Otra Cosa Network 5k Fun Run

We're volunteering in Peru at the moment for a small non-profit organisation called Otra Cosa Network (OCN). The staff and volunteers are taking part in the organisation's annual 5km fundraiser Fun Run on Saturday 24th August.

All the funds raised will go to support three projects that were set up and are now run by OCN in the local area here around Huanchaco on the north Peruvian coast:

HELP Women: This project is a source of support for the women in shanty towns in the area around Huanchaco. It is there as a resource that the women can use to help them implement the ideas and initiatives they feel will improve their lives and empower them.

Skate Ramp: The ramp provides the children a safe place to play and learn every week day afternoon. Children of all ages, boys and girls, are learning to skateboard at the ramp. They have progressed incredibly quickly and really enjoy it. All of this fun is amongst an educational background, as we encourage the children to bring their homework and try to incorporate English into their time with us. There is a focus on good manners, sharing and giving a sense of ownership of the project to the children of El Cerrito.

HELP English: This works with local schools which serve the underprivileged populations in and around Huanchaco. The main goal of our English-teaching program is to bring access to quality English instruction for these underprivileged students in order to help promote cognitive development and language-learning abilities of the students at a young age. It also gives students a tool they can use as adults to find better employment and secondary education possibilities, and to help students develop a higher self-esteem and a feeling of self-worth which will, in turn, give them the drive to seek out change and make better choices for their lives.

Please sponsor me for the run next weekend! Your support would be greatly appreciated, even just 5 dollars or pounds goes a really long way here in Peru and can make a huge difference to the quality of support our projects can offer the local community.

Thank you so much in advance for your time and valuable support!