In April
2001 our founder arrived in Trujillo, Peru to put into practice
certain theories he had been working on designed to solve
the growing problem of school age children not receiving education.
Throughout Latin America between a fifth and a quarter of
all children are not in school.- most but not all of them
are qualified Street Children.
He did not come unprepared. His first project for at risk
children was in 1960, and he started his first NGO in 1976.
In Trujillo he went right to work proving and disproving one
theorem after another. Sponsor 15 mothers clubs if every mother
agreed to let him get their children into school. Open a chain
of free soup kitchens for children who agreed to let him put
them into school. Use theatre, music and dance to captivate
street children and register them into school. Funding came
from his own means and those of his family.
Soon he was joined by others - teachers, social workers, psychologists,
service personnel and lots of university students; some were
paid staff, most were volunteers.
For three years he and his team struggled against ignorance,
poverty, indifference, corruption, mediocre results and what
seemed to be a conspiracy to cover up the true number of children
being denied their right to an education: (the Government
said 96% of children in Peru attend school, UNICEF quoted
this figure) - but we produced evidence showing that only
76% of the nations children were actually in school. Since
the magnitude of the problem is thus concealed, no otherinstitution
or ngo is dedicated to helping these children..
During this period lots of extremely poor children did get
fed, clothed, medicated and educated; by us: but never enough
fast enough to be considered "The Solution" ..
Then in early 2004 we began to implement what later developed
into our current, effective solution to locating, recruiting
and educating street children. Since then we have implemented
this solution throughout Peru, and since 2006 have been introducing
it into other Latin American countries.
Here
are a few
of the Projects started under
Bruce Organisation
Recent
News - The Ministry of Education, Peru, has announced
that each child being taught in one of Bruce Peru´s informal
schools, who has successfully completed one year as a Bruce Peru
student, will be awarded the same certificate as all students
in the Peruvian Education System: for having completed one year
of school. [For now this applies only to the Department of La
Libertad]. Of course we are absolutely delighted, grateful for
the recognition and thrilled for the children. When this privilege
is extended to all Provences, and the Government adopts our programme
as its own solution for out-of-school children: then we can all
become friends
Where
are they now?
.
Since opening our programme to educate
street children in Latin America [2000 - Panama, 2001
- Peru etc.] we have gotten 3,006 children into schools..
Currently over two thousand street kids are in our Latin
America programmes. We found each child, started him in
one of our little shanty schools, caught him up with children
who had been in school all along. Finally we enroll them
in state school & sponsor them for two years.
But what becomes of them when we finally
let go?.
..Eighty
per cent stay
in school
Here is a photo. account
of one group of our kids taken over 2 years
We
have been getting enough street kids into school via our
carefully worked out method that by early 2006 we started
petitioning the Govt. to incorporate this into their methodology..
Our
raison d'ętre is to get street children educated,
& to
eradicate poverty in urban slums.
In
Peru, for example, many school age children are not in school.
We have developed a way to recruit these children, educate them
to make up for all the years they have missed. Prepare them to
pass the entrance examinations for the grades they belong in.
We help pay their registration fees, uniforms, class materials.
Then we support them in school for two years: until they are well
launched as young people becoming educated. It works...[+ mums
earn financial indepencence]
Govt. Convention Recognises Bruce Peru Success
ibid/ recognising Bruce
Peru´s,
success at informal education, the Peruvian Government have
agreed to pay selected teachers.
Volunteer
Bruce Peru - Where you get to write your volunteer
job description - (So
long as you volunteer job helps educate street children
or eradicate poverty - within our proven systems &
programmes.)
Below
are NGOs, Charities and projects directed by Bruce
Peru volunteers (A few are now independent).
Note: Most were conceived, started
& funded by Bruce, inaugurated by professionals,
then turned over to volunteers to run. [Very
few abused this opportunity]
For
years
Bruce´s Volunteers in Peru helped and were
helped by good friends
The
founder.of
Volunteer Bruce Peru served as Director or advisor
to several
David
and Vickie, founders Hogar De Esperanza, orphanage
and El Rancho, refuge for street children on drugs.
Cesar
and Marleni (founders of Emaus Trujillo)
at Bruce Peru in 2001; the continuation of a 30 year
union between Bruce and Emmaus
Blanca
at Bruce Peru, she replaced Andres, who started Mundo
de Niños in Trujillo the same month as Bruce
Peru.
Hm.Lila,
Director of one of several ´Fe y Alegria´schools
where our little childrens educatiopnal centres function
wherever they can fit us in.
Micro
Enterprizes: Fish Farm
Manos
de Pas is a movable shelter for battered women and
their children, Bruce Peru has sponsored moves &
Manos, protected our moms and kids..
Circlo
Solidario provides Bruce Peru with the use of one
of its sturdy buildings whenever we enter one of their
barrios..
Santo
Tomaso has provided good teachers and practitioners
to our schools, and Bruce Peru has helped sponsor
a small part of their work.
Rotary
Club has sponsored some projects and not a few children
of Bruce Peru.
Red Cross of Trujilolo
are partnering with Bruce Peru to bring permanent
t community health to the barrios.
Lions
Clubs have been associated with Bruce Peru since our
arrival, here we are with the founder of Lions Clubs
Trujillo.
Most
of Bruce Peru´s early staff and volunteers came
from UPAO, as did two Administrators of Bruce Peru.
...
Peru´s Volunteer
Fire Departments - maybe the best National charity.
Bruce Peru gives LAN, they save our kids..
UCV propvides
most of the interns in Bruce Peru´s poverty
eradication projects, and all of our Psychologists.
New Hope
International is doing good work in Trujillo, some
projects in colaboration with Bruce Peru.
The police of Peru
participate with Bruce Peru involving at-risk teens.
Their band plays at our anniversary.
The Nastional University
of Peru, Trujillo have provided all our social workers
and many treachers. Hosted our Economic & Nutrition
Forums.
Bruce Peru and San
Lucas have partnered in Alta Trujillo over several
years. They are among our best friends in this work.
CampoSol
and Bruce Peru collaborated to provide more than 10
tonnes of nutritious food to our children and mothers.
KinderZon, the Dutch
charity have been wonderful partners with Bruce Peru
in our projects for street children in Lima, Quito
and Panama City.
We
salute our Volunteers who keep returning
(While
many others still work with us in their home countries)
When we started our volunteer program we didn't dream
so many kind talented people would take up the challenge
of aiding 's poorest children as their own personal
project. Thank you all.
Quiet Irishman
sponsors and names a school after his Alma
Mater back home.
Gavin Molloy,
with help from some generous friends has patroned
"Scoil losa"school
in the barrio La Esperansa
So far 24 children are attending.
Volunteer
Life at Bruce - Photos of volunteers who
have served or are serving at the various centres of Bruce.
Also photos of some of our children in class, & at play.
Our campaign: "DON'T
FEEL SORRY FOR STREET CHILDREN!" is still working in centres
where lots of international tourists are encountering 's
child laborers on a daily basis.The object
of the campaign is to recruit volunteers from the tourist
population who visit each year,
It takes 2 Years !.
When we find a child, convince the mother to let us get
him or her educated, take them into our little school,
give them their first lessons; finally get them up to
the level of education for their age, and matriculate
them into a state school (paying for uniforms and all
expenses): our work for that child is only just begun
(2 years)
Above are club meetings 7
June 2006We continue to work with each child, and
will do so for the next two years. Visiting every month
for a "Club Meeting" , at which we monitor their
progress, give prizes, work with their techers, our Social
Workers see how things are going at school, at home: and
we pay for wehatever their parents cannon or will not. We
do this for two years.
HIV / AIDS pandemic thrives
in Latin America
Sherrill
Musty, the publisher of the book "WHAT'S A VIRUS
ANYWAY
The UN has declared
that the number infected with HIV/AIDS in Latin America
is greater than that of Europe and the USA combined.
If you live in one of these countries you would not
know this - it is not reported in the media, talked
about in the chambers of Government. They are in denial.
But we know it is there, children and families in
the communities we help are suffering: and there is
little help available.
For
over three decades Latin America has endured the unenviable
distinction of having more street children per capita
than any place on earth. What is less known is that for
every child who sleeps in the street there are 300 more
in practically the same condition who live on the street
by day but at night sleep under a plastic sheet or in
a woven read or adobe hovel with their siblings. Both
are classed as "Street Children", the distinction
being 'IN' the street, as opposed to 'ON' the street [those
'IN' are more likely to be addicted to drugs]. When we
first arrived in Peru we worked with both types of Street
Children, but for the past three years we have concentrated
our efforts and resources in helping the much larger but
less known population of Street Children who live On the
street; those abandoned in their own homes. During this
time we have managed to open hub centres in 8 cities,
with 24 satellite children's centres located in the poorest
barrios: where we educate, feed, medicate and care for
them Won't
you join us!.
The
Ministry of Education have
invited us to install our little schools for very
poor children within sellected primary and secondary
schools. We have agreed to operate a pilot in one
school, and if the relationship works: will consider
others.
......
Street kids,
..........They come
to us
..........as they are; we make of
them
..........what they let us
...
......
......