Before anything else I have to comment on the colour of the day, it was amazing to see such costumes and colours. The children certainly know how to celebrate.
Fe y Alegría, Faith and Happiness, is a movement for comprehensive popular education and social promotion whose action is directed at the impoverished and excluded sectors within the community in order to encourage their personal development and social participation.Fey y Alegria was founded in 1955 in Venezuela by the Jesuit José María Velaz. A key intention was to combine the efforts of all involved in the educational services within deprived areas. The Movement has spread to many South American countries including Peru. There are even seven schools within this one local Department of Lima.
Life in the fledgling Montenegro barrio in the early nineties, though difficult, seemed to hold the promise of a future until Sendero reentered the picture. It began with a march of young women with red scarves around necks and rifles in arms. Later, roads were blocked and buses burned. No one was allowed on the streets. Children couldn't come to school. Military helicopters buzzed above, while below terrorists painted slogans on the school's walls and entered Montenegro homes at night. A number of Fe y Alegría students lost parents to violence. Montenegro extinguished its lamps early and pretended to sleep for fear of not waking.
Today, while the threat of terrorism has diminished, life continues to be a struggle, and the new challenges are great.
How do you respond to and reach people on the very gut level of simple hunger? Well in 1990 the school began a lunch program. This program changed the whole reality of the community because now the children have enough nutrition to be educated. Last year Fe y Alegría finished constructing a kitchen staffed by volunteers, many of them mothers of students, who keep a portion of what they cook for their own families. They feed at least 600 children a day.
Parents also come to the school Sunday mornings from 7:00 to 11:00 because they want something better for their kids. They believe that if they sacrifice for their children, the future will be better. By their parent's example, the children begin to understand that they too must contribute to the betterment of their community. People begin to see themselves not as victims but as men, women, and children capable of bringing about changes.
Today, the Montenegro school consists of 55 teachers and 1,400 students, half of whom attend from 8:00 to 1:00, the other half from 1:15 to 6:00.
The purpose of the march was for the seven local Fe y Alegría schools to come together to celebrate the Peruvian National Day with singing, dancing, eating and generally having fun.
The Montenegro school band both looked and sounded terrific, their marching was close to perfect. However, it was pointed out to me that some of the less academic minded students have be encouraged to join the band where, to use the teacher's words, "...they can bash and blow to their hearts content..."!
A second school band was equally impressive and they even wore a form of kilt.
The group of school leaders were immaculate in their uniforms. One thing we have noticed is that the children take great pride in their uniforms and always look spotless.
Each school chose a different theme or area to depict.
All the seven schools represented set up exhibits, some of them were serving samples of the typical food of that particular area.
Two of the Montenegro girls. Emily, on the left, is one of our English students.
