In Madrigal, we have begun re-purposing and re-equipping the classrooms of a kindergarten (3-5 years of age), while working with the Ministry of Education to provide three new teachers to extend the school day. The wider community is engaged by offering volunteer labor for these projects.

We are also talking to el Programa Nacional Cuna Mas, a federal program that provides child daycare to 0-2 year olds. We want to increase the number of children in this program in Madrigal. Urban Angels is offering part of the financial aid to do so, and activating more local mothers to give of their time.

Extending the school day and the number of children in attendance (for 0 to 5 year olds) allows the older students in the village to attend an after-school program. Otherwise, they are charged with caring for their younger siblings in the afternoon.

In the future, Urban Angels will consider purchasing the land across the street from kindergarten, and build a facility for our after-school program. This facility could also be used for child care in the future if needed.

As a model, we are using the nursery school and kindergarten Gloria (our new Urban Angels employee!) built in Yanque over the past 20 years. Gloria is a close friend of Reyna, the school director in Madrigal who also has been that villages’ school director for 20 years.

2016 UA Efforts

• We installed a soft floor in the playroom of the kindergarten to make the kids safe and able to play with their equipment and toys.

• Multiple meetings with the school director and town mayor to identify the full extent of the issue.

• Brought the Ministry of Education to the village to authorize the changes we are making.