Peruvian Goodwill Industries
We are a private, non-profit-making organisation, established in 1970, which trains young people with Downs Syndrome and with other speech, hearing, learning and physical difficulties. Our main aim is to encourage them into social and productive activities as useful and responsible individuals. Our other objective is to actively involve their parents in this process.
We offer training through workshops in carpentry, gardening, pottery, shoemaking, dress-making, cooking/ baking and agroforestry. The training seeks to develop their abilities, skills and working habits, actively encouraging them to prepare for independence and work.
Students must be over 15 years of age and keen to learn.
We have a permanent exhibition/sales room where items made by students and donated articles are for sale. We take in every type of recyclable material.
Emilia Ramond Tejado, Director, Industrias Peruanas de Buena Voluntad, Calle Vulcano 191, Urb. Vulcano, Lima 03, Peru.
Art for school fees
The Movement for the Congolese Child (Mouvement pour l’Enfant Congolais – MEC) is a new Christian NGO in the Democratic Republic of Congo. It provides support for children in need. Many of its workers are university students who began by consulting with children. They discovered that many children fail, and give up school, not through lack of intelligence, but because their parents are unable to pay their school fees. MEC has therefore set up children’s clubs in the poorer areas of town and is encouraging children to attend training during the holidays. The month-long training is free and teaches children artistic skills such as drama, pottery, painting and design. It begins with Bible study, lasts for about three hours a day and is followed by time for relaxing with games and sports.
At the end of the training, the children hold an exhibition to which parents and art-lovers are invited. Funds raised help each child to pay for the next year’s school fees. Children are encouraged to continue with the skills learned at home, to help them learn and earn money.
A theatre team is also at work, providing Christian theatre and performing plays in French by children from 8 to 16 years of age. The MEC hopes to make a video recording of all these plays, for wider distribution and would welcome ideas and support.
Paul Omandji Lokonde, MEC, (Eglise Baptiste de Lisala), 45 Av Lisala, Kasavubu, BP 11954 KIN I, Kinshasa/RDC. E-mail: mecoman@yahoo.fr
Traditional medicines
In a country like Honduras where general medical care is poor but ‘western’ medicines are expensive and often improperly used, your issue on traditional medicines comes as a welcome contribution. Many of Honduras’ poor have lost their herbal medicine traditions and have nothing to replace them with except expensive and often unavailable western medicines. Herbal medicines have no prestige and are associated with poverty. There is a great need for ‘a change of heart’ and the Footsteps presentation will be a great help here.
Of course, there are unscrupulous local healers who often use injections to give themselves a false prestige. It takes a lot of patience and persuasion to suggest to people that these are unnecessary and can be dangerous.
However, the traditions of herbal medicine are alive in this part of the world and even flourishing in some places. I can recommend two books in Spanish, one for use with community groups with little knowledge and the second a more detailed work: Manual Popular de 50 Plantas Medicinales de Honduras, and Plantas Medicinales Communes de Honduras, both by Paul House, Sonia Lago et al, Universidad Autónoma de Honduras.
Nigel Potter, San Jose Marcala,, Depto, CP 1520, La Paz, Honduras.