March 2, 2011
Unicef Goodwill Ambassador, Scottish actor Ewan Mc Gregor, visited Ventanilla in 2010. (Photo: Unicef)
Unicef deputy executive director, Martin Mogwanja, recently visited Ventanilla, an urban district half an hour north from Lima, to learn about the living conditions of Peru’s children and adolescents.
During his trip, Mogwanja was able to take a close look at the support Unicef Peru provides through its child survival and development, child protection, health and education programs.
His first stop was at a "Wawa Wasi" or children’s home in Quechua, in Pachacútec, where children aged six months to four years receive care. Unicef contributes to the support of 154 Wawa Wasis in Ventanilla attended by 1,500 children whose mothers work or study.
At the centers, parents and children alike receive psycho-social support and are taught good hygiene practices, illness prevention and nutrition. Parents also are educated on the benefits of raising children in a non-violent environment.
Unicef's official spoke with mothers and members of the national Wawa Wasi program staff, and recognized efforts made in reducing anaemia and malnutrition through the use of multi-micronutrients known as "Sprinkles."
A refuge for children
Mogwanja watched the children eat a breakfast of enriched rations, tasted the highly nutritious cereal called quinoa and shared a cup of milk with a young girl called Pamela.
He then visited another beneficiary of the program – a mother who leaves her two children at a Wawa Wasi before leaving to work at the local market. She told him her children had suffered from chronic malnutrition but are now healthy, thanks to the care they receive at the children’s home.
The Defense Center for Children and Adolescents, a municipal service that attends to cases of violence and abuse against women and children, was the next stop. Here, Mogwanja learned that approximately 25 people arrive daily in search of psychological help and, in some cases, legal counselling, due to the large number of local cases of violence and abuse.
The last site visited was a Unicef-supported child-friendly school, part of a network of schools known for providing an education that emphasizes equality.
Mogwanja said Unicef was carrying out important work in Peru but stressed the need for more international cooperation.
“Despite the economic growth, there are still gaps and inequalities in the country that prevent the population from having full access to health, education and social programmes, and which require the support of international cooperation, particularly in relation to the development of policies for the benefit of the children,” he said.
http://www.livinginperu.com/news/14308
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