The COSMOamautas program (amauta=teacher/knowledgeable in the indigenous language Quechua) aims to bring teacher training workshops in Astronomy and Space Science to high school teachers in rural areas in Peru. We have selected rural communities where the first professional national telescopes have been recently built, yet their presence has made no significant impact on the science awareness in the area due to the lack of funding and concerted outreach efforts. In the first edition of the program we will target the central-andean region of Junin. We will introduce the school teachers to different areas of astronomy through hands-on experimental activities to be used in the classroom and motivate the creation of self-sustaining high school Astronomy Clubs led by the teachers and hosting motivated students.
This workshop additionally includes outreach visits to schools, giving particular emphasis to the role of women in astronomy and promoting gender-equality in science. For more effective empowerment of young girls to identify themselves as scientists, the volunteer trainer team is led by young Peruvian female astronomers with professional research careers at international institutions around the globe, supported by local female physics undergraduate volunteers. The multiplicative impact of our project will enrich the science education of >3000 students otherwise unaware of the astronomy activities carried out in their region. More information on the program can be found in www.cosmoamautas.org.