The view from the Mountain village of Tastayoc. The purple flowers are from potato plants.

Helen and Meleny taking a break from dancing at the final party.

Oil Mining

Natural reserves of oil found in the Amazonian regions of Peru threaten the rich biodiversity of the rainforest and the lives of indigenous people. Since the recent discovery of oil and the subsequent increase in oil exploration, many indigenous people have lost their traditional lands to large multinational oil companies. Rather than generating wealth for the native communities living there, oil has brought forth devastating impacts such as corruption, pollution, and loss of traditional ways of living and working for the indigenous people.

La Oroya, a mining town in the Central Andes, is one of the most polluted places in the world. Heavy metal mining and processing have caused dangerously high concentrations of lead in children’s blood. Many indigenous people have suffered from adverse health effects of oil drilling, and certain native communities, like the Achuar people, have spoken out against the oil companies for causing illnesses and deaths. Foreign oil companies have been accused of dumping toxic waste water into streams and rivers contaminating the water that is used for cleaning, cooking, and bathing by the indigenous people. 

Because the large-scale oil discoveries have been mainly limited to the lowland jungle regions, oil mining not had a significant impact on the Quechua people. However, copper and gold mining have caused devastating effects on the Quechua population. Although the chemicals used for mining can be extremely harmful, the processing operations are not always carefully monitored leading to water contamination.

To Learn More Visit:

BBC News: Peru tribe battles oil giant over pollution:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7306639.stm

OXFAM – Oil, Gas and Mining:

http://www.oxfamamerica.org/

TIME – The World’s Most Polluted Places:

http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/article/0,28804,1661031_1661028_1661020,00.html

World Bank – Oil, Gas, Mining & Chemicals:

www.worldbank.org/mining

Helen displaying a doll she made to sell to tourists. Her mother invented these dolls, which can now be found all over Peru.

Girls Education

Girls from indigenous and rural populations in Peru continue to be largely excluded from the education system. Among these populations, girls have limited access to schooling and have a far greater likelihood of dropping out of school before completing primary school. Only one out of four girls who begin primary school actually completes secondary school in the indigenous populations of the Peruvian Amazon. In these areas, dropout rates for girls are two times higher than that of boys.

Poverty and social norms are the main barriers to girls’ access to and continuation of schooling. While public schooling is free, many poor families are unable to afford the costs of textbooks and uniforms. When Peruvian families can afford to only send some of their children to school, they tend to choose a son over a daughter because they foresee the boy having more job opportunities in the future. Girl-only schools have proven effective in attracting, retaining and teaching girls, particularly in countries where girls and women are secluded or isolated. The absence of boys in school creates a more positive learning environment for girls, resulting in higher performance - particularly at the secondary level.

While both boys and girls are expected to work outside the home, girls are busier than boys because their tasks are more time consuming and require constant attention such as fetching water, caring for a sibling, or grazing the flock. Thus, the struggle to balance domestic chores, work outside the home, and schoolwork drive many girls to withdraw from school.

In addition to the heavy workload, other obstacles hindering girls from staying in school include inadequate sanitation facilities and low quality of education. In the absence of sanitary supplies, clean bathrooms or latrines and water, girls are often forced to stay home during their menstrual period. Lack of proper sanitation facilities is a major reason for girls’ dropping out of school. In addition to the unfavorable physical learning environmental, teachers often have lower expectations of girls, leaving girls with less motivation to perform well and stay in school.

Investing in girls education can raise national income, and higher income can lead to more gender equality—in education and in other areas. Studies show that improved female education is linked to higher crop yields, lower HIV infection rates, reduced infant mortality and an increase in a country’s overall per capita income.

To Learn More Visit:

Center for Global Development’s Girls Count: A Global Investment & Action Agenda:

http://www.cgdev.org/content/publications/detail/15154

Center for Global Development's Inexcusable Absence:

Why 60 Million Girls Still Aren't In School and What to Do about it 

http://www.cgdev.org/content/publications/detail/11898

Global Campaign for Education:

http://www.campaignforeducation.org/action/2008/action_2008.html

United Nations Educational, Scientific, Cultural Organization (UNESCO):

http://www.unesco.org/education/efa/know_sharing/flagship_initiatives/girls.shtml

UN Girls’ Education Initiative:

http://www.unesco.org/education/efa/know_sharing/flagship_initiatives/girls.shtml

UNICEF Girls Education:

http://www.unicef.org/girlseducation

Scouting a llama location at 14,000 feet.