Manuela E. Gandarillas is a Rehabilitation Centre for blind children and adolescents, established in 1952 and situated in Cochabamba, Bolivia. It is designed to provide these children and adolescents with visual rehabilitation services and integration into the formal education system, seeking to leverage accessibility and assist the students in achieving independence. It aims to help these blind youth develop the skills necessary to re-enter the regular school system and integrate themselves into society. The centre currently helps 35 children and adolescents, 20 are permanent residents and 15 are external (the former coming from rural areas of Bolivia). There is a permanent staff of 12.
Manuela Gandarillas relies wholly on donations and grants, and a small yearly fee from each student, as it is a non government organisation. When Tessa spent time there in 2008, she could see that there were many missed opportunities due to this lack of funding. Hopefully through TIA, we are able to provide the students at Manuela Gandarillas with the opportunities to improve their future prospects and realise their full potential.
Music Project (Proyecto del Área de Música)
This project is centred on the education and training of blind and vision impaired youth in the field of music. The idea behind this project is to empower the youth at Manuela Gandarillas further by providing them with specialised music skills which will increase their chance of future opportunities in the workplace. Music is something that everyone should be entitled to enjoy, no matter their nationality, gender, age, or religion. At Tia International Aid, and at Manuela Gandarillas, we believe this should include those who are vision impaired. This project is providing these children with the opportunity to express themselves and participate in society.
We employ two skilled music teachers to work for 4 hours each a week, working with the children and adolescents at Manuela Gandarillas in the areas of voice, recorder, rhythm, and theory.
Computer Project (Proyecto del Laboratorio de Computación)
This new project is being worked on in collaboration with another previous volunteer of Projects Abroad, Justin Gouin from Canada. Justin was a journalism volunteer who went to Manuela Gandarillas and interviewed the director Nicomedes Flores for a story about the centre. When he heard about this project to equip the centre with computers and a Braille Embosser he wanted to help make it a reality.
Due to the increasing reliance on technology in Bolivian society, more technical aptitude is required in the labour market, which means there is a concern that the students of Manuela Gandarillas will be left behind and disadvantaged. Hence the centre is now looking to current technologies that will allow the students to function more easily. In the computer lab currently the students have limited to no access to technology as the computers are too old and outdated and do not have the correct software.
The aim of the centre is to cut the bond of dependency that often exists between the visually impaired person and educators, so that on the issue of inclusive education is to ensure that the student is independent in carrying out their homework and generally in all activities of their study, for it is necessary to have current technological aids to enable them to cope more easily. Unfortunately, Manuela Gandarillas does not have the funds for this project. Thus we (Tia International Aid), along with Justin Gouin, are aiming to raise the funds necessary for this dream to become a reality. If you are interested in donating, please visit the donation page on this website.
If you would like to know about becoming a sponsor of this project, please email Tessa at tessa.henwood-mitchell@tia.org.au, or if you are interested in assisting in any other way or would like some more information, please email Tessa at the above address, or email Justin at justin.gouin@gmail.com.