What can you accomplish in seven weeks? On Monday, about 25 young American and Canadian volunteers helping Peru’s Asociacion Civil Pro Nino Intimo (ACPNI) proved you can work alongside a community to build an entire center for learning.
Words used by the college-aged US/Canadian volunteers of ACPNI, to sum up their 7-week project: growth, awe-inspiring, excelente
ACPNI uses sport, especially street soccer, to promote education and to develop a sense of citizenship and community in young people living in less fortunate circumstances in Peru. In the distant pueblo of Lurin Chincha, Peru — about a four-hour trek for us from Lima! — we met Peruvian ACPNI founder Sara and director Alan, who were celebrating their final day with a volunteer group sent by American Jewish World Service. These jovenes spent seven weeks living alongside a poor community that has a huge passion for street soccer, though sadly they lack so many basic needs.We expected to arrive and hear stories about how they had enjoyed mentoring children through playing sports, but we found something even longer-lasting.
When we first arrived (a bit tarde, unfortunately — transportation in Peru is not easy), the Spanish-speaking director Sara was leading the volunteers — many who had never even learned Spanish before this trip — in an activity where they summarized the past seven weeks in one word. It was amazing to walk right into their hearts and see such strong validation for voluntourism, exactly what the She’s the First 360 series is all about!
The activity center for children before the ACPNI volunteers arrived...
While the volunteers continued in their reflective workshop, Alan gave us a tour of the surrounding community and showed us the ludoteca — a place for games and educational activities for children. Then, he took us to a brand-new ludoteca that the volunteers helped build and paint right next to the futbol field. Such a radical, colorful transformation! Finishing touches remained, but the whole structure was essentially created in seven weeks. Amazing!
The new center! Rebuilt with a stronger structure, painted with murals, and the inside is clean, sturdy, and filled with desks, tables, and learning tools.
Now that the project is finished, Alan will return to Lima to find his next project, and we’ll stay in touch via email to see how we can help inform his programs for girls, whom he says are lacking role models and sex ed/hygiene classes. We’re also scheduled to have breakfast with Sara in Lima on Friday to learn even more how ACPNI connects sports with learning and citizenship. (One interesting tidbit: both boys and girls play the street soccer games together, and goals by girls are worth double the points.)
P.S. We were delighted to hear that many of the college women volunteers wanted to start up STF*{Campus} groups once they returned home to the States! If you want to as well, be sure to email info@shesthefirst.org to get started.
