August 19, 2007

Educational Event in Characato

In order to promote a love of learning among Arequipa's children, Program for a Better Peru sponsored an all-day educational event on Sunday, August 19. The event took place in the village of 28 de Julio, near Characato. Highlights of the day included games and activities, refreshments, and music. We donated school supplies to all participants and sponsored two fun academic competitions.

The first competition, for children younger than eleven, was an art contest with the theme of "Traditional Arequipa". The first-place winner was Jeferson Barreda Barreda, age eleven. His drawing of Arequipa's famous volcano El Misti is shown above. Claudia Pacco Mamani, age seven, took second place with her sketch of the Arequipa countryside.

Older children were invited to enter a writing contest, which was won by Janeth Miriam Calla Quispe, age 15. Second place went to Yasmin Quispe Zapata. All entrants in each contest received school supplies such as arts and crafts materials, books of stories, backpacks, and notebooks. In addition, the winners of each contest were awarded gift certificates to buy clothing or shoes.

Our volunteers enjoyed working with the children and local school officials, and we look forward to sponsoring more events like this in the future.