Children of the Andes

Who We Are:

Children of the Andes is a student-run organization based in UC Berkeley. We conduct a summer abroad volunteer program in the town of San Pedro de Cajas (SPC), found in the Andean mountains of Peru. We work at the grassroots level in collaboration with community leaders to develop sustainable solutions that address the pressing issues of the education achievement gap and health inequity in San Pedro de Cajas.

Our development plan strives towards measurable and sustainable progress with organized community projects and realistic goals, objectives, and indicators. Most importantly, our goals align with the development goals of the SPC community.

Proper child development is of great importance if a community is to become self-sustainable and prosper. We plan to leave no child behind.

What We Do:

Our volunteer cohorts are made up of passionate and motivated university students who are willing to acquire and disseminate various forms of knowledge to members of the SPC community, primarily young students and their parents/guardians. We train volunteers with the knowledge and skills necessary to make sustainable changes in the SPC community prior to the beginning of their service. Volunteers carry out their roles as community development facilitators through three meaningful project options.

Community Organizing Projects:

Public Health Educator

• Outreach to parents of the district and adjacent annexes of Purhuaracra and San Jose de Cayash.
• Lead free workshops and community focus groups with the themes of
  • Early care and child development
  • Proper nutrition
  • Vaccines and Preventable Diseases
  • Anemia
  • Healthy Sexual Behaviors

Classroom Teaching Assistant

• We teach students at the primary school Virgen de Fatima N 30748.
• The primary school “Virgen del Rosario N 30851,” has only one teacher, who is serving also as their director, Directora Estela Condor. This school serves students who find themselves in the low side socioeconomic ladder. Due to the low number of students (12), the school does not qualify for funds to hire another teacher.
• Goals:
  • Provide the developing school with a projector
  • Assist Principal Condor  with classroom management and teaching.
  • Help the youth foster independence and self-value as capable students
  • Promote the pursuit of higher education and exploration of possible fields and careers.

Focused Tutoring

• We tutor students in both primary and secondary schools, ages range from 6 to 16 years of age.
• We provide individual tutoring sessions to students deemed as disadvantaged and behind the curriculum by their teachers.
• Tutoring covers following courses/subjects:
  • English (writing and conversational)
  • Spanish (writing and reading comprehension)
  • Math (geometry, trigonometry, algebra, calculus)
  • Science (Physics, human biology, chemistry)

Support Our Cause:

Please consider making a gift today and sharing Children of the Andes with your friends and family. Gifts of any size are highly appreciated, as they will make a big impact in the development of education and child/maternal health of San Pedro de Cajas. All donations are fully tax deductible.

With your donation, we will be able to:

• Provide stipends to make program fees accessible to students from all backgrounds. We cannot cover the financial needs of many of our participants. With your help we can ensure that this opportunity is accessible to our volunteers. Stipends cover food, housing and transportation for the entire length of the program (2 weeks).
• Raise funds to provide school, sport, medical and hygienic supplies to be donated to local primary and secondary schools as well as local healthcare providers and cultural centers.
• Cover transportation to adjacent, more isolated, annexes of Purhuaracra and San Jose de Cayash where we will be outreaching as well.
• Cover the cost of materials to be used in workshops, presentations and informational meetings with community leaders, teachers and parents/guardians.
• Buy a projector for the underfunded educational institution of Virgen de Fatima

If you have any questions/concerns, or wish to learn more about us, feel free to email us at any time at childrenotandes@gmail.com