Answers to some recently asked questions

We’ve gotten some questions from several readers in the last few weeks that we’d like to respond to.

First, why are we spelling the name of the village Reynoza with a Z when all of the photos show it with an S? The answer is that official documents in the office of education in Tùcume spell it with a Z, including the official roadmap of the Tùcume District. The spelling is not consistent even in the village. The lettering above the door of the primary school uses ReynoSa, while the spelling above the pronoei school is ReynoZa. We’re using Reynoza to be sure that our required paperwork matches the official spelling.

Secondly, a sharp eyed reader has asked who the ‘gringa’ is who has shown up in several Reynoza photos. Her name is Chiara and she is a charming young woman from Germany who, through the cooperation of an organization the purpose of which I don’t completely understand was placed with a sponsor family in Tùcume and assigned to the primary school in Reynoza to learn and assist for a 3 month period. She has become so enamored with Peruvian culture and its “friendly people” that she recently extended her stay for another 3 months. She is looking forward to seeing and taking part in a December chocolatada.

Another question we’ve been asked is what if anything is happening regarding the issue of a permanent school in the village of El Pavo. It’s gratifying to see that readers are following and have an interest in that story. The situation remains unclear. The basic issue as I understand it is that the authorities in Tùcume agree on the need for a permanent school location in El pavo. The sticking point is that the villagers want a pronoei while the authorities want to build a kinder “sometime in the future”.

The reason why the authorities want a kinder is because a kinder is a national school that would be built, furnished and maintained (in theory) by the Minister of Education of the Lambayeque Region with funds from Lima, thus having minimum impact on the Tùcume District budget. The villagers want a pronoei because it would be controlled by the district and village, and would probably happen sooner than the national government could construct a kinder. Another reason the villagers want local control is because their long-time director/teacher Amelia does not have the education degree necessary to teach in a national school. If a kinder were built Amelia would be replaced with a Lambayeque appointed teacher.

Degree or not, we feel that Amelia is completely competent to continue teaching 3 to 5 year olds as she’s done for years…whether it’s in a building called a kinder or pronoei is irrelevant. But we also see the benefit of a kinder, with brick and mortar walls, water and electricity and restrooms as opposed to a pronoei prefab shell with little else.

We’ve been asked to accompany a delegation of villagers to the mayor’s office in Tùcume, and though we have a preference (a kinder with a grandfather clause to retain Amelia) we don’t feel it’s our place to advocate a position one way or the other. We’ll keep in touch with the situation and if it should occur that there is an opportunity for Promesa Peru to assist with getting a school built we’ll revisit the issue.

Thanks for your interest and questions.