And then there’s the Village of El Pavo

El Pavo does not appear on the municipal map of the Tùcume District. That may have been an oversight, but the villagers say it’s just another example of being ignored by the district authorities. We were in El Pavo at the invitation of Ana Angelica Azalde, the president of the parent’s association. She had learned about us from the school director of the pronoei in nearby Payesa.

After riding in a mototaxi from Tùcume for what seems like hours but is only 15 minutes through a maze of corn fields, El Pavo suddenly appears and the path stops. You are literally at the end of the road. We were told that the farm fields surrounding the village are owned by wealthy people living in bigger cities like Chiclayo and even Lima, not by the villagers. The villagers work in the fields for wages, and often work is not available.

In several ways El Pavo is unique from other villages, beginning with its unusual name. El Pavo translates to “The Turkey.” We have no idea how or why it got that name. Secondly there are no roads in the village…not even a walking path. There is no discernable pattern to the house locations…. no grid pattern, no directional orientation and no relationship to each other. With every step you’re treading on someone’s property… walking through an opening in a fence to someone else’s lot. I felt like a trespasser and kept expecting to be attacked by dogs or by an irate woman with a broom. The pronoei we had come to visit – “Angelitos de Maria” – Little Angels of Mary, was hidden amidst the maze of houses and gardens, and there was a sigh of relief when we found it.

It’s called a pronoei but it’s really not in the sense that the government didn’t build it. It is an old private house that is being used as a kinder for Amelia Valdera and her 15 students. It is constructed of adobe brick, with tree and bamboo logs supporting a leaking corrugated roof. The furniture inside is in terrible condition. We actually saw two kids fall to the floor when a table leg collapsed. The casual attitude toward this incident displayed by the teacher and kids would seem to indicate that it’s not unusual. Amelia told us that there are 7 more kids of kinder age in the village but the school doesn’t have chairs or tables for them so they don’t attend. 

This school, as it is equipped now does not provide a decent learning environment. Fifteen kids clustered around 3 broken down tables sitting in chairs held together with string and tape is not only unacceptable but dangerous.  We’d like to properly equip this school. Chairs and tables are a priority, along with storage shelves and a whiteboard. But there is a complication. The owner of the house wants it returned as soon as possible. Ana and Amelia have gone to authorities in Tùcume several times in the past year asking for a new school, but were told there is no money.

One possible option the village is looking at is the purchase of this lot (that's Amelia on the left…Ana in the center). It is owned by Ana’s father-in-law who will sell it at a reasonable price if it is used for a pronoei. Authorities in Tùcume have indicated that there is the possibility of providing money for the lot, but not for a building at present.

Whatever the classroom solution turns out to be, chairs, tables, shelves and whiteboard are needed now, and they can be moved to wherever the next classroom is located.

What we’re looking at is:

1 whiteboard - $80

2 metal storage shelves – $65

5 wood tables – $125

25 plastic chairs – $100

Transportation - $70

Total - $440

Please consider helping us. A donation of $4 will provide a chair…$25 a table. Please visit the Promesa Peru webpage to donate.