GOTITAS de Solidaridad

School for street children in Peru

Peru

The economical situation in all of Peru is alarming and the economy crisis continues to intensify. Due to centralized politics, Lima - the capital - is increasingly becoming the hub. At the current time, approx. 8 million of a total of 27 million Peruvians live in Lima. Due to the neglect of the rural regions, this trend will continue in the future. Many newcomers to the city land in the slum quarters in city outskirts, where the emergency housing continues to stretch further out into the desert. The people often search futilely for job opportunities. The government has minimized its efforts to support measures to create job opportunities. Their focus is primarily the privatising measures and the import economy.

Under these conditions, the number of people afflicted by poverty, violence and social unfairness grows steadily. The chasm between poor and rich continues to grow wider. Children and young people suffer the most from these economical and social injustices. While both parents leave to perform low-paying jobs or in search of work, the children are left to fend for themselves. No one even notices when their children's absence from school begins to increase or even when they quit going to school. Lack of sufficient education drastically reduces the opportunities for a better future for these young people.

Huacho

Huacho lies 2 bus hours north of Lima, right on the coast-line in a desert-like area with beautiful beaches. With a population of approx. 40,000 (including all outskirt regions), Huacho is a very manageable small city. Everything is available in the centre of Huacho: diverse markets, electronic appliances, supermarkets, cafes, bakeries, pubs, restaurants, movies etc. While the centre of the city portrays the "ideal world," slums with emergency housing are lining up in the outskirts. Most of the families living there have no dependable income - most of them belong to the lower social class and try to survive by doing odd jobs.

School facilities

The "GOTITAS de Solidarida" school facility lies outside the centre on the edge of the slum area "Fujimori". Only families of the lowest social class live there - every day presents a fight for survival. While the parents go look for work, the needs and hardships of the children are often forgotten. The children are sent to the streets to find some money for food at the young age of 3-4 years. There is neither money nor time for an education. Peruvians have therefore decided to confront the complex problem and offer various forms of child - and youth programs.