Our Success Stories
Georgina
Georgina comes from an extremely poor family, she is the third child of five. When Georgina arrived at Inti Runakunaq Wasin for the first time, she was in third grade of secondary school and her life was not easy similar to most children at IRW. No matter how hard her life was, she woke up in the early morning every day to help her mother prepare the tea that she would later sell in the markets of Cusco, to earn some money for the family. To add to her problems, her father also consumed alcohol constantly and mistreated her, her mother, and brothers, many times kicking them out of their house.
The IRW team made several visits to her home, Georgina and her mother were assisted pyschologically especially helping them to raise their self esteem and acheive their goals
While at Inti Runakunaq Wasin, she recieved a great deal of support with her homework, actively participated in workshops, always demonstrating a great determination in all that she did and she became one of the more active adolescents at IRW.
Despite her financial and family difficulties, she graduated from secondary school. With her own job, she has been able to pay for a university preparation school. In 2008, she entered the National University of Cusco to study to become a nurse. Today, she continues to work to pay for her studies and she is finishing her first semester as a nursing student. She continues to stay in touch with the professors at Inti Runakunaq Wasin.
Wilbur
Wilbur, an adoloscent with special needs, comes from a disfunctional family in a situation of extereme poverty. His father abandoned him and his family before he was born. Currently, he lives with his mother, step-father, and step-brothers.
When Wilbur was one year old, he suffered an accident which resulted in various lessions on his spinal column and head causing delays in his learning and mental development. Because of this, his mother believed that there was no hope for him to learn or develop like a normal person, so Wilbur only attended a special school for two months and was constantly kept in the house.
In 2006, Inti started a pilot program for people with special needs in risky situations. Wilbur was one of the first adoloscents to attend demonstrating a great deal of difficulty with basic social abilities. Having trouble controlling his movements and speech, the interaction with his classmates and others was difficult. He constantly threw himself to the ground and was agressive with other children. In addition to his problems, his family had financial difficulties. His step father had left to find work outside of the city. His mother was sick and in desperation, she contemplated abandoning her son to a charitable home.
Little by little, Inti Runakunaq Wasin integrated Wilbur into the different activites. IRW has worked regulary with his family, especially his mother, to assist in supporting his physical and mental health to overcome his difficulties. Today, Wilbur participates in all the workshops with enthusiasm, makes independent decisions, controls his agression, knows how to write his name, practices reading and writing, and arrives on time everyday despite the distance from his house. He shows his happiness to come and share at IRW.
Today, through the IRW Friend Forever Program, some generous friends from England anonymously support Wilbur. He is the first of five children currently receiving support through this program.
Victor
Victor, the oldest of three children, comes from an extremely poor family. His parents are separated and he lives with his father and his younger siblings live with his mother.
When he was 13 years old, Victor regularly attended Inti Runakunaq Wasin in 2005. He received help with his homework and participated in all of the workshops.
Victor was a victim of family violence. While his parents were having one of their many fights, his uncle intervened and attacked his father with a stick with a nail. Suddenly, Victor placed himself between the two. He was struck in the face and the nail punctured his right lung. His wound got infected internally in two weeks and he needed to be surgically operated on. He began to enter into a coma with an extremely swollen face, and a paralyzed left arm. In addition, he was at risk of losing his right eye due to lesions.
Volunteers at IRW helped pay for him and his father to be flown to Lima for emergency surgery. He received special treatment for six months. When he and his father finally returned to Cusco, the first thing they did was visit the professors and children at IRW where they were welcomed with open arms. Victor began attending IRW again recieving psychological support and participating in workshops.
Today, Victor is 16 years old and continues to attend Inti Runakunaq Wasin and is in his last year of school. He currently attends a university preparation program and sells bicycle spare parts during the weekends in a Cusco market to maintain an income to help pay for his studies. He looks forward to the future with optimism and hope.