New Kindergarten Kusi Kawsay Pisac

The kindergarten now has its grass thatch roof and mud-plaster walls

Kusi Kawsay means 'happy life' in Quechua  and that is the primary notion behind this new school located high in the Andes near Cusco.  Its educational philosophy is a blend of pre-conquest Andean cultural values with Waldorf pedagogy.  Our physical situation at the entrance to the Sacred Valley of the Incas is a fortunate one as there is still an active adherance to the ancient agricultural calendar here with corresponding festivals that happen throughout the year.
Our school is markedly different from the standard Peruvian state schools which are based on a military model.  During my first year in Peru I was amazed and appalled to see very young children participating in parades on patriotic holidays dressed in uniform and goose-stepping like German soldiers in the 1940's.
Our school seeks to demonstrate a more peaceful alternative in a modern way, but with roots that stretch back to a time before the people were conquered by the Spanish military and the Church.  Five hundred years of forced colonialism have left deep scars in the collective psyche here which we are attempting in a small way to heal.
Our new kindergarten building is rapidly taking shape as seen in the photos above.