ArtAndes Blog

Dear Comunidad Supporters:

 

We have seen great progress, thanks to you! We have plans to continue moving forward.

The goal of seeing the communities’ students progress to the point of being better

educated, healthier, and with a more promising future of opportunity with scholarship

support is being realized. Peru has both a more robust economy and an indigenous

president who understands the issues in the Andes. He also wants an improved education

in the highlands and has led the government in assuming some of our role as Comunidad.

We do not want to duplicate government effort, should they move into our four remaining

preschool villages. Yet these villages are resistant to see us leave, as we bring a much higher

quality to education that they are unlikely to see without us. They believe it is too early for

us to pull out, fearing low quality education and poor nutrition will be the outcome. Also,

the international market is in flux and Peru is experiencing an economic downturn. There

is another election in April 2016. Will the next person focus on rural education? We are

mindful of all the variables while planning the next year.

 

Pre-school: The plan is to continue working with our current four pre-schools through the

end of the next school year in December 2016. This provides another year to reinforce

them for future change. This gives us another year to fill their bellies with good food every

day, too. Chakipampa, Andabamba, Cangallo, and Chawpiwasi - we are moving forward

together!

 

Scholarships: A few current students will graduate post-secondary by January 2016. The

others we have, we are committed to until graduation. That means five through 2016, three

through 2017, and lastly Percy will graduate in 2018. We will make sure to see these bright

young folks, some of whom started with us as pre-school kids, to meet their dreams for a

better life.

 

We continue to need your financial support through this ongoing effort. As you know,

this is an investment in their future, making all the difference in Paccha and surrounding

communities in the Andes. Enriching lives, one student at a time.

We are not alone in our work. In 2014 Comunidad teamed with Sustainability Without

Borders (SWB) from the University of Michigan. They are a group of multi-academic

professors and graduate students working directly with our villages in the Paccha Valley to

develop sustainable natural resource projects. Both Comunidad and SWB made a twoweek

trip in November 2014, resulting in Chakipampa as the chosen pilot community. The

community determined that sustainable water quantity and quality for community homes

and school was their primary concern. The neighboring villages can follow the model of

this project for their own future project with SWB. It’s been a real boost for us to make this

connection for the two, and see SWB and Chakipampa have a substantial five-year plan

that is now independent of Comunidad. Wow, what a dream!

Since the founding of Fundacion Comunidad in 2002, we have seen great change. We

now are able to see how and when we can put closure to this rewarding work, in the not so

distant future. Thank you for walking alongside us. We are all woven together!

Abrazos,

Comunidad