Peru only spends 2.8 percent of its GDP on education, one of the lowest in the world.
34% of children ages 5 to 17 work in the labor force, particularly in rural and indigenous areas and affects primarily girls from going to school.
The project will be located near Cuzco, Peru. The village of Pumamarca, meaning “the place of Puma”, is a small agricultural community located in the mountain region above the UNESCO World Heritage City of Cuzco. It is a 10KM drive from Cuzco but most villagers will walk the distance in one hour while encountering steep mountainside terrains. Pumamarca is an indigenous (Quechua) community of 250-300 members with its population increasing annually. It is an agricultural based community that aspires to have access to current infrastructure and educational tools, while maintaining its indigenous customs and traditions.
The project site visit of the Pumamarca community in October 2010 allowed Isa Mundo to meet community members and complete preliminary research for the creation of an Isa Mundo Eduction Centre (IMEC). Isa Mundo will partner with Peru’s Challenge (PC), a non-government organization established locally in 2003.
Sustainability is key to all of PC’s initiatives. The organization is committed to work with communities for a period of 3-6 years to develop better health, education, and general living standards, increasing opportunities for the children and the community at large.
Upon assessment that the community is self-sustaining, PC moves on to the next community. It is a concept that fits well with Isa Mundo’s ‘one project at a time’ model, and the reason the partnership was formed in 2010. Both Isa Mundo and PC have identified that access to technology and educational tools will improve the future opportunities of children and youth in Pumamarca.
