August 15, 2018
CIS students return to Peru with Be The Change Volunteers
For years, Be the Change Volunteers and CIS have partnered in sending upper school students on school-building development projects to different countries. This past July, nine upper school students accompanied by teachers John Hager and Lisa Montgomery, as well as volunteers from Colorado, worked on building the cement foundation for classroom #4 at El Chino secondary school in Peru’s Amazon region. The foundation was a collaborative project, as villagers from El Chino worked side-by-side with the volunteers; students of all ages played games such as soccer when the work was completed. For lodging the volunteers stayed in the Tahuayo Lodge nearby and engaged in activities such as fishing, birdwatching, a night hike and zip-lining. To conclude the Peru trip, everyone went on a city tour of Lima visiting several of its districts. Cultural exchange trips such as this are life-changing experiences and our upper school students surely gained valuable insights about Amazonian life and its challenges.
