Project Launch:

“Taking the Lead,” a project launched in Peru with a grant from World Connect’s Kids to Kids Program, let kids be the leaders and the motivation for positive change in making their school a healthy learning environment. Each classroom introduced drinkable water, a place for hand washing, and separate bins for different types of trash, reducing risk of children contracting parasites and diarrheal infections, a common problem. Schoolchildren also started productive project like small animal husbandry, a school vegetable garden, a grey water system, worm composting, and recycling. Kids learned how to develop and manage productive project in cooperation with peers and mentors, as well as how to improve their and their families’ nutrition. Many also gained income to share with their families. After the project were implemented, a school-wide demonstrative fair brought together teachers, parents, kids, and other community members. Kids explained the benefits of the project they’ve implemented to motivate positive change in the community. Having gained the hands-on skills necessary to undertake the project, they can now recreate the most successful and popular project elsewhere in the community, working with individual families and community groups. Kids gained a healthier school environment, technical skills for income generation and improved health and environmental management, and teamwork and leadership experience.