The most interesting thing in our visit to Lima was to see how the work of Plan can be seen or is it visible at all. We visited three different slums. In one of the slums Plan had been working already 15 years and it started to look like a little town. Houses were sometimes made of brick, there were stores, big health center etc. The poorest looking slum where Plan had been the shortest time looked very different. Even the school was made of cardboard and other very rustic materials.
For the slums Plan had provided electricity, water posts and lavatories to each of the families in program. I think those are very fundamental things in improving the lives of people living in slums. Water was brought to the water posts by water tanks. One woman told that sometimes she doesn't have enough money to full the water post (it costs about 20-30 cents) and then they had to plan carefully in what to use the water. I guess they can only dream of having a bath or long showering which are matter of course to us living in a western world.
Plan also provided health center for the slums. The families with sponsored child had a free access there. They had vaccinations going on in the areas, they gave information of the hygienia issues, hiv-aids etc. There was also dental campaigns there.
In the feeld of education Plan provided education to the teachers and new materials to schools. They had special health campaigns in the schools in order to reach the whole society. During the summer holiday they had summer camps for children with different themes: Dancing, sports, cooking, radio work etc. In that way Plan wanted to increase childrens self-confidence, skills and willingness to go to school.
One very important way of helping people in slums was minicredits. Plan gave minicredits for people with business idea. Many times it was just enough money to buy a box of chokolates which the family would sell. There many people who had now their own selling booth or even a store started with very little money - just a prize of a box of chokolates!
All in all the help Plan gave was very well organized and helped the whole society to get on their own feet. The money that someone gives for the one child actually benefits many. Starting with the family of the sponsored child and also the whole society.If you want to read more about Plan or get your own sponsor child with only 25 euros a month check this:
www.plan.fi,
Jonna and Viivi playing in front of one health center.
ps. There might some things I got wrong in here but I tried to do my best. For exact information you can contact Plan Finland
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