Our goals for 2024
We will continue to pay for six local teachers in the school. Four of these teachers are University students we are helping with their studies. We will continue to pay for internet in the school and essential materials each month as well as funding cultural celebrations.
The purchase of cows in Plan Moo will continue during 2024 as we strive to sustainably cover some of the project’s core costs so we can help out with more one-off critical projects in the current communities and also helping others.
How we are achieving our goals in 2024
November 2024
We celebrated Day of the Dead with Colada Morada a fruit-based hot drink served with home-made bread. During the year we contribute to many cultural events which invariably include food!
Each month we help with the daily food programme by paying for the gas and other items the government doesn’t provide. The parents also put in their part so the programme is a team effort.
We continue to expand Plan Huerto by sewing seeds taken from the first harvest in a new area which will benefit even more families. The initial Plan Huerto has been replanted for the second crop.
The new land had to be ploughed in preparation.
October 2024
The parents got together for a minga for some major school maintenance. We provided materials to help with the work which included filling in the cracks and removing fungus from the classroom walls.
The parents were also able to finish the wiring to install lights in the new storeroom, plugging leaks in the roof and replacing and painting doors.
September 2024
The new school year has started with seventy-two students up in the Andes. We will continue with three local Phoenix teachers this year, paying for monthly internet, gas and other supplies for the daily food, cleaning products for the toilets, educational classroom materials, cultural activities and other maintenance.
With our Phoenix teachers and the teachers the government provides nearly all the classes have one teacher.
Kulla Raymi was celebrated. This is an important event in the indigenous calendar celebrating the start of the growing season. This year the region has been severely affected by drought.
We provided the paint for the parents to give the classrooms a nice fresh look before the term started!
August 2024
The first harvest of our major bean crop (Plan Huerto) was undertaken with an excellent yield from the 4 acre (1.5 hectare) piece of land.
This will economically help several members of the community as well as sustainably cover the costs of Plan Moo management.
July 2024
Graduations marked the end of the school year with our six local teachers playing an important role in their education, especially as we continue to try to recoup the losses of crucial teaching time due to the pandemic.
There were also graduations from pre-school into the main primary school. Classes will restart the new school year in a couple of months.
We provided materials and the members of the community got together for a minga to build a wall to protect the school.
June 2024
On top of our educational support we will be undertaking further work in other rural Andean communities starting with Azabí, an hour further into the Andes from where we currently work.
Azabí is a forgotten tiny hamlet of about thirty families in the cloud forest which is only reachable by dirt track. We started by delivering essential food supplies for the elderly and disabled members of the community.
Azabí is also where we are implementing large-scale Plan Huertas (see April). Here is our 4 acre (1.5 hectare) red bean crop which will be ready to harvest in a couple of months. This provides food and employment for members of the community.
Purchases in Plan Moo continued this month with two more cows.
PE lessons in the playground. As we enter the final month of the school year the children are gearing up for their final exams.
May 2024
Mother’s Day was celebrated in the school with lots of traditional dance, food and gifts made by the children in their classes.
As is tradition the fathers do all the preparation and cooking for the mothers. This year the elderly members of the communities were invited too so they could all be involved with the activities.
April 2024
Our six local teachers continue giving classes in the school. Four of the teachers are part of our University programme where we help them with the cost of their studies in exchange for them teaching in the school. With this hands-on experience they should be able to find employment with the State once they graduate.
The land has been prepared and the seeds have been sewn in our 4 acre (1.5 hectare) Plan Huerto bean crop. Leftover dried grass from the land clearing remains to protect the young shoots from the cold and the rain. Proceeds from this plan will be shared amongst the community who help out on the land and management costs of Plan Moo.
Plan Moo is coming along well with purchasing due to restart this month. The current herd is growing with several previous cows into their second calving. The sales of milk are shared between the local family and helping to cover teachers’ costs.
March 2024
As is tradition, Fanesca was prepared by the parents. This is a soup made during Semana Santa (Easter) and made from a variety of ingredients including beans, grains, fish, eggs and many others.
Pawkar Raymi and Muchuk Nina were celebrated giving thanks to Pachamama (Mother Earth) for the flowering of crops and the upcoming harvests of grains.
The parents got together for a minga this month. The whole school was disinfected, all the windows cleaned and small paintjobs undertaken.
Preparation for the new school vegetable garden was also undertaken with lots of earth removed and new darker earth brought in.
Celebración de la Lengua Materna – Kichwa del Pueblo Otavalo (celebration of the mother tongue – Kichwa) was held in the school. Pawkar Raymi was also celebrated as thanks was given to Pachamama (Mother Earth) for the upcoming harvest.
February 2024
Thanks to the Appeal we purchased a new printer for the school. We plan to do more one-off purchases like this and other projects with future Appeals over the coming years.
Work has begun on the communal Plan Huerta in Azabí on a 2½ acre (1 hectare) piece of land which aims to provide part-time income for several members of the community as well as income for the management of Plan Moo as the herd continues to grow. The area needs to be cleared before preparing the earth for sowing in the coming weeks. The first harvest should be in August.
January 2024
The house for the new family in the community has been finished with the surrounding area allowing them to grow potatoes. There is no running water which must be collected from a tap almost 2 miles away and no electricity though at least the house offers more protection.
The two girls in the family now come to the school despite having to walk a few miles each day. Their current house offers little protection from the mountain weather at around 3,500m (11,500 feet).
Thanks to the Appeal we bought the materials for the roof with the community supplying the other materials.
Members of the community helped out with the construction.
As classes restart for the second half of the school year there is always a good excuse for a dance.
When we started back in 2005 Marcia was a student in 3rd grade. She now has two children in the school!
How we achieved our goals in 2023
December 2023
Plan Moo was restarted with the rains finally coming following an unprecendented dry-spell.
The Christmas party was held with plenty of dance and food.
Construction has started on the new family’s house as described last month. The community has put together what they can with some materials and Phoenix is paying for the roof.
Kapak Raymi was celebrated in the school this month when the community asks Pachamama for a good growing period for the crops.
November 2023
We will be helping a new family which has recently arrived in the community to build a house with members of the community putting in some materials as well as the labour. They were “huasipungueros” (live-in workers on a farm) in another community up in the mountains though due to the economic downturn they had to move.
They currently have nothing more than a shelter on a piece of land and with the cold coming in the “minga” (community work day) will be undertaken in the next two weeks.
Classes continue with the recent sunny weather allowing these to be conducted in the warm outside. Due to the altitude where we work the classrooms can get very cold.
October 2023
As is tradition we celebrated Day of the Dead with colada morada (fruit drink) and homemade bread with the students and their families.
An El Niño/climate change dry spell has hit the communities causing us to pause the purchase of cows in Plan Moo. The rains are hoped to return in November when we will restart.
With the national elections now over for another couple of years the teachers are getting to grips with any changes the new government is planning to put in.
September 2023
Kulla Raymi was celebrated in the community on 21st. This is an indigenous ceremony asking Pachamama (Mother Earth) for fertility for the land and therefore good crops.
The parents got together for a minga in the school to repaint the existing playground games and install some new ones. Pampa mesa (communal food) was shared afterwards.
As with each year a new council of parents was voted in and they held their first meeting.
August 2023
The new school year started with all our local teachers staying on thanks to our recent charity challenges and Plan Moo beginning to cover some basic costs.
After several years we were briefly back in Larcacunga! The students and our local teachers were involved in holiday classes for surrounding rural schools.
July 2023
The Inca Trail Charity Challenge in Perú was undertaken with some great funds raised for the projects. If you are interested in joining us on a Charity Challenge in 2024 please follow the link on the right hand side of your screen!
June 2023
Graduations marked the end of the school year with ceremonies, proud parents and a small party. The new school year starts towards the end of August.
May 2023
Parents of all four communities got together to celebrate Mothers’ Day in the school with folkloric dance and food.
We provided the ingredients for a full meal for the mothers which was cooked by the fathers and shared with the children.
The Lost City Charity Challenge was undertaken in Colombia raising funds for Ecuador, trekking a total of 105km (65 miles) during the week. For information on our charity challenges in 2024 please follow this link.
April 2023
Each Easter we provide the ingredients for Fanesca, a traditional soup made from bacalao, various types of beans, vegetables, eggs, herbs and more which the mothers prepare.
As plenty is made, once the children and mothers have eaten, the leftovers are taken back to the families to be shared with the elderly relatives.
March 2023
As is custom, Pawkar Raymi was celebrated, asking Pachamama (Mother Earth) for a good harvest. The recent heavy rains have negatively effected the crops with landslides causing damage.
Classes continue despite the abnormal extreme heavy rains which have caused landslides, breaking the water tubing for the school.
February 2023
Our Plan Moo purchasing has been momentarily put on hold as all the communities in the Imbabura, Carchi and Pichincha departments are taking part in Pawkar Mundiales. These are region-wide football and handball competitions which reach their climax in March with the first prize in the dozens of various categories and leagues being cows. This high demand has caused prices to surge so we will wait until the excitement is over and prices have returned to normal.
One of our local teachers David, who was also one of our first students from when we started in 2005, got married and the whole community turned out to celebrate!
January 2023
Daily meals are now cooked on the new stove we purchased in 2022 using the limited ingredients provided by the government each month or so. One of our plans this year is to put in place a large school vegetable garden which will provide regular vegetables for both consumption and for sale to be able to buy other ingredients that can’t be grown in the mountains.
Classes got back underway after the short mid-year break over Christmas with the little ones becoming quite the painters.
