CETPRO SCHOOL

Artisan education to prepare for Migration

Huanca, a small village that is losing its youth

Huanca may be a small village, in the middle of a valley miles from the city, but the influence of the metropolis of Arequipa is deeply felt. Indeed, the proud city of the south of Peru exerts a powerful attraction to the habitants of this sleeping village: many young people choose to leave the family farm to try their luck there. The only problem is that many of them leave without any skills to support themselves during their studies.

So a team of nuns founded a CETPRO (Center for Technical and Productive Education), where young people from the village are trained in different types of crafts, such as looms. Trained by accomplished artisans from the mountains of Puno, in the south of the country, these young people are better prepared to face life in the city.

Preparing migration with craftsmanship

Thus, a whole corner of this brick convent in the village of Huanca receives, morning and evening, young girls of peasants and teachers who prepare their departure to the city. Some see it as a simple hobby, others as the key to being able to afford higher education.

Because unlike many other regions of the world, handicrafts remain an interesting complementary source of income, especially in cities with a strong tourist attraction like Arequipa. And for the CETPRO teachers, these training spaces are a place to transmit knowledge that is disappearing elsewhere…

Manuel-Antonio Monteagudo