Project 2012 Narrative

Village of Pachachaca, District Pucará, Department Junin, Peru

Peruvians have a common phrase used when speaking of remote communities: los pueblo olvidados. They are called "forgotten villages" because they receive very little assistance from the government. The lack of attention by local governments is due in part to the trickledown effect of government funds which are centralized in Peru's capitol city of Lima. It is also an effect of the poor road conditions and difficult access of these small communities. The result of such poor attention is limited educational opportunities, limited healthcare, and a resulting lack of health education necessary to prevent many of the illnesses that plague its people.

MEJOR Communities has always focused on reaching out to these "pueblos olvidados". We recognize that health can be improved significantly with simple training in good health habits. These habits can be as simple as hand-washing to reduce spread of germs or improved evacuation of harmful smoke from the cooking fire.

Our methods of teaching the local youth and then encouraging the youth to teach their community members have proven to be very successful. Not only do these activities teach healthy habits but also give the youth a springboard to improve their self-confidence and esteem. Projects have been completed in the departments of Cajamarca and Piura. It is with the successes of these past projects that MEJOR Communities is continuing to reach out to other communities in Peru.

A project slated for 2012 is in the first phases of design and development of support. The location will be in the village of Pachachaca, District Pucará, Department Junín, Peru. Pachachaca is located about a five hour bus ride east of Lima. Like so many of the "pueblos olvidados", the health conditions are poor and most of the village residents live in severe poverty. Pachachaca is one of the 125 rural villages located around Huancayo. We are lucky to have Expand-Peru partner with us on this project, as they have been working in the area for the past ten years and provide a stable staff in Peru on which our volunteers can rely. Expand-Peru has experience supporting many volunteers from around the world on their various projects. Our partnership will be mutually beneficial as we marry parts of our Youth Empowerment Program with their Community Assistance Program (CASA) to increase our health outreach to the younger children of Pucará as well. MEJOR Communities' ultimate goal is to inspire community involvement and social efficacy aimed toward improving the quality of life.

Timeline:

Primary Evaluation and Community Outreach: February 2011 - February 2012

Project Commencement- Youth Development: March - May, 2012

Youth Empowerment Projects: June - December, 2012

Evaluation Period: January - February, 2013