Out here in Peru we are currently working in a village called Raq'chi which is perched high above the sacred valley of the Incas at an impressive 3800m above sea level. Here we are surrounded by three imposing snow capped peaks; Veronica, Pitusiri and Chicon (Big Boy in Spanish which lives up to its name!). To top it off on the side of the hill, a mere 20 minute walk, we have Machu Colca, a pre-Inca archaeological site, from which you can paraglide thousands of meters over the stunning landscape.

We have been working within the primary school which at the moment supports a secondary school class of about 25 students; who are all of different ages and different abilities. These students come from the poorer families within the community; those who cannot afford to sent their children to school in Cusco or nearby Urubamba. So over the last two months or so we have been working alongside the local council on the expansion of the school to accommodate a new secondary school. This will have different grades so that the children can be educated to their own age and ability. Also the opportunity will be there for the rest of the community to send their children to the new school; this will not only be more convenient for them but will save them a considerable amount of money on transport etc.

So far we have helped with the renovation of an old building, which is going to provide two bright new classrooms and an assembly hall. After the experts put on a new roof we plastered the walls, lay new floors and are currently applying a new lick of paint. The next part of the project for the secondary school is to construct a whole new building with a number of classrooms, this work is still in the planning stage however it is being programmed to start in July depending on other external factors (it is harvest time at the moment and the vast majority of people are out working in the fields.).

Next year the directors of the school want to start school lunches so we are constructing a huge greenhouse which is 10m x 17.50m. Here they will grow their own produce helping to keep costs down providing cheap healthy meals for all the children. Government figures show that 30% of children in the south of Peru suffer from malnutrition, especially in 'las alturas', the higher places where only potatoes, beans and a few cereals grow, where Raq'chi is located. We have the potential to build a dinning hall in the near future along with the renovation of the kitchen and possibly even a bit of table and chair making. We have a two week project starting on 29th August of which we're planning another greenhouse to provide even more delicious goodies for the kids.

Apart from the building work we teach English every morning to the kids, who everyday are getting so much better. We're greeted every day with 'good morning, how are you?' It is not just them that are learning a new language we all are, mainly Spanish but also Quechua, the language of the Incas which is still used in the villages as the first language.

The cultural exchange is fantastic we are always invited out to dig up some potatoes and partake in a 'hatia' a traditional way of cooking potatoes and beans in an improvised mud oven out in the field. Or to go and watch demonstrations of traditional ways of dying wool and weaving and always giving everything a go ourselves no matter how strange it seams; eating Guinea pig to name but one.