The Omprakash Foundation
Partnership with Helping Hands
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 Project ProfileBased in Cusco--once the center of the Inca Empire, and now a bustling city in the southern mountains of Peru-- Helping Hands (www.helpinghandscusco.com) works to improve the lives of disadvantaged women and children. The text below indicates their need for volunteers and other resources. We are proud to represent the work of this organization on our website, and we hope that Helping Hands will benefit from being part of the Omprakash network. To learn  more about ways that you can support Helping Hands, contact willy@omprakash.org or Mario at mariodiazugarte@yahoo.com.Partnership History Helping Hands has been an Omprakash partner since March, 2008. -In April, 2008, Omprakash gave $40 to help buy books for the Helpìng Hands school. -In May, 2008, Omprakash donated $300 to buy art supplies for the Helping Hands school. These supplies were delivered to Cusco by a group of volunteers from Saratoga, NY. Need for Volunteers The Helping Hands school in Cusco is funded entirely by donations, and thus can employ only one full-time teacher. However, the project´s directors, Mario and Rosa, are trying their hardest to find ways to expand the reach of their program, and eagerly hope to receive the help of volunteers. Spanish-speaking volunteers could contribute to the growth of this inspiring project in the following ways: -Help teach reading, mathematics, and the other basic subjects that are already being taught from 8:30-12:30 and 2:30-5:30 five days a week. -Introduce art, physical education, and other subjects that are not yet being taught at the school. Mario and Rosa also want to initiate a Reading Program, and need volunteers to read to the children every day and also to manage the school´s book collection. -Help Mario and Rosa initiate a "street school" so that children working in the streets of Cusco can still receive some education. -Volunteer during January and February, so that Helping Hands could initiate a summer-school program. At the moment, the school is forced to close during these months because no teachers are available. -Help Mario and Rosa reach their long-term vision of founding a new high-school in Cusco. At the moment, Helping Hands teaches students only up to age 13, and then hopes that they can be admitted into local high-schools. However, with additional human and material resources, the school could potentially expand to offer education to children until the age of 18. Need for Material Resources The Helping Hands school is constantly in need of the following resources: -Basic school supplies- pencils, notebooks, etc.  -Elementary-level books in Spanish. -Art supplies, especially oil paints. -Clothes for the children. If you are a volunteer coming to Helping Hands, please try to collect some of these items in your home community and carry them with you. If you cannot volunteer at Helping Hands, but would like to try to meet these material needs in another way, please contact willy@omprakash.org. Below, we have pasted text composed by the directors of Helping Hands. Please take the time to read this and learn more about the social context in Cusco, as well as the mission and future plans of Helping Hands. In addition, people seeking to raise or donate funds for Helping Hands will be interested to find detailed descriptions of the project´s current and projected monthly costs.
INTRODUCTION
Our object is to help the children and single mothers who are in a state of poverty, abandonment, physical and emotional violence, malnutrition, and discrimination. At the moment our main location is in the San Sebastian district of Cusco.
The volunteers that have assisted our organization over the past few years have come from countries all over the world, including Holland, the United States, Germany, and many others. If you help us, on any level, you are working to improve many peoples’ lives and will forever be a part of this project.
THE LOGO
In the logo’s photo the small hand is giving to the larger hand; the significance being that
even the
We can all be represented by both hands, the larger or the smaller, depending on the circumstances. The social situation in Peru is still rapidly deteriorating, both economically and educationally. Human misconduct and exploitation is a daily occurrence. The drive of our society, as it is in all others, is to survive and to work towards a comfortable life. However, here in Peru opportunities for happiness and prosperity seem destined for the few blessed with economic power. Over the past ten to twelve years, the problem of socio-economic difference has grown to appalling proportions. Many are experiencing poverty and the misery that accompanies it; this is the reality we live with. Ignoring the poor seems to be the easiest solution for many, including the government; however, we know it only makes the problem worse.
FACTS AND FIGURES
-Only 15 % of the working population occupies professional positions. Of this percentage only 0.8 % are women. -Only 5.5 % of women with families work and are the sole support of their families. The rest are "landladies of house” (they work at the house). -There are many stereotypes about women and work. For example: for many men, a woman who works wants to be a man (or lesbian) or is unfaithful. A real woman takes care of her children, cooks well, washes and does not leave the house. Culturally, it is difficult to think about a woman as a boss. A woman is never going to be as efficient as a man, have a happy and united family, etc. Because of these stereotypes and others, it is difficult for women to find work, and if they do, they usually have many problems with their husbands and neighbors. There are many stereotypes about men also. For example: a man is the "king" of the house. The man must support his family, but does not do housework, cook, etc. Only the man can go out with his friends. All this seems of an ancient novel, but it is our sad reality. Many women suffer ill-treatment by their husbands or cohabitants. And naturally the stereotypes and their harmful results are more prevalent in communities lacking education. -Normally, young men marry between 19 and 25 years. In the poorest sectors, many marry younger and often as a result of an unplanned pregnancy. In the more affluent sectors, men marry between 29 and 34 years. -38% of Peru´s population consists of children, teenagers and young adults (from 5 to 24 years of age), One reason for this is the tendency of young, poor families to have four or five children. (Many of these births are not planned.) -Of every 10 physical and emotional acts of aggression toward women, only 2 are denounced, the rest are considered to be “normal” family problems. -The mistreatment of children is frequent due to parents’ mis-education. For example, some parents make their children sit on warm bricks because they wet themselves in bed. The parents believe this will cure them of this “disease of the cold." Many children go to the hospital with burns from this remedy. Other mistreatment is the result of violent or alcoholic parents, acting out of economic and/or personal frustration. -Out of every 10 illiterate people, 7 are women. -Iliterate persons face marginalization in schools as well as general social life.
-Many children study at night and work during the day. -25 % of children who study do not graduate. -75 % of children who study are malnourished. -30 % of 8 and 9-year-old children can neither read nor write. -Children are in classes 4 hours daily. -Classes are completely theoretical; none of the work is experiential. There are no theatre, music, art, or physical education classes. Field trips never occur and investigation and personal development is not encouraged. This model is unable to holistically serve the needs of the students. -In the primary and secondary schools there is a minimum of 40 students per class. Normally the teachers are unable to learn the names of the students, let alone their problems. -92 % of students who finish secondary school do not know how to study or know what to do after completion of their studying. FROM PRE-INCA CIVILISATION TO NOW (Historically Taught Values) In the pre-Incan period the ancient people of Peru abided by the three following words: La mita refers to the “work” that had to be done within the society. People worked together as a community, for the good of the community; and at the same time to improve the circumstances of every inhabitant. Work was regarded as a moral responsibility rather than mandatory action. Participation in this activity was in fact to be part of the community. Work changes your life, from the inside to the outside; it is a blessing, not a punishment. But the work must have one communal goal; the individual is second. What you do for the community is reflected in your personal life. Mita= work, individual, group El ayllu stands for “the individual within the group”. The
key to forming harmony and solidarity Ayllu could be a boy in the street, a beggar asking for life, a poor mother with a hungry child, and people suffering because they don’t have friends or love. Ayllu is people living well and poorly. Ayllu is everyone you know and all the people that you will know. Every person has qualities in common with the other; we just don’t have the time or interest to recognize this. Ayllu = people, personal, and group El ayni incorporates the idea of each person’s individual rights and responsibilities within the group. The life of every person in pre-Incan society was guarded by the principle of “el ayni,” because it was the law of living together. The ayni existed in the actions of the people, not in papers or words: thus, for indigenous people, justice is action. Ayni = the law, social order,
natural justice
-Helping 15 children with their homework and keeping them hygienically healthy -2 visits to parks in Cusco -1 visit to the “Historical Museum of Cusco” -Organizing soccer and volleyball games (one time per month) -A Christmas party and presents for 15 children.
-Helping 30 children with their homework and keeping them hygienically healthy -Starting the craft-work with 3 single mothers -Selling our products to Cusco’s markets as well as to other countries -4 visits to parks in Cusco -4 visits to the museums of Cusco -3 visits to archaeological sites in Cusco -One general birthday party with presents for all children -A Christmas party and presents for 30 children -Haircuts for children and regular medical check-ups (4 times a year) -Organizing a competition of kite-flying, soccer, and volleyball -Regular soccer and volleyball games (one time per month) -Occasional organized lunch and appetizers
(depending on funds - around 30 times per year) -Helping 35 children with their homework and keeping them hygienically healthy; also providing them with study materials (books, notebooks, pens, pencils, markers, etc.) -Developing the craft-work of 15 single mothers and improving the commercial aspects of their products. -Starting literacy classes for single mothers and other under-educated women -Starting informal education of illiterate and poor women about their rights and important place in the family and within society -Starting informal education about family planning, sexual education for teenagers and young adults -Selling our products to Cusco`s markets as well as to other countries -6 visits to parks in Cusco -8 visits to the museums of Cusco -4 visits to archaeological sites in Cusco -Two general birthday parties with presents for all 35 children -A Christmas party and presents for 35 children; money for the presents was collected by selling Christmas cards to our sponsors – the children made the cards with supplies bought by Helping Hands -Haircuts for children and providing regular medical check-ups (4 times a year) -Organizing a competition of kite-flying, soccer, and volleyball; commencement of organized sessions in painting, singing and creating poems and short stories -Regular soccer and volleyball games (two times per month) -Occasionally providing lunch and appetizers (about 60 times per year, for 35 children) -We have set up a new network of cooperation with local discoteque “Uptown” in organizing a “Santa Clause” party. During the party Helping Hands has been able to collect voluntary contributions with a value of around 1200 soles. This money in turn will be advocated to help and provide for the poor streetchildren in Pisco (this province was affected greatly by the 2007 earthquake). Through contacts with voluntary organizations and single mothers in the city of Pisco, we gave materials educative to 120 children of the street in 10 February. -Helping Hands has also recently organized a New Years BBQ. We invited many volunteers and other interested people to join us in a day of football
and volleyball matches and food. This event collected an additional 500 soles for our project. 2008: -Official education of 60 children. -Breakfast and lunch every day for 60 children during the year. -Maintain hygienic checkups and continue to provide study materials (books, notebooks, pens, pencils, markers, etc.) for these children. -Maintain and develop the craft-work of the single mothers. -Organize formal literacy classes for single mothers and other under-educated women. -Provide informal education of illiterate and poor women about their rights and important place within the family and society. -Provide informal education about family planning, sexual education for teenagers and young adults. -Organize fieldtrips to 7 parks in Cusco. -Organize an extracurricular program of 10 visits to the different museums of Cusco and 8 visits to archaeological places in Cusco and others districts. -Provide two general birthday parties for all 60 children including presents. -Organize a Christmas party for the children including presents. -Haircuts for children (8 times a year) and medical checkups (4 times a year). -Organize a competition of kite-flying, soccer and volleyball as well as provide courses in painting, singing and making poems and short stories (2 times a year including the sponsoring of prizes). -Regular soccer and volleyball games (two times per month).
Price for one child for one month: 147 soles ($50)
Total price for one child for one year: 1470 soles
Nobody can learn on an empty stomach, so we want to begin providing two meals for the kids daily. In order to feed sixty mouths we will need a gas stove, plates, bowls, glasses, and silverware as well as extra money to go towards the daily food. Below is the estimated cost of the investment.
30 soup bowls: 75 soles ($25.6): 30 plates: 75 soles ($25.6) 30 cups: 75 soles ($25.6) 30 glass: 60 soles ($21) 4 big pans: 320 soles ($109) 4 frying pans: 120 soles ($41) 96 silverware items: 96 soles ($33) TOTAL COST OF KITCHEN PROJECT: 1272 soles ($435)
Price for one child for one day: 2.5 soles ($0.9) Price for one child for one month: 50 soles ($17) Price for one child for one year: 500 soles ($171) Price for 60 children for one year: 30,000 soles ($10,260)
Phone and internet for one year: 1500 soles ($513) Support our new projects: - EXTENSION OF THE SERVICE OF THE SCHOOL - IMPLEMENTATION OF A “COMEDOR POPULAR” - IMPLEMENTATION OF “COMMUNAL SHOWERS” - HELP CHILDREN AND SINGLE MOTHERS OF PISCO
click here to download a description of a Helping Hands project in Pisco, Peru
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Quechua, the original Inca language.
poorest people of the world have something to give.
within the community is respecting your fellow individual. Thus, in pre-Incan culture every person in the group had their
own qualities and position, from the children to the elderly, and from the women to the men; every person was respected for
his or her contribution. 
with classes of 40 children our classes will have half this amount. By teaching in groups of 20 children, every student
will receive more personal attention and automatically the speed at which the entire group is able to deal with the subject
matter will increase.
children travel a substantial distance in order to receive proper education. With the construction of a new school these children
would not have to make a long and expensive commute. With a school in their proximity, many children currently unable
to study might be willing and able to participate. 
who are not fortunate enough to participate in our regular school program. These children do not study because school
schedules are inflexible around their employment in the streets of Cusco washing cars, and selling postcards, cigarettes,
crafts, etc. For this specific group of children we will offer a special program. 
lunch, in a restaurant, costs between 3.5 - 4 Soles, but in a POPULAR DINING ROOM, the cost of a lunch is around 1.5 Soles.
running the project: teacher salaries, school supplies, building costs, and similar expenditures.
