A Visit to the Flora Tristan Community with HOOP

When AfID (Accounting for International Development) offered me volunteering placement opportunities I did not hesitate in selecting HOOP after reading about the great work they were doing to break the cycle of poverty in Arequipa by educating children and their families and providing access to health care and social workers.

I was delighted to be able to spend an afternoon touring the Flora Tristan community with Jennifer, the volunteer coordinator from HOOP.

The population of Arequipa grew by 38% to 852,800 in the 20 years to 2013, and continues to grow.  A large portion of this increase is due to families relocating from rural areas to find work in the city.  Makeshift communities have sprung up on the outskirts of the city with little access to public amenities such as schooling, clean water and sewage.

Flora Tristan is one of these communities.  HOOP have been working in the Flora Tristan community since 2012, and have made remarkable progress with relatively few resources.

The highlight of the tour was a visit to the school being run by HOOP.  Each afternoon children aged 4 to 15 are provided with free English classes.  The classes are taught by volunteers from all over the world. I am so impressed by the dedication of these young people.  In addition to teaching English they are teaching values and life skills, and, in their spare time promoting and running fundraising events in order to improve the services provided to the students and their families.

HOOP’s programs have a very real impact on the health of the community.  In the last year alone dental issues have been reduced in 19% of families, and 83% of ongoing families now have access to national health services, compared with only 60% of new participants.

Participants in the HOOP programs also report a much higher percentage of engagement in the community and have more friendships.  This is as a direct result of programs which build support networks and trust in the community.

The social worker and psychologist continue to offer workshops and training on issues such as communication and parenting, and have plans to expand their programs to include other more sensitive topics next year.
There is a lot of work to be done, and I am pleased to be able to contribute to an organization that is making such a difference.

I was also fortunate to meet some of the Mums at a fundraising event.  Dancing and smiling is a universal language

If you would like to support HOOP and the wonderful work they are doing you may do so here.