The Curriculum
Children are keen to learn the skills that will help them to take advantage of the modernisation of their district rather than fall victim to it. We also heard that schools should teach rural skills, which are useful in the communities themselves. This is what the parents call their 'Plan B'. If the children fail to 'make it' in the modern world of Cusco, at least they are not left in no-man's land and can contribute to the future development of their communities.
Handicrafts
As well as learning to sew with our machines, the children learn to sew using traditional Andean methods. This is an ancient tradition, which represents much more than producing clothes or blankets. The children are amazingly talented and once they have learnt a new stitch they let their imaginations take over and come back with intricate patterns and beautiful colours. This could be a vital source of income for them and their families in the future.
Enterprise Skills
Our Director of Production takes three hours of class a week in which he talks the older children through the boarding house’s businesses, explaining to them what he has been doing and involving them in the decision-making. We involve our young people in the management of small income generating projects within our boarding houses. This means that they learn how to make a living and support themselves and their families in the future.
Spanish
These children’s mother tongue is Quechua. However, the dominant language in Peru is Spanish, a language which they and their parents are keen for them to learn. Our bilingual syllabus helps children to learn a level of Spanish, which opens otherwise closed doors.
Quechua
Peru's national curriculum is in Spanish so the majority of the children's learning is done in a foreign language... We feel it is important that the children get a chance to develop as people in the mother-tongue. They attend a number of workshops and give presentations in Quechua.
Literacy & Numeracy
For these children, not only does the ability to read, write and count help them avoid abuse and exploitation, it is also a pivotal part of their self-view. As they become capable of reading signs, contracts and books, they feel empowered. This has a positive effect on many aspects of their life.
One-on-One Time
At Amantani we pride ourselves on how well we know our children. This is made possible through the one-on-one time that each tutor and the psychologist spends with the children. ½ hour every 2 weeks means that each child is listened to and advised as an individual.
'Ayni'
We want to create a two-way exchange in which the children in our projects can offer something back. In one initiative for this reciprocation, the children in our projects will make a monthly video, in which they teach people here in the UK local techniques and customs and tell the stories of their ancestors. This process of investigation and communication encapsulates many lessons for these children.
You can read more about our concept or reciprocation here...
Circle Time
Every evening, just before getting into bed the children sit in a circle on the dormitory floor. In this space they can share their reflections on the day or discuss important themes, all in Quechua
“I had a few evenings in ‘El Circulo’. I can’t tell you how powerful these can be. Each child has a chance to express their emotions as the others learn to listen with respect. Every family should do this!”
Chris Palfreyman
'Yachaq'
'Yachaq' means 'wiseperson' in Quechua. In our 'Yachaq' sessions we create spaces in which older generations can share their expertise with the children. We invite an elder from the community to come in and teach the children in anything from traditional weaving, to cooking, to story-telling. This helps the district's young people learn the skills necessary to contribute to the future development of their communities. The knowledge that their elders' have a place in the curriculum is also a boost for their identity and self-esteem.
Learning-by-doing
For our 'learning-by-doing' sessions, we take the academic learning out of the classroom and give the children a chance to learn valuable lessons whilst applying them to experiences within their own context. The setting for these lessons are the boarding houses' greenhouses, bakery, guinea pig farm, handicrafts workshop and potato and maize fields. In the photo here, you can see one group of girls measuring the area of the boarding houses' potato field.
Personal Development
One evening a week, Rocio runs a huge array of workshops, which are specifically designed for children living in the Andes. These are used to help children with their identity, self-esteem and values.
