
JIMA'ALII
WAYUU TRIBE

Ishotshimana, Guajira
STATUS
We are preparing 2 beach cleaning actions and raising funds to build a kitchen for the school in the second semester of 2021.
GOALS
Delivered biosecurity kits and supplies so that the school could have sanitation stations in front of every classroom.
COMMUNITY LIAISON
Yeni
Community education manager
INÁY LIAISON
Coralie Lhermelin (Coco)

Some cultural facts about the wayuus
The highest authority is the woman, she is the head of the household and very important for the community (matriarchal society)
Clans: Representation of the animals that surround them in nature (ex: rabbit, donkey, eagle, etc.)
Dreams: They are very important. They are said to be a glimpse into the future and are a considered a guide.
The isolation of women during their development: Girls are put into isolation and taught to knit backpacks, hammocks, and basically everything that she is going to use in her day-to-day life as a woman.
Jayechi: traditional music that tells stories based on real life events. The singers express themselves through the jayechis (their feelings of sadness, happiness, etc., depending on their status)
School and the daily life of children
The Ishotshimana school has 141 children enrolled for 2021. It has 2 locations, which are only a few meters from each other. The school has 6 classrooms and 6 teachers, each in charge of a grade.
This year, due to COVID-19, children entered school the first week of March 2021. To manage the number of children in class, they alternate two groups. Each goes to school 2 days a week, and Friday is for reinforcement for children who need more support.
The children have class every morning from 8am to 1pm. The children live or nearby in the community or have to walk for about 30 minutes. The children know the route by heart and they are super fast! In the afternoon, most help their parents or play with what little they have, or go to the beach. Some sell bracelets and backpacks that their mothers knit on the beach to tourists. It is a fairly poor area where some children do not have clothes to change into. They go to school every day wearing the same outfit the same, and some even have to wear pajamas.
Pictured: The children use clay like play-dough to create figurines.
They use their surroundings to create games. For example they also several games using cacti: Cardon (cactus) shooting and cardon (cactus) racing.

Yeni
School Teacher
Anayawatsu namuin naa alijunakat sau nantuin wanaimuin sunain amuliaja naa tepichikana yaakana ekirajaain. Talatushi waya namaa suka sotuin nain naa jouyuukana chejee eejewalile naya. Anayawatsu sau tuu nantitkat namuin nuwala ajet chii washikai chakai iipuna jumuin.
Thanks to the team for the support they have given us to our students, we are very happy that they are there for us even from a distance. Blessings to all!

2021 Goals
We recently delivered biosecurity kits to the children and we will continue to support them with water, soap and antibacterial gel so that the school has sanitation stations at the entrance of each classroom and make sure that the children have everything they need to take care of themselves. Health is key!
In the future, we will organize beach clean-ups and awareness workshops on the problem of garbage. For the second semester 2021, we want to provide a kitchen and cooking material for the school and the parents.