Yeraldine is a 5 year-old girl, from our early childhood stimulation program in Villa Alba. She is the third of four siblings. Her parents are Wilson and Yaneth. Yeraldine joined the Villa Alba program to support her learning when she was in the first grade. Prior to joining the program, Yeraldine had difficulty recognizing letters or numbers. […]
To read the year end review for our Tuksa project, please click here.
Though I tend to focus on our work and adventures in the communities high in the mountains or deep in the jungle, a core aspect of everything we do happens in the much more accessible urban centers: teacher training. In 2016, we hired and trained 30 teachers to implement innovative curriculums focused on critical and […]
One of the most common complaints I hear in schools is that the parents aren’t involved. For the most part, it’s true – the parents tend to focus more on farming and their animals more than their children’s education. That’s why in our projects we implement student portfolios. Each month our teachers compile digital portfolios […]
I was in Karhuacalla yesterday for our final dia de logro (achievement day) with the parents of Karhuacalla, where we have a primary school biblioteca project. The students had finished presenting what they had learned throughout the year, and we were reviewing the last four of the 28 digital portfolios that we create for […]
This blog was written by our founder Alan Harman on the fourth day of his recent trip to Peru and Bolivia. The drive up to Huadhua is my favourite. The first 90 minutes is main road but goes through the town (intersection) known for chichiron (roast pig) then the town (intersection) known for cuy (guinea […]
Bolivia’s Environmental situation has been deteriorating in the last decade on an alarming and uncontrollable scale. As we are not a big industrial country yet and don’t have a big population; you may find it rather concerning to face facts that Bolivia leads the Deforestation Per- Capita index in the world, being a big country […]
Only 4% of children with special needs in Cusco receive formal education. Alma supports Manos Unidas because they are working to change this statistic every day. Started in 2008, they are the first non-profit education centre for children with special needs. As my sister had special needs, this cause has always been very close to […]
It’s been 23 project visits (and 10 flights) in 12 days. Because our projects are all in remote locations we have had long, long drives but those drives have given us the opportunity to have in-depth discussions about development work, education and the specifics of each project. Between the stimulating conversation and the emotional visits […]
An adventurous drive in the Bolivian jungle. On our first day here we set out from Trinidad at 4AM in two pick-up trucks along a winding dirt road/path (they don’t call it a road, rather a “camino”) winding through the jungle for 140 km. It is so rough that the trip takes 6 hours. It […]
Alalay has been rescuing, housing and educating street kids for 26 years now. But they do a lot more: they offer a home for children who by definition do not have one. Today I visited both the girls and boys Alalay homes in La Paz Bolivia and as always was moved by the wonderful kids […]
I have for a long time been fascinated with the jungle in general and Iquitos in particular. One of my favourite books “One river” by Wade Davis deals with the upper Amazon area and recently I read “Shamanism, Colonialism and the Wild Man” a book that investigates colonialization, terror and healing in that part of […]
My name is Daniel, my parents are Antonio Marco and my mother is Sandra Loayza Coronel. They are 50 and 45 years old. I also have a brother named James who I get along with very well. I love him. He is older than me so he stays in the Equino home and is in […]
I’ve always enjoyed shopping in the open air food markets. By shopping there you are buying local, supporting small businesses, and sometimes you even get to know the person who produces your food personally. On a recent trip to Loreto, I was sharing a small boat with a woman who had hoped to buy watermelon […]
The Fellowship of Man Charitable Foundation (The Fellowship of Man) is a foundation which supports the advancement of education for both children and young people disadvantaged by physical, cultural or financial limitations. For four years, The Fellowship of Man has supported Alma projects. Through their support, Alma has been able to: provide educational and personal development […]
I’ve spent most of this last month in the Amazon, in both Peru and Bolivia. Each trip shared the common jungle themes that I always encounter on my visits: heat, mosquitos, and long rides to the communities. This month, however, I encountered something new in both countries. I was spending the night in San Jose […]
We are happy to share with you two of our newest projects in Peru: Quihuares and Karhuacalla. These two biblioteca projects will offer reinforcement workshops in the afternoon. Similar to our other biblioteca projects, these workshops will take advantage of working outside of regular school hours. They will complement the more formal education children receive in the […]
September 21st is the United Nation’s International Day of Peace, also known as World Peace Day. Alma’s projects focus not only on critical and creative thinking but on harmonious values as well. And when we follow the trails of values such as honesty, respect, generosity, and taking care of the environment and people around you, we […]
On August 14th, Alma’s Young Leaders held their first #Volley4Alma Beach Volleyball Tournament. We are thrilled to say the tournament was a huge success! The Young Leaders recruited 10 teams and over 55 participants to play at Ashbridges Bay. Each team represented one of Alma’s education projects in Peru and Bolivia. The winner of the tournament […]
Alma has a new partner project in Bolivia – the Trinidad Special Education Centre. This centre works to provide high-quality education to children with special needs in Trinidad, Bolivia. Sometimes the greatest barriers to education can be the small things we take for granted, such as transportation. This is why Alma will not only be […]