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Dubai Cares' launches two programmes in Peru set to benefit over 1,000 students

Dubai - Dubai Cares' programmes reinforce the role of music on the children's physical, psychological and social development.

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

During the visit, Dubai Cares announced the second phase of its "Social Inclusion through Teaching of Music" programme through extending support to a musical center in Arequipa city for another 2 years, by contributing to hiring additional teachers and administration staff and reaching families in poorer areas in order to empower their children through musical education.
The second programme is a 3-year Early Childhood Development (ECD) programme that is set to benefit children below the age of 3, through training and coaching of disadvantaged families and community agents.

Dubai Cares' "Social Inclusion Through the Teaching of Music" programme, which was first launched in April 2017 in partnership with Sinfonia por el Peru, resulted in the establishment of a new music center in Arequipa city, the second-largest city in Southwestern Peru. The center has not only provided 748 students aged 5 to 15 years access to music education in its first phase but also used music as a catalyst for social development.
The second phase with a grant of AED 1,836,750 (USD 500,000) is expected to benefit around 300 additional students and support the hiring of 25 additional teachers and administration staff for the musical center, as well as create 3 additional modules that will be operational in other schools. A digital classroom is also expected to enrich the learning experience of the students and enable them to easily interact with other centers and teachers in the country and abroad.

Commenting on the extended support to this programme, Dr. Al Gurg said: "We were extremely pleased with the opening of the music center in Arequipa city in 2018, and are happy to witness the positive effect it's having on young students. Music can have a broad impact on behavioral change and socio-emotional skills, making it a great tool for social uplifting, as outlined in the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4. The outcomes of the programme have been very positive on students' educational level, and we are delighted to extend this programme for an additional 2 years, and help support more families, enhance the learning experience with digital tools, and even trigger musical vocations in the long-term. Music might be the future for some of these children, and we hope we can contribute to that goal, or simply help them improve their learning outcomes and make a better living for them and their families."

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. Sinfonia por el Peru and Dubai Cares, true 'Music for Development'."

Dubai Cares' programme in Peru tackles poverty and growth delay in rural areas of the Andes and urban slums. Dubai Cares' delegation also carried out field visits to monitor and evaluate the organization's "Support to MAIPI - Model of Comprehensive Care for Early Childhood in Peru" programme. The programme in partnership with Kusi Warma, is bringing Early Childhood Development (ECD) support to 500 disadvantaged children below the age of 3. It is supporting 351 families of children aged up to 3 years by providing them training and coaching at their home and at ECD centers, and training 32 community agents on health, nutrition, education and protection topics.
The programme is being implemented in the Andean rural district of Turpo in Andahuaylas province - where over 60 per cent of the population lives in poverty, and the urban slums in the district of Ventanilla, Callao province - where 33 per cent of the population is poor or extremely poor.
Moreover, the programme includes a health component that tackles the chronic anemia concern in Peru and aims to reduce the prevalence of anemia amongst children aged 0-3 in order to improve their brain and language development.
Overall, the programme tackles the adverse effects of poverty on the children's physical, psychological and social development, and includes capacity building of communities and local authorities towards parental education and raising awareness on the rights of pre-school children.