Last week marked the grand opening of our partner Spanish school in Peru (and United Planet)’s brand new after-school project for 6 to 12 year-olds! The school is located in Pillao Matao, a poor district of San Geronimo, Cuzco, Peru.

School children in Peru

We’ve been preparing for this project to begin for several weeks here in Cuzco.  While the building was still under construction, UP volunteers Alex, Kory and Melissa helped to paint the walls, benches and tables, as well as start preparing different activities and a set schedule for the children.

Meanwhile, Spanish School Coordinator, Niko, and I visited the public elementary school across the street to hand out flyers and give presentations in each of the classrooms, informing the kids about the new program.

Volunteer teaches school children

Day one was a great success! We registered over 50 children from the community, and spent our first day celebrating with gelatina, popcorn, and a balloon party. The kids are incredibly enthusiastic, sweet, and eager to learn. We spent the rest of the week working on homework, learning English and playing games outside with them-they especially love The Hokey Pokey. Thanks to the help of everyone at the school, and especially our UP volunteers Alex, Kory, Melissa, Marie, Nancy, Keanna and more, we are off to a great start!

-Mary O’Connor, United Planet Volunteer Coordinator