Oye LENA is an educational project located in Curahuasi, Peru in the heart of the Andes mountain range at an altitude of 2,600 meters. It was founded on 15 April 2012 and has been an officially registered NGO in Peru since 8 February 2013. Oye LENA is short for “Oye Loquitas EN Acción!” which freely translated means: “Listen up, we are taking action!”
Oye LENA tries to tackle poverty and social inequality through quality education. Every child has the right to quality education, focused on personality development, regardless of their own capabilities and limitations and regardless of the place and culture in which they grow up.
How our Organization works:
Children from underprivileged families and ethnic minorities, children with a disability and children in rural areas should have the same opportunities as others.
Oye LENA consists of four educational projects, that actually form one entity:
- Oye NIÑOS, afterschool EDUCATIONAL project
- Oye JUNTOS, children with or without a disability TOGETHER
- Oye LOCAL, a partnership with the LOCAL population to work towards better education
- OYE MUNDO: Create WORLD citizens out of volunteers
Every afternoon since February 2013, Oye NIÑOS has been offering education to 25 toddlers, especially girls, in a school on the outskirts of Curahuasi.
Thanks to the project’s location, we can reach more children who live in the countryside and do not go to regular schools. The children receive a hot meal, and visits to the doctor and the dentist are organized regularly.
We made a conscious choice to focus on girls in our nursery project, because they still receive fewer opportunities in society and because considerably fewer girls go to nursery schools.
We want to break this pattern. Children who came to Oye LENA as a toddler and are now in primary education are also welcome at the project every afternoon. They receive homework support from Monday to Thursday and are given extra support for reading, arithmetic, and spelling. During Fridays, we organize fun activities with them.
We are convinced that participation and involvement of parents are of the utmost importance. We try to stimulate this by involving them in the project’s daily activities on the one hand and by organizing monthly parent-teacher conferences on the other hand.
We organize workshops in which parents learn how to stimulate their children and their development every day. However, there is also time left to talk about education and upbringing in general, the difficulties that come with it, and the importance of health and healthy food. Moreover, we encourage parents to enroll their children in nursery schools and we help them find one.
Oye JUNTOS began in August 2014, we have been welcoming children with a disability in our classrooms. Every day, a couple of children with varying mental and motor disabilities join our toddlers and participate in the activities.
The number of children has increased steadily over the years. Since the beginning of 2017 we have been working with nine children with a disability: two with Down’s syndrome, two visually impaired, three with cerebral palsy, an autistic boy, and a girl with fetal alcohol syndrome.
In the mornings, they get individual education and special activities, such as physiotherapy, Sherborne therapy, controlled multisensory environment therapy (snoezelen), etc. Through inclusive education, we teach our toddlers (as well as the disabled kids) tolerance; responsibility towards each other, respect, and the value of differences.
We also organize a Siblings’ Day every month, with the brothers and sisters of the disabled kids, in order to enhance the relationship between the siblings, give psychological support if necessary, and involve the family.
Oye LOCAL tries to enhance contacts with the local population and local organizations. On the one hand, Oye LENA wants to address educational topics and exchange working methods, and on the other hand, it wants to work together with health organizations towards the child’s full development.
The aim is to exchange know-how, materials, and experiences. The intention of the meetings with educational institutions is to create a mix of Peruvian and Western education methods, which is relevant for our specific target group:
- Children who speak a different language at home
- Children whose parents are low-skilled and then to not recognize the importance of education while failing to stimulate the kid’s development.
We also want to safeguard the health of our kids together with local health organizations (Centro de Salud & Diospy Suyana hospital). In practice, this mostly means dental care and avoiding malnutrition and anemia, but we also intervene in the event of acute illness or accidents. A child can only be happy and learn when he or she has a healthy body.
Moreover, we go to an orphanage in Cachora every month, where two of our former pupils were left behind by their mother. We make sure the whole group of kids there has a fun afternoon, we show them that we are there for them, so they can trust us.
Oye MUNDO works mainly with volunteers: people from all over the world who help out for a while. These volunteers are key figures: thanks to them, every day we are able to do what we want to do for or with our children.
We want to give these volunteers something in return. We not only want to give them the love and smiles of our children, but we also want them to experience how things can be different, we want to give them values that are not always well-respected by all (respect, honesty, team spirit, positivity).
We also want to open their eyes, “fill their backpacks” with images and ideas that will last forever so that they can go home richer and carry this message out. In this way, we slowly build a network of ambassadors of Oye Lena, a group of world citizens who choose to be consciously aware and to help to make our world a better place.
What can you expect as a Volunteer?
Volunteering in an organisation in the South is a unique experience! Travelling and the contact with locals, other students and travellers will definitely be a personal enrichment.
In order to achieve our mission, Oye LENA asks for help from volunteers who are available for at least 8 weeks. Volunteers must have the following qualifications:
- Experience in working and playing with children (experience in working with children with a disability is a plus);
- Professional experience in physical therapy, speech therapy, nursery or primary education, photography, …;
- Basic knowledge of Spanish.
In addition, volunteers must carry the following values:
- Oneness & respect for other persons and cultures;
- A positive mentality and patience, make the impossible possible and never give up;
- Creativity & flexibility;
- A strong work ethic & a great eagerness to learn;
- Work as a member of the team.
Daily tasks consist of:
- Giving classes in the morning to kids with disabilities;
- Giving classes in the afternoon to little groups of toddlers;
- Helping with cleaning and keeping the project in order;
- Helping to prepare workshops for the parents;
- Helping prepare workshops for the schools in Curahuasi;
- Giving classes in the community schools near to Curahuasi once a week;
- Visiting an orphanage and play games with the children on a monthly basis;
- Helping to improve the core functioning of Oye LENA (developing didactic materials, elaborate themes or projects, …);
- Assisting in other chores like building, gardening or farming;
- Taking up a specific task like photography or translation for example;
- Helping during special events like Christmas or birthdays;
- Helping to prepare and guide the monthly siblings day.
- Working with the kids.
In exchange for your hard work, Oye LENA offers:
- A Belgian contact person and 24/7 assistance when present on the project;
- Reception upon arrival on the project;
- Guidance and support during the whole period of volunteering;
- An enriching and unique experience abroad within a safe framework;
- An opportunity to develop your professional skills,
- Immersion in a new language and culture;
- One hour of free Spanish daily (songs, sign language, vocabulary) and optional more Spanish lessons are possible (grammar and talking classes).
- Accommodation
You can find your own accommodation in a hostel in Curahuasi or arrange everything through Oye LENA. We can provide a room at the volunteer house of Casa Lena, 15 minutes from the centre of Curahuasi by foot. There are private rooms and shared rooms. The bathroom, kitchen, and living room are shared. The project takes place in the classrooms on the ground floor of the building.
If friends or family are coming to visit you, they can stay in a hotel in the village or in the Casa Lena B&B. The B&B has three rooms, each with a private bathroom and a shared kitchen and terrace. Volunteers and visitors can also ask Casa Lena for tours in Curahuasi and its surroundings (canyoning, bungee jumping, river tubing, horseback riding, and so on).
Take a look at casalenaperu.com for pictures of the building, rooms and surroundings!
These are the requirements you’ll need to volunteer with Oye Lena:
- Minimum age of 18 years old.
- Volunteers are active on the project for at least 8 full weeks. That way Oye LENA can create an optimal climate and a relation of trust with the children. Of course, volunteers have the right to take a holiday and to stay longer in Curahuasi to make trips from there. Trips and days off are planned by mutual agreement.
- Volunteers should have a basic knowledge of Spanish before they arrive or follow a language course upon arrival (contact the organization for more information).
- Do you want to know more about volunteering at Oye LENA?
Send us an email (oyelena.peru@gmail.com) and receive our extensive information brochure!
How do we work with the children?
We try to create a place where every child is unique and equal, where their rights are upheld, where they can be carefree and feel good. Feeling good also means being healthy, which is why we organize doctor’s visits and work on health education. Only then can children develop their talents and learn to be independent and self-confident.
Our education is centered around the child’s living environment, which consists of challenges and experiences, stimulates experimenting and exploring and forms the basis for learning in a motivating way. We try to stimulate the children’s development through “learning by doing” and “learning by playing” in order to increase their chance of a better future.
Every child is first and foremost a child. This is also true for children with a disability. They are children with interests, abilities, and limits. Just as we do with other kids, we start with their abilities, with what they can do. Through inclusive education, we want to teach our toddlers and disabled kids tolerance, responsibility towards each other, respect for differences, and the values of these differences.
We use innovative methods such as Sherborne, controlled multisensory environment therapy (snoezelen), learning centers, multisensory storytelling, bodymap, etc. We have created a mix of Belgian and Peruvian learning objectives, which include not only cognitive objectives, but also objectives related to social and emotional wellbeing and attitudes. These objectives give us something to go on, but we never lose sight of the child.
Education is likelier to bring good results when all parties involved work together. This is why we try to involve local schools, the health center and especially parents. We also expect our staff (both permanent staff and volunteers) to support this.
How to contact Oye Lena?
Learn more about the volunteer position by contacting at oyelena.peru@gmail.com.
Or visit their website by clicking here.
I hope that you enjoyed reading our post about this wonderful project. If you know of an organization that we should feature (maybe it is your organization), please let us know in the comments below or https://www.truetravellers.org/we-want-to-feature-your-organization/.
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