If there is one thing that I really dislike, it’s not being able to help abused children in a practical way. Last year, my lovely, elderly friend Edie (see her knitting photo) aged 100, died and left Educateperu a legacy. Edie was brought up in the Poor House system based on Victorian times. Her mother died when she was very young, her father worked on the land 7 days a week, so he put Edie in a home. I was talking to her one day about the legacy that she had already told me about and I suddenly knew what I was going to do: build a home for abused children (there is nothing near our school) and call it “Edie’s Home”. She was in tears and loved the idea. I am so thrilled that before she died, she knew what was going to happen.
However, as always in Peru, permissions take time – despite the government not helping financially in any way, nor the Church on whose land the building will stand, they both have plenty to say on what it can and cannot be like – some of which I don’t agree with! So boys and girls cannot be mixed (yes they will be!!); there has to be 4 full time workers, – and “educator, social worker, psychologist and administrator” – don’t need that as the children will be coming daily to our school nearby, which has all those people on hand. My idea is to put it near school so that the children do not have to lose their school friends as well as their family, by being sent miles away to the nearest one. So that is what i am currently grappling with. But it will be built!