Exploring Education for Sustainability in Peru

Intention is such a powerful tool.

Before leaving for an International Field Experience, Fulbright asks that participants each create a driving question to guide their travel and learning.

For this reason, our capstone projects are more than a travelogue or deck of photos. I've enjoyed this opportunity to reflect on what I've learned.

My Driving Question:

Q:

Which Education for Sustainability practices
are formally or informally incorporated
into Peruvian education and culture?

A Few Notes

For this exploration, I've chosen to use the Cloud Institute for Sustainability Education Enduring Understandings because they represent the life long beliefs and sustainable mindsets we seek to foster in ourselves and our students.

I was in Peru for 17 days. A cohort of 18 met in Lima to build cultural and historical understanding, learn about the education system, and recieve a security briefing from the American Embassy.

After 5 days, I flew with

@JenMaryMcKenzie to the Moquegua

Region in southernmost Peru.

We landed in Tacna, only 40 km from

the Chilean border. We spent a week

guided by our host teacher,

Dennys Barrios, a 2016 Champion

Teacher of Peru and fellow

Fulbrighter.

Our home school,

I.E. Mariscal Domingo Nieto,

welcomed us with open arms.

Everyone should travel with a teacher librarian. Jen taught me

how to sticth movies together and reintroduced me to journaling. #TeamMoquegua

29087334-peru-politische-karte-mit-der-hauptstadt-lima.jpg

Instead of offering a chronological travel blog, I record my experiences as they relate to the Education for Sustainability (EfS) Enduring Understandings. These are also my reflections on what I saw and experienced. Efs focuses on fostering and modeling behaviors and mindsets that lead to sustainable life. Below, I address those I was able to connect with and find evidence of during my limited but wonderful time in the country. Many fit more than one Enduring Understanding, but I've done my best to categorize them.

Please remember that I approach my reflections and analysis as a teacher and guest of Peru.

I'm a native English speaker and have little or no experience with the 84 languages spoken in Peru.
My ability to ask questions and make observations were facilitated by our host teacher, Google Translate and my very limited Spanish.
Educators and students in Moquegua were very candid but true understanding of a school, a region, and its culture cannot be gained in such a short visit.

As such, please be assured that I do not consider myself an expert. My intention is to share connections I made in my brief and meaningful time in the greater Lima area and the Moquegua region.

A HEALTHY AND SUSTAINABLE FUTURE IS POSSIBLE

We can learn how to live well within the means of nature. This viewpoint inspires and motivates people to act.

Agriculture=process of farming

Agrarian=culture/lifestyle of farming.

It matters that that Peru protects and honors its agrarian roots and values.

The Moquegua Region is ecologically diverse because it extends from more than 350 mountains (east) to the ocean (west). Although it only gets 7.8" of rainfall a year, the Osmore River begins in snow covered mountain peaks and flows to the Pacific. In between is a fertile area where generations of farmers have built stepped terraces and used irrigation for agriculture.

As a result, the region is famous for its diversity including avocados, mangos, olives, and the grapes used to

vint Pisco.

The Minister of Agrarian Development of Peru is planning a dam which will include grassland management and improvement and retain water longer in the mid-region before it flows to the ocean. It will provide better emergency and disaster management as well.

This model was displayed at an annual celebration of farmers and was intended to help Moqueguans understand the proposed plan.

It will be important to track the progress of this project, as water from mountain run off becomes more scarce. As snow caps decline due to global warming, the dryest parts of Peru, including Lima and Moquegua, are being impacted. An attempt to capture fresh water before it reaches the ocean may be a game changer.

In order to thrive, Peru will have to balance economic expansion and environmental concerns. It's reasonable to wonder how successful this will be, given the instability at the highest government levels.

WE are all in this together.

We are interdependent on each other and on the natural systems. In this context, self interests are best served through mutually beneficial relationships.

Peru is one of the last countries in Latin America to endorse civil unions for same sex couples. In late summer, 2023, a Peruvian high court ruled that same-sex marriages must be recorded. This is that result of political preasure created campaigns like the popular #UnionCivilYA.

Peru has experienced political instability and related violence for many years. It's considered one of the most conservative countries in South America. Despite this, there are groups of people uniting to ensure that marginalized populations aren't erased and are instead embraced, elevated, and, in some cases, restored to their rightful place in Peruvian society.

The definition of "cholo/chola/cholita" is hard to pinpoint, but its origins are clearly derogatory. The name refers to people who are indigenous and was intended as a humiliation. Today, artists, authors, and activists have helped to reclaim the term and for many it's a point of pride.

The Shining Path was a Peruvian guerilla group founded on Marxism, Leninism, and Maoism. In 1980, it began a "People's War" which relied on terror, rape, and public executions to gain and maintain power. In 2004, a truth and reconciliation commission began moving toward healing from the murders, disappearances, and other human rights violations by proposing, among other things, free health clinics to provide physical and mental health care, setting up adult education programs in the areas that experienced the greatest violence and making reperations to college students who were forced to give up their studies. People who were "absent due to disappearance" were restored to full citizenship.

The photo above was taking during a dance workshop designed to help women of the Ashaninka indigenous group heal from trauma experienced during the People's War.

Lima PRIDE, 2023

Walking with both the Peace Corps

and staff from the American Embassy.

REcognize and protect the commons

The Commons are the creations of nature and society that we inherit jointly and freely, and hold in trust for future generations. We all depend on them and we are all responsible for them. Who is tending them at the moment?

We picked up the most beautiful hitchhiker just before the fair!

As a sustainability teacher and garden educator, it was a great honor to be in Moquegua on Dia del Campesino, Peru's national Day of the Farmer. This event gave evidence to many of sustainability's Enduring Understanding, but what struck me most was the feeling that everyone in attendance shared a love of the Earth. Farmers travelled from all over the region to celebrate not just agriculture, but an agrarian ethic. I recognized the joy that comes from living not just on the land, but with it.

The day was much more than a farmer's market or festival. It reminded me of the Lenawee County (Michigan) 4-H Fair, which I've attended nearly since birth. It was a place where like-minded people could get together, talk about their craft, and share the (often literal) fruits of their labor.

Despite jetlag and a language barrier, I felt incredibly welcomed and grateful to celebrate these amazing stewards of the Earth.

Diversity makes our lives possible

Diversity is required to support rich complex systems (like us), to build strength and to develop resilience in living systems. Biological diversity, cultural, gender, political and intergenerational diversity all serve this purpose.

More than 80 languages are spoken, most are indigenous. The predominant language (84%) is Spanish, which was used as a tool to support Spanish conquest beginning in 1532. Today, it's the official language of the education system, although regions are permitted to offer instruction in indigenous languages. It's not surprising that when students are permitted to learn in their first languages, they reach higher academic achievement.

Peru is one of the most biodiverse countries in the world in terms of plants, animals, and landforms. As it strives for economic growth, it is struggling to put environmental protections in place. In some areas, NGOs are working with indigenous people to further conservation efforts.

Although these are strides forward, as recently as the mid-1990s, more than 200,000 indigenous and peasant women were steralized without their consent. Former President Alberto Fujimori and his administration may not be brought to justice, but many in Peru are fighting to honor the women and tell their stories.

FACT: Peru is the world's largest potato producer, boasting more than 4,000 varieties of potatoes.

we are all responsible

Everything we do and everything we don’t do makes a difference.

I took this photograph at Josefa Carrillo y Albornoz Educational Institution because It was was painted on a large wall near the entrance. The word Ecologica caught my eye, but my limited Spanish prevented me from understanding the depth of what is so prominantly displayed for students, teachers, families, and guests.

Translation by Google:

I visited 6 schools in 2 regions, and spent time in rural, urban, and suburban settings. In every case, recycling was visible and I saw many cases of rain water reclamation.

In the city of Moquegua, recycling bins were as prevalent as trash cans.

I also noticed several instances of waste material that had been repurposed for better uses.

Peru also has a national plastic bag tax which is curbing the use of carrier bags.

Live by the natural laws

We must operate within the natural laws and principles rather than attempt to overcome them.

It is non-negotiable

Simple examples of working with what nature has offered.

Classrooms designed with cross ventilation, windows that provide natural light, and the use of compact florescent bulbs. Comfortable, even on this hot day.

Throughout Peru, I found examples of people creating comfort and meeting their needs by working within the constraints of nature instead of artificially fighting against them.

A school cafe built among existing trees to provide shade and comfort throughout the day.

Instead of gymnasium buildings, many schools create awnings to permit students to be "in" the day and enjoy nature while in class or at recess.

ALSO--I saw kids of all ages enjoying breaks and taking time to play.

Solar farms along the vast stretch of highway between Tacna and Moquegua.

Solar panels that permit students to charge electronic devices while at school.

SUSTAIN. ABILITY.

Exploring Education for Sustainability in Peru

Q:

Which Education for Sustainability practices are formally or informally incorporated into Peruvian education and culture?

A Few Notes

Which Education for Sustainability practices
are formally or informally incorporated
into Peruvian education and culture?