Community Development Framework: LifeArk & Buenos Amigos
Overview
LifeArk Community will strive to build resilience in the Santa Rosa community, centered around the well-being and empowerment of women, children and youth by providing:
- Safe, sustainable housing for families
- Safe zones for children (i.e. libraries, community playground)
- Dorms for at-risk youth
- New economic spaces (i.e. floating platforms for year-round farming)
LifeArk Community and Buenos Amigos will work to create appropriate partners to facilitate various programs on the LifeArk units:
- Quality education for children and youth (i.e. supplementary classes)
- Vocational training for adults (i.e. aquaponics)
- Community-wide training for health, sanitation, etc.
Through the Pilot phase, LifeArk’s applications and localization process will be evaluated. This includes (but not limited to): local manufacturing and delivery, incorporation of local materials and labor, cultural contextualization, partnership channels and sustainable impact and revenue models.
Education
Due to the extreme weather conditions, lack of resources and under-staffed schools, many of the children in Santa Rosa do not receive proper education. Schools are closed for months at a time and children have only a few hours of formal school each day. Without proper education, these children are further locked into a perpetuating cycle of poverty and need.
We believe this must change.
A key area of focus for LifeArk Community Santa Rosa will be to provide consistent, quality education for children. With better training and resources, we are working to improve and expand the existing education programs of Buenos Amigos.
Many in these marginalized communities feel forgotten and powerless; we hope to change this through education. Utilizing a “service-learning” model of education, we will work with leaders and teachers to promote civic engagement and encourage greater leadership in the classroom. We believe the young generation of Santa Rosa must take ownership over their communities, working together towards the change they hope to see.
Economy
We believe community economic development is essential to the sustained well-being of children. Due to the powerful force of the drug market in this area, families are left with no choice but to become growers in order to make ends meet. Children are often scouted and bribed at a young age. These complex factors underpinning hardships of communities like Santa Rosa in the Amazons bring light to the need for sustainable economic development as a means to breaking the cycle of poverty. LifeArk seeks to catalyze economic well-being and stability for families by providing a platform to engage in micro-enterprises and revitalize economic development in their community.
LifeArk units can serve as year-round operational spaces for increased agricultural productivity (i.e. hydroponics/aquaponics/livestock units), micro-enterprises, centers for vocational training, community marketplaces, tourism stops, and countless more capacity building activities and programs.
Stronger and diverse livelihoods build resilience in households, in the community and in the nation. LifeArk Community works to incorporate and strengthen community economic development initiatives as part of its integrated programming approach.
Poor living conditions, inadequate access to safe water and sanitation creates a number of health hazards for residents in Santa Rosa. In addition, many people do not have access to basic health care services. As a result, the overall quality of health in this community is very low and in need of support.
The LifeArk system will completely revitalize sanitation and hygiene by securing basic necessities for families like access to clean water and waste management.
In recent years, Peru’s government has been making wide reforms in the area of healthcare; however, there has been little to no impact for the most vulnerable communities. We hope to work with capable groups to increase access to health care services (health education, immunizations, prenatal care, etc.) for Santa Rosa.
We believe the LifeArk system can provide an environment that will holistically support the health of individuals on multiple levels (physical, emotional, spiritual).