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Anna talked with us about her project to educate children from the
green valley and the city.
It focuses on field trips to the valley to learn about the ecosystem,
the traditional farming,
and what they can do to help keep the valley green. She recruits
city schools, makes them pay for
the trips which then subsidizes the rural children's trips.
She has tested the program and needs
funds to expand the program. One neat feature is that the
program is designed to be self sustaining the city fees pay for the
rural children's participation. But funds are needed to expand so more
children can participate.
Anna is young but has been working on these environment/development issues for years. Through
Ashoka she got help from McKinsey to develop a strategy plan for the valley. But what
is more impressive are the stakeholders she has recruited to the cause. She has corporations, mayors,
politicians, local community members, schools - all supporting a plan for the valley that will maintain
its green nature, encourage traditional and organic farming techniques, and create a park environment
near a city exclusively dedicated to sand and cement.
One thing that has been crystal clear since getting off the first plane in South America is the
serious environmental degradation going on down here. Anna and her successful Valle Verde project
are a shinning light in a gloomy situation. Through her children?s program she is developing a
generation of environmentally conscious citizens.
The Primary School Environmental Education project is also part of The North Face's
"Explore. Give. Change." program. For every thousand feet its athletes climb in
Peru, The North Face will donate $100 to Anna's project. Tune in to the next GlobalGiving
newsletter to see how The North Face athletes fared.
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