The Rainbow Centre

The Rainbow Centre in Urubamba, is the only school dedicated to special needs children in the Sacred valley. It was officially opened on the 28th February 2002 and now has over 40 children attending the school regularly.

We employ a full team of professionals: speech and physical therapist, PE teacher, life skills teacher, two classroom teachers, social worker, psychologist, onsite coordinator and volunteers.

We offer a dynamic and exciting program to our students and their families.

We have three classes, nursery/younger primary, primary and life skills Each teacher works on a program that caters to the needs and age of the children in the class. Our students range from 4 years to 25 years old.

Children take part in drama, dance, music, art and crafts, woodwork, yoga, gardening, cookery, bread and pizza making, work in the farm, work in the school shop, sports and PE.

We offer social work and psychological services to the families of the children, and once a month we run a parent workshop, giving education, advice and support to our parent group.

We run an early stimulation program offering baby massage classes, nutrition and support to new mothers. We also run an outreach program, taking our team of professionals to rural communities once a week, to offer the therapy, support and education to people who have no way of accessing it.

We offer rehabilitation and free physiotherapy to anyone that needs it, and we have many babies, children and young adults coming in several times a week to take advantage of this unique service.

The team works on an inclusion program with the local education authorities, offering talks and information about disability and how to work with children with additional support needs in the classroom environment.

Facilities include:

3 classrooms
1 large therapy room
1 small therapy room
Social work office
2 offices for director and coordinator
Toilets
Kitchen
Showers
Theatre
School shop
Oven
Organic farm with ducks, chickens, guinea pigs, rabbits, a horse and cow.
Outdoor eating area
Outside playground
Vegetable patch

THE RAINBOW CENTRE CALENDAR FOR 2008:

Summer school:
January 11th – February 28th:

During these months staff and volunteers organize fun excursions, art/drama and sports activities, workshops and games. The school is open between 8:30 am and 3:30pm. Although we do continue with some therapy, social services and psychological support these months are mainly for the children to have fun and relax. Children from the village are also invited to participate in the program encouraging acceptance and integration into the community for our regular children, all of whom have some form of learning disability.

For more information about summer school click here

Academic Year:
March 12th – December 20th:

Throughout the academic year the centre is run around the following
Timetable (click here)

Holidays:

March 1st - 7th - : Programming of the academic year.
March 8th – 11th: Break before the beginning of the academic year.
April 6th – 15th: Easter break.
June 2nd – 10th: Corpus Christi - week break.
June 24th – 25th : Inti Raimi
September 1s t– 9th: Week break.
November 1st – 2nd: Halloween.
December 20th – January 11th: Christmas and new year.

Special Events:

January 16th - Rainbow Centre anniversary. We celebrate it with a party!
April 7th - Building and or opening of The Rainbow House 2.
June 22nd - Kiya Survivors anniversary. We celebrate it with a pachamanca and a theatre / musical production at the Arco Iris theatre.
July - Building of an organic farm.
August 11th – 24th - Building of a surrounding wall to enclose the centre / enstallation of a new water tank.
October 31st - Theatre / musical production at the Arco Iris theatre for Day of the dead and to celebrate the end of the month for children with learning disabilities in Peru.
November – Staff trip.
December 14th – Staff Christmas meal at Tunupa.
December 19th - Christmas Celebrations including a Christmas Theatre Production, presents, games and a feast!

Medical program:

January – Blood tests for all staff and children for parasites, hep B, typhoid and other contagious diseases. Blood tests for all new children / sexually abused children for all of the above plus HIV. Anti parasite program.
June – Anti Parasite program.
November - Eye / Ear tests.
December – Anti parasite program.

* Vaccines as appropriate.

NB: Please be aware that these timetables are flexible and may alter.

To look ahead to 2009, please click here for our provisional 2009 calendar