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Peru Charity Project: Selva Inka Fundacion The Fundacion Selva Inca was founded by Evelyne Vega Oblitas, a young Peruvian woman born and raised in Cuzco and graduate of Cuzco university. Evelyne’s mother was born in the small village of Pilcopata in the jungle district of Kosnipata, close to Manu National Park. The area, 8 hours’ drive from Cuzco has about 9000 inhabitants of which 62% lives below the poverty line, 25% of them in serious poverty. We visited this area in 2001 and saw the situation with our own eyes. In 2002 Evelyne started her first project; ‘ a smile for the children of Kosnipata, a Christmas gift for every child’. When we visited Evelyne and her family in Cuzco again in 2008 she told us about the amazing progress her Peru charity project has made and the new projects she’s been setting up to help support the community. |
Building a better future for the childrenOne of the many activities organised by the Fundacion Selva Inka is the 'With my hands’ programme.' Over the course of 4 weeks, a group of 30 children aged around 15 will be taught local trades and crafts by a professional instructor from the Instituo de Bellas Artes in Cusco. The children are provided with necessary tools and training throughout the programme. These newly learnt skills can help provide them with a source of income in the future and the children enjoy learning more about the local traditional crafts. The foundation also has a programme to encourage young graduates in their further education. In Kosnipata 80 young people graduate from secondary school every year, but 85%-90% of these don’t have the funds to continue their education in Cuzco. The project aims to support those that have the ability and ambition to continue their higher education by assisting them with housing, books and fees and thereby helping them build a better future. The number of young people that can take part in the Peru charity project programme depends on the external support the Foundation receives. |
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Sports after school Until recently, the 14-16 year-olds in Kosnipata had very little interest in sports or exercise, even though sport is extremely important for their physical, mental and even social development. Team sports help their ability to make decisions and builds self-respect, confidence and camaraderie. Fundacion Selva Inka organises after-school sports like football and volleyball in which the children can play actual matches and win small prizes like a ball or shoes. It gives them the essential bit of exercise and helps them relax and work together as a team. Besides the team sports, our Peru charity project, Selva Inka also organises swimming lessons. |
Two meals a day in the new comedorOne of this year’s projects is building a new ‘comedor’; a canteen that will provide the children with 2 meals a day. It’s an important, but also very feasible project. The foundation has already acquired the land through generous donations and they have a plan in place to start construction, but Selva Inka is completely dependent on further donations to be able to start building work on the comedor. You can help support our Peru charity project and the children of Kosnipata by letting us know on your booking form that you would like to make a one-time donation of £5 to this project. Any donation is entirely voluntary. We'll add the £5 to the cost of your holiday, and will deposit 100% of it into Selva Inka’s account. Your donation will go straight to the foundation, allowing you to make a very personal contribution to building a better future for the children in Kosnipata. If you want to keep your holiday in Peru and your contributions to our Peru charity project separate, that's fine. We're not seeking to create any moral obligation. We just want to offer you the chance to make a contribution to the country you're visiting, and a project that fits into how we feel about Peru. |
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