Part of ‘Your Struggle Is Our Struggle’: The Independent’s Series Revealing Hope and Depression along the Lines of the Climate Crisis
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Star Yasmin Kuja Wachapa, 13, needs to be informed English and the world
The town of San Rafael, in Peru’s Amazon basin, adds a new word to the word “remote. “
To get there from the nearest town, Bagua, you have to embark on an impressive six-hour 4×4 adventure through the jungle to the city of Santa Maria de Nieva. Then it’s four hours by boat along the Marañón, a tributary of the Amazon.
Their isolation is a double-edged sword. The village is surrounded by stunning herbal beauty, but fundamental amenities such as water and electricity are almost non-existent.
The source of schooling is also insufficient. With little electricity or computer equipment, the young people of San Rafael were unable to access the Peruvian government’s television, radio and web educational program when the school was forced to close due to the Covid pandemic.
Schoolchildren across the country have had to stay home, while Peru has suffered from the world’s consistent covid capita death rate, with 3. 6 million cases and more than 213,000 deaths in a population of just 33 million.
But, for the 97 young people and five teachers of San Rafael, the pandemic has brought more demanding situations to an already complex situation.
Warwickshire-based charity Practical Action, in partnership with the Peruvian Ministry of Education and local authorities, is helping rural education in the country.
In places so far from the network, this is not a simple task; however, with the close involvement of the network and teachers, the charity is working to introduce resources such as renewable energy, blank water and school gardens.
A mining camp on the Marañón River
Teachers say San Rafael’s youth have dreams that fit their potential, but a forged education is there to unlock it, especially given the climate crisis facing the next generation.
The coverage of the territory is one of the biggest considerations of the Rio Santiago region. Illegal mining and logging pollute drinking water sources, and logging exposes them much more to the harshest effects of climate change.
Mercury from illegal mining enters the water and is harmful to young people and their families
Director Ricardo Fuchia Valverde said: “People don’t have trustworthy income, so they cut down trees or paint in the mines. You see the big machines running in the river, which is a risk.
“Mercury is used in passld mining, and if you’re not careful, it can pass into the water and be harmful to young people and their families. It is forbidden, but other people do it out of necessity.
Director Ricardo Fuchia Valverde
Martín Noningo Seses, director of education of the municipality, works in a building a few meters from the river.
He said: “We are wasting virgin forests, replacing giant wood trees with other crops, which exposes us to flooding and heavy rains. Education is living in harmony with the environment, nature gives us life.
“We can use nature’s resources, but we have to do it responsibly. We need a white river, with white water. Right now we don’t have water. It is the capital of the region and we have no water.
“The river is what it was. It is infected and the young get sick. We have to import water from several kilometers away.
The Marañón River, a tributary of the Amazon
But as demanding situations arise, teachers, parents, and young people try to succeed over them.
Nila Impi Wachapa, a teacher, says having an advanced school with energy, water and better nutrition will allow young people to realize their future and the same opportunities as students in less remote communities.
“We work with what we have. We don’t feel bad, far from it, but we need our young people to be who they should be, access all the wisdom there is and compete with the young people of the city.
Teachers Say San Rafael Youth Have Dreams That Fit Their Potential
Tiberio Nanchi Sumpa, the apu (community leader) of San Rafael, added: “This is one of the many forgotten schools in the state. Now young people can have a better future.
Star Yasmin Kuja Wachapa, a 13-year-old student, is looking to run on tablets, which will soon be available with strength and web connectivity, and learn English to power the world.
“It’s exciting. I need to study to become a nurse. I like to take care of other people and help them when they are sick.
Nila Impi Wachapa, a teacher, says her schoolchildren will be there to compete with young people in the cities
To bring nutrition to life, Practical Action helped establish a nursery, where students learn farming techniques and how to grow crops like cucumber, Amazonian hive, and other green vegetables to supplement their daily diet. Previously, young people basically ate cassava. Now they can move from home and show their parents how to grow more efficiently.
“The young people were so hungry that when they arrived they fell asleep. They tried to hold out until 11 a. m. and then fell. Before, they had no preference for studying. Now they come with a preference to be here,” Valverde said.
A spokesperson for Acción Práctica said: “These paintings demonstrate the price of having water, electricity, tablets and virtual training fabrics in the mother tongue in rural schools so that all young people in Peru can have a better life today and in the future. “
Star Yasmin Kuja Wachapa, 13, needs to be informed English and the world
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A mining camp on the Marañón River
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Mercury from illegal mining enters the water and is harmful to young people and their families
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Director Ricardo Fuchia Valverde
Practical action
The Marañón River, a tributary of the Amazon
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Teachers Say San Rafael Youth Have Dreams That Fit Their Potential
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Nila Impi Wachapa, a teacher, says her schoolchildren will be there to compete with young people in the cities
Practical action
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