Project Launch:

Poroto sits between the Peruvian coast and mountains, in the foothills of the Andes Mountains. It is a Pre-Incan, agricultural area of Peru where pineapples are one of the major products. The student council in the local school proposed the creation of a recycling program gathering materials from their homes and neighborhoods, which could then be sold, and funds used to benefit the environment of the school and to support student programs. With a $494 grant from World Connect's Kids to Kids Program in 2011, the students conducted a recycling program, learned about hydroponic gardening, a critical skill in this agricultural environment, and participated in a workshop series teaching students how to create and market products from local resources in a creative way. Through this project students learned to make and market jewelry, candles, picture frames, recycled paper, and other goods and came away from the experience with a better understanding about the importance of protecting the environment and strategies to do so.