Two Eggs A Week

Vital Stats

Anna L

Chevy Chase, MD

  • people helped1500
  • People Doing It 15

The Problem

In an impoverished section of downtown Lima, Peru, there is a beacon of hope for children. El Agustino is a school for students ages 4 to 16 where they learn the necessary skills to earn a living. This school is run by "hermanas" or sisters and other volunteer teachers. The students who attend live a life of poverty in houses with no running water or electricity. The school has little money and must rely primarily on donations and service projects. I first became acquainted with the El Agustino school when I was in 9th grade. I was on an exchange at the Sophianum School in Lima during the spring of 2007. We visited the school on a day of service and I realized that I really wanted to do something to help the students. I started a program to get school supplies for the students. I brought these down to the school when I was a sophomore in high school It was then that I spoke to the head of the school who told me that the students needed nutritious food even more than school supplies. Nutrition is a particular problem at El Agustino. Although they have a cafeteria, the school does not have enough money to provide the students a diet that includes adequate protein. In fact, two fifth graders died last year from "pernicious anemia" because their diets lacked protein. Hermana Maria told me that the students really needed just one protein-based meal a week to keep them strong. She said they just needed "two eggs a week." That is when I got the idea to start a campaign to raise money so the students could get two eggs a week.

Plan of Action

When I first went to El Agustino and witnessed the life that these Peruvian students lived every day, it really affected me. I was able to see firsthand poverty that I had never seen before. I fell in love with the students and teachers that were part of the El Agustino community. I knew I wanted to help them in any way I could. I got donations of school supplies for the students and brought them to Peru when I visited an old teacher during my sophomore year. The second time I went there, I asked that teacher what I could do to help the kids and the school. I suggested donating scholarships, but Hermana explained to me that she wants to teach her students that they must work hard in life to achieve their goals. Handing them a scholarship would not teach them the goal of El Agustino that emphasizes self-sufficiency. Instead, Hermana Maria explained how the school could not provide their students with enough nutrition and protein to satisfy their needs and keep them healthy. She told me that two eggs for each student every week would be enough to provide them with a healthy diet. This was the basis for the "Two Eggs A Week" project. To raise enough money every year, we do different fundraisers. Our most recent is selling yellow silicon bracelets that say "Two Eggs A Week" on them for $2. So far we have raised enough for one year of eggs, and we are far along on raising enough for a second year. My goal is to keep raising money so that I can spread this project all across Latin America to help students all over.
Go
Education
Physical and Mental Health
Homelessness and Poverty

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