BUCKINGHAM BROWNE & NICHOLS SCHOOL VISITS PERU, WORKS IN COMMUNITIES ON IRRIGATION AND STOVES PROJECTS. See the Photos. Read more.

UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT EXPEDITION TO THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC WORKS WITH ORGANIC FARMERS AND EDUCATORS, AND DEVELOPS A COMMUNITY GARDEN IN BATEY SAMAN. Read More.

ANONYMOUS DONOR SUPPORTS STUDENT PROGRAM WITH $5,000 GIFT. Read More.

LIVELEARNING PRESENTS A "TRAIN-THE-TRAINERS" WORKSHOP FOR PROFESSIONAL EDUCATORS: "International Service Learning in the Dominican Republic." This workshop is being offered in June of 2009 and is available for professional development and/or graduate credit. Click here for more information.

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Winsor School Faculty Introduced to International Service-Learning on a LiveLearning Customized Curriculum in Rio Limpio.

Buckingham Browne and Nichols Students Find Lessons and Friendship in Homestays and Service-Learning in the Dominican Republic.

BB&N Expedition Visits Peru in June, 2009

15 students from the BB&N School of Cambridge, MA, visited the Sacred Valley of Peru from June 8th through 15th, on a Service-Learning Expedition with LiveLearning. The students spent a few days acclimatizing the to the high altitutude of the region (over 11,000 feet at the airport in Cuzco), seeing the archaeological sites of the Incan empire and the Colonial Era that interrupted its rule. On the third day, the group set off on a 38 kilometer, three-day hike called the Trek Salkantay, passing just under the 20,000 foot peak of that name. The trek ended near Machu Picchu.

After visiting Machu Picchu, the group began the Service-Learning portion of the itinerary. Unfortunately, due to strikes and roadblocks in various parts of the country to protest against Peruvian governmental policies selling foreign companies the land-use rights of areas populated by indigenous people, transit to our community partner, the village of Lambraca, was not possible. Instead, we collaborated with another Service-Learning focused NGO called ProPeru on two projects:

For the first, we helped the rural village of Racchi develop an irrigation system for a portion of the lands near their village. With this system, the fields which currently produce no crops during the six-month dry season will be fertile and productive year round. the students broke into two teams, both armed with shovels and pick axes. The first team was responsible for leveling a hillside in order to make a site for a water reservoir, which will be 15 feet by 35 feet and 6 feet high. The other team was working below, digging a trench for a water main. It was dusty but rewarding work. The President of Racchi, named Washington, worked side by side with the group and was effusive about the extraordinary contribution the group's work made to this project.

The second project the BB&N students helped with was building stoves in the homes of another community named Urinsaylla. This community, while relatively large and developed, still has the traditional stoves in the homes. These stoves are essentially just large clay fire boxes with no chimneys. The smoke is released into the home, although some of it does escape through a small hole in the roof above. The health effects of the smoke in the home are serious, and include cataracts. In addition, the stoves are not terribly efficient, and use a great deal more wood than is required.

ProPeru staff developed a new design of stove which is inexpensive and easy to build. As it is much more efficient, it provides both an economic and environmental benefit by using less wood, and requiring less time or money from familes to obtain that wood. As the stoves have a chimney, they provide health benefits by clearing the carcinogens from the living space.

The students first watched a demonstration of how to build a stove, and then broke into groups of three or four and went to work with local families. Each group built one stove in their family's home. It was extremely rewarding and important work.

Afterwards, we shared a traditional Incan barbeque called a Pachamanca, and played soccer against the local Futbolistas, ending in a hard fought but very diplomatic 1-1 tie.

The BB&N School’s relationship with LiveLearning is in its third year.  Last year BB&N’s Service-Learning expedition took a group of 20 students to the Dominican Republic, where they lived in a small community of mixed Haitian and Dominican residents.  With fund raised from the BB&N community, the students paid for the materials and helped build a house for a family in need.  Previously, Margot Caso, a Spanish teacher at BB&N, participated in LiveLearning’s “Train the Trainers” expedition in International Service-Learning. 

UVM Students Build a Community Garden in the Dominican Community of Saman

A group of students from the University of Vermont visited LiveLearning community partners in the Dominican Repubic in January, 2009. The students, with interests in agriculture and community development, participated in a variety of activities including workshops at CREAR, a school that teaches organic and biodynamic agriculture to Dominican and Haitian students, touring a working biodynamic farm, and getting involved with community events in the town of Rio Limpio. The group then traveled to Batey Saman, a densely populated neighborhood in a small town, where they worked with the community to build a community garden. The plot of land for the garden was purchased by Seeds of Self Reliance, a non-profit organization dedicated to starting community gardens in underserved communities around the world. John Hayden, Director of Seeds of Self Reliance and a lecturer in Plant and Soil Science at UVM, was the organizer of this program. This was the 2nd year that UVM and LiveLearning have collaborated on this student program.

Anonymous Donor Gives $5,000 to LiveLearning

The LiveLearning Program received a donation of $5,000 in April from an anonymous donor who is a Vermont resident.  The funds are a great asset to the organization, which, as a 501(c)3 non-profit, sometimes runs programs at a price to students and families that is below the actual cost of the expedition.  The gift will help support staff travel to Peru for this program, and will help defray some of the debt still carried from the initial development of LiveLearning’s community partnerships in Peru, which have happened over the past four years.

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