Dubai Cares conducts field visit to Peru

A delegation led by Dr. Tariq Al Gurg, Chief Executive Officer at Dubai Cares, part of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives, recently conducted a field visit to Peru to monitor the progress of two programmes currently being implemented in the country.

The first programme, 'Social Inclusion Through the Teaching of Music', was first launched by Dubai Cares in April 2017 in partnership with Sinfonia por el Peru, and resulted in the establishment of a new music centre in Arequipa city. The centre has not only provided 748 students aged five to 15 years access to music education in its first phase but has also used music as a catalyst for social development. The second phase with a grant of AED1,836,750 (US$500,000) is expected to benefit another 300 students.

Commenting on the programme's extended support, Dr. Al Gurg said, "Music can have a broad impact on behavioural change and socio-emotional skills, making it a great tool for social uplifting, as outlined in the Sustainable Development Goal 4."

Miguel Molinari, CEO of Sinfonia por el Peru, said, "Hand in hand with Dubai Cares, we are improving the lives of thousands of vulnerable children and teenagers from disadvantaged backgrounds."

The Dubai Cares delegation also evaluated the organisation’s second programme, 'Support to MAIPI – Model of Comprehensive Care for Early Childhood in Peru'. The programme in partnership with Kusi Warma is bringing Early Childhood Development, ECD, support to 500 disadvantaged children below the age of three. It provides the children with training and coaching at their homes and at ECD centres, as well as trains 32 community agents on health, nutrition, education and protection. The programme also includes a health component that tackles the chronic anaemia concern in Peru.

Nada Al Hajjri, Programmes Manager, said, "We realised through this visit that children with anaemia suffer significant delays in language development. Our programme is focused on preventing or reversing the delay in growth by promoting proper nutrition. Kusi Warma’s local presence in Turpo and Ventanilla has enabled them to build the capacity of local authorities and members of these communities to monitor the development of the programmes with the aim of sustaining its progress."

Gloria González Navarro, Executive Director at Kusi Warma, said, "Till date, we are reaching over 80 percent of the children under the age of three and their families. We are confident that working with mothers throughout their pregnancy and paying special attention to the first three years of the child's life, is the best investment we can make as a society. The technical and financial support from Dubai Cares is extremely valuable to the children of Peru. We hope to continue strengthening our relationship of mutual cooperation so that children can break the cycle of poverty through education."

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