Social Project:
In Latin America access to education in rural areas is limited to say the least! Many children never have the opportunity to go to school at all and this lack of education stays with them for the rest of their lives, restricting opportunities, continuing the cycle of poverty and condemning many to a life of menial physical labour.
If a child manages to go to school, it is fair to say these institutions will have very limited learning resources, many might not even have access to books. Assistance from the Peruvian or local governments is often non-existent.
In our own small way, we aim to change that. Using some of the profits from our coffee business we have pioneered the Hans Christian Anderson Library Project. With this project we have began supplying local schools with books and learning materials in English, Spanish and Quechua (the local indigenous language and the language of the Inca empire, still widely spoken in Peru and neighbouring Ecuador). The project is named after the inspirational Danish author Hans Christian Anderson, a man who wrote stories with an appeal that transcended issues of race, social class and nationality. His stories, such as The Little Mermaid, The Emperor’s New Clothes, The Ugly Duckling and The Snow Queen have lost none of their popularity or relevance.
We have already delivered many texts to a school that offers education to students between 5 and 14 years old. We specifically chose texts that will be easily understandable to these children, and also highly practical. Please see the video below for a more in-depth insight.
Books we have donated include:
Dictionaries, several book in simple English, Storybooks and inspiring tales, books in the traditional Quechua language and many reference books – history, sciences, wildlife and geography. We want to inspire these children both to learn about their local environment and the wider world.
So far, our gifts have been well received and greatly appreciated. Machete Tours will continue and expand these projects in the future. It is our small contribution to a brighter future for Latin America’s next generation. That’s our goal.
Lastly, if you want to make any additional contribution to this charitable fund we can assure you that any donations will be greatly appreciated by us, and even more so by the children who read and receive those books in the remote parts of Latin America! Please contact us directly for further details.