The SUEZ Foundation in Peru
The OESJOVEN Project of the Association for the Research, Development, and Justice Institute (Instituto de Investigacion, Desarollo y Justicia).
Since 2006, SUEZ Foundation supports a program for preventing sexually transmitted diseases (STD) and AIDS virus infections among adolescents at Moquegua in Peru’s Ilo Province.
The OESJOVEN Project aims to educate adolescents in disease prevention, mainly through sessions at school and at the Youth Center. To reach these adolescents, the reinforcement of teachers, parents, and volunteers is necessary, as they are the ones who identify with the adolescents. With their help it is easier to sensitize young people to the dangers of sexually transmitted diseases. The main goal is to implement a prevention program that includes education and promotes socially responsible behavior.
The plan is to train the instructors first; they are the ones with the most contact with the adolescents, and then the university student volunteers. Workshops are organized where the adolescents learn self-esteem and respect for others. To reach these adolescents, however, the cooperation of parents is essential.
The Association has decided to acted on two fronts: to communicate scientific information to the young people on the prevention of sexually transmitted diseases, and to develop healthy and responsible attitudes about sex.
This project is also supported by EnerSur SA, a SUEZ subsidiary; many of its personnel are personally involved in its implementation.
Children's Workshop (Taller de los Niños) - Improving pre-school programs.
For three years, SUEZ Foundation has supported the work of the "Taller de los Niños" Association. The Association’s objectives are to improve pre-school programs for children under 5 and establish a pilot program of early motivation for children from very low income neighborhoods in Lima’s San Juan de Lurigancho district. Thirty-five percent of the residents of this neighborhood live under the poverty line, and 18% live in conditions of extreme poverty.
