The Iruya Project, Chidren Helping Children
Iruya, Province of Salta
Salta is a Province located in the NE of Argentina, against the Andes Mountains.
The Department and Municipality of Iruya occupies 2460 km2 and it is in an average of 3000 meters above sea level. Its most important town is also named Iruya. (pop.1100).
It is separated from the Province Capital, Salta City, by 340 Kms and can only be reached after two hours of mountainous and precarious roads. Its geographical isolation determined its political, economical, and cultural isolation as well.
About 70% of the population of Iruya County (approximately 3400 people) lives in small villages spread out around the mountains and only accessible by foot or by mule.
Each one of these villages has a primary school, a sanitary post and a chapel. Only 23% of the population has access to electricity and only 10% of the houses have running water and sewer facilities.
They raise cattle and tend their fields mostly for their own consumption and survival.
Ms.Beatriz de los Ángeles Molina Bergman teaches Natural Sciences at Colegio Secundario N¡5058, a High School in Iruya. In 1995 Ms. Molina Bergman organized a group of his students to work as community volunteers assisting deprived families in the area.
The community named this solidarity group UNESCO for its belief in the fundamentals of UNESCO’s Constitution. They focus on themes such as Education for Peace, Democracy and Human Rights, Conservation of our Environment, World Cultural Heritage, and Respect for Diversity, Solidarity with Victims of Violence, and Social and Natural Catastrophes.
Since its conception, The Unesco group, with 25 participating students and occasional help from parents and other community participants, has completed 46 solidarity projects.
Our contact person in this project was Ms Betty Molina Bergman.
She requested support for five small undertakings.
They are:
1) Abra Sauce, Province of Salta, Argentina
Many of the children that attend this Rural School in the Village of Abra Sauce come from far and would have to walk more than 10 hours if they were to go back home every day.
Beds, mattresses and bed linen are among the most basic things that were needed for the children that cannot go back home on a daily basis.
Request: € 845 to buy 6 beds, 12 mattresses and the necessary bed linen.
2 )Escuela Rural N.° 4120 located at El Paraje de Aguanita. Iruya, Province of Salta, Argentina
The facilities of this Rural school are very basic. This Elementary School has only 2 rooms for a total of 76 students that are separated into 3 different groups: 1st, 2nd and 3rd Levels.
They needed to construct a second room in order to improve the quality of the education provided to the students by separating them into two groups of similar levels.
The Escuela Rural N° 4120 of Alisal del Porongal is a school of unique characteristics since it is attended by students on a seasonal basis.
The school has two small buildings one in Alisal and another one in Aguanita. During the summer the children settle down in Aguanita (where the classes begin and remain there until ends of April or beginning of May) and then they move down to lower areas in search of water and pasture for their livestock.
In this way the children live in Alisal of Porongal until around the end of October where they continue taking the classes in the second school building.
Request: Funds to build a room of 10 x 4 m.
The cost amounts to € 609.
3) Escuela Secundaria N° 5058 (High School N¡ 5058)
Iruya, Province of Salta, Argentina
The construction of a multipurpose classroom to offer different courses for the residents of Iruya, preferably youngsters who cannot continue studying for financial and social reasons.
Request: Construction of a classroom measuring 6 x 10 mts. The cost amounts to € 1,151.
4) Making home repairs to a female weaver’s room in Rio Grande. Río Grande (Colanzulí), Province of Salta, Argentina
Women living in this small town are taught how to weave and they later sell their products. It was necessary to make repairs to the room that is used for them to meet and work.
Request: Help for the building a roof for the room.
It amounts to € 145.
5)Building of a roof for two houses for poor families of Iruya. Iruya, Province of Salta, Argentina
Two families needed to repair their houses urgently.
The Bustamante family needed to reconstruct their home and the Zambrano family (a lady with 4 daughters in school-age) needed to move out from a polluted old factory (covering 3 x 4 mts) with no windows and in a very run-down condition.
Request: Help for the building roofs for the home of two poor families. The total cost amounted to € 229.
You are invited to visit the web page www.telpin.com.ar/
InternetEducativa/iruya setup by the village telephone company where you can find lively images of the people of Iruya, its school students and teachers.
With the generosity and commitment from High School students of The American School of The Hague and under the leadership of Ms Dorothy Adamson, our Foundation has been able to fulfill the goal of € 3000 towards this meaningful project.
