Lourdes and I meet to catch the combi for Milagro which, ironically, translates to "miracle." Today, eighteen beautiful, excited children, some with their mothers, brothers and sisters, wait for us outside the gate of the school property. Following a frantic search for the key, we enter the classroom only to find a complete mess. Dirt covers every surface, trash and chicken feathers are strewn everywhere, and huge spiderwebs (with dangerous spiders, Lourdes tells me) cover each corner of the room. We decide that it isn´t healthy for the children to be in the room, so Lourdes quickly takes roll while I distribute juice and crackers to the children, perhaps the only meal they will have that day. I then give each beaming child a notebook and pencil, and we dismiss them for the day and set to work cleaning the room with a pathetic-looking broom and water from the well on the other side of the schoolyard. One little boy, Brian, remains with us and takes the same combi home, exiting at a stop in his neighborhood and crossing the highway alone - at six!
A recent NPR segment described a new program being set up by the Peruvian goverment whereby each student will receive a laptop. Before coming here, I could not have imagined how ridiculous this idea is when there are children learning under conditions like those in Milagro.
English class begins this evening in the Bruce Center, where the volunteers teach various levels of English to paying students to support its mission to educate the children in the barrios. I have two young men at an intermediate level, and we enjoy a lively discussion in Spanglish!
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