn-out for the fifth annual Latin Music Night, this year’s performers were Los Rebeles Musicales, Mariachi Mundo with Jorge Vagas, Marco Claveria Band and Sebastian Barrera.

In addition to the music, there was a video presentation on SUPC and the agencies we support in Arequipa, a silent auction and refreshments.

We’ve once again booked the Yardbird for the last Sunday in October for next year’s sixth Latin Music Night.

I’m heading to Arequipa in mid-January and will update with information on the agencies after we’ve visited them.

Link to some of the pictures from the night can be seen here:

http://www.pbase.com/tracyk/2016_10_30_supc_latin_music_night

SUPC fifth annual Latin Music Night is being held Sunday October 30th at the Yardbird Suite Jazz Club.