I am almost scared to write this entry, because I feel that I can do my experience this weekend no justice, and I just want all of you to know how incredible and emotional it was and what an impact it had on me. I spent Thursday, Friday, and Saturday morning at one of the most amazing places I have ever been. It is called Project Peru and the main focus of the organization is the children's refuge in Zapallal, a district of Lima about two hours away from my house by combi.
I woke up at 7 on Thursday to catch the same bus I take to school every morning, but just stay on for a lot longer. I had told Luis about my plans to go to Zapallal and he was rather worried about me, as it isn't the nicest (or safest) area of town. I was (as always) my stubborn self and told him that I would be just fine and I wanted to go there and help badly enough that a dangerous part of town could not keep me away. I fell asleep on the lengthy ride, and I woke up far past any part of Lima I had ever seen. I was starting to see what Luis had been referring to. I didn't know where I was and got a bit worried, but the nice woman next to me and the bus driver helped me find my way and I got out in Zapallal just fine. I walked up to a rickshaw looking mobile (mototaxi) and paid 1 sol to get dropped off outside the huge metal gates of Project Peru. I was terrified but so excited; I had been trying to arrange a weekend to go there for the past month and a half, so after countless emails and calls, I would be putting faces to these names, and finally have an image of the refuge.
I was greeted with hugs and kisses by absolutely everyone, all the children and staff seemed so happy to see me even though through some communication error no one knew I was coming that day! They took me in regardless, and I was given a very nice room to sleep in and got a tour of the beautiful facilities. This place is truly an oasis, it is right in the middle of one of the most impoverished areas I have ever seen, surrounded by dusty dirt roads swarming with stray dogs and cluttered with trash. Then you enter, and there are swings and a big cement play area for soccer or volleyball, a dining hall, two separate dormitories for boys and girls, an office with corridors for the older children and volunteers, and a stunning garden.
And then there are the children. Thirty-two beautiful kids live there full time, ranging in age from 6 to 16 years old. Some are siblings, and all are friends. Some are orphans, some come from abuse or neglect, some were severely malnourished prior to the refuge, and all of them come from poverty and there is no doubt that their short lives have already been very hard. However, you would never have any idea when you see this kids. They are so well taken care of, they are all healthy and strong and get three good meals a day. They are eager to learn and I had fun teaching them words in English, practicing times tables, and helping with homework. They are very hard-working as well; they get up every morning at 5:30 to clean, make beds and help with breakfast. There are a handful of older Peruvian women who work at the refuge and do all the cooking, but aside from that the kids do just about everything when it comes to mealtimes. They eat breakfast at 6:30 and the little kids get walked a few blocks away to school at 7:00. The older students study all morning, and get ready for school. The girls iron their own uniforms and it was really cool to watch these adolescent girls learning how to be productive young women. They take so much pride in their work, their space, their appearance, and their younger siblings. Teaching these young girls to be proud and respect themselves is one of the best lessons I saw being taught in this refuge, and I could see it working in every one of the girls.
The day continues as such, the young ones return to the refuge at 1:00 and the teenagers head off to school. We eat lunch and do homework, 4:00 is shower time, and then we play until dinner. Throughout the week they have different activities at night, and Thursday was theatre!! I got to see them practice their play and it was really great to see them take pride in that as well.
The main thing that blew me away with these children was how well-rounded and generally wonderful each and every one of them were. They work hard without a word of complaint (can you imagine an 8-year-old American boy washing all his own clothes by hand and liking it?), study hard, play hard, and love so much. Even after their tragic pasts, they are always willing to give a hug and kiss, and make sure their peers are happy and smiling. I didn't bring my camera this weekend, but I will be going back soon and can't wait to show you their beautiful little faces (as well as the hilarious dance routines the little girls liked to put on every afternoon).
On Friday morning I had the opportunity to go with a volunteer from England named Corrin and another young woman from the refuge to a neighboring town called Laderas. The town is about half an hour away, and many of the children are from there, some with parents that still live there. I must start my story about this town by recounting a moment I had this past Wednesday: Leia, Kelly, Colleen and I were studying for a quiz and in one of our readings it listed the statistics for the poorest countries in the world. There are over 200 countries on this planet, and Peru is the 10th poorest. It is poorer than most of Africa. Did you know that? I had no idea. 50% of the population lives on less than a dollar a day. I commented to the girls that "we do not live in the real Peru." This weekend, I saw the real Peru.
Laderas is one of the countless shanty towns that have sprouted up around Lima in the past decades. In fact, the official population of Lima is 8 million, but including all the illegal squatters around Lima, it is estimated to be 10 million. Millions of people have built tiny little houses on the hillside with whatever materials they have, without water and electricity, and live there with their families. They have no food, not much clothing, no clean water, their educational resources are limited, and they are generally ignored by the government. This is where they brought me. We got a tour around the city by a few of the women who live there, and they were all so wonderful. One moment that really amazed me was when we had climbed to the top of a peak to take a picture of all the houses, I was looking out thinking "I cannot believe so many people live here like this" and the women said "Que vista bonita." (What a beautiful view) Her and the other women were smiling, so proud of what they do have and how far they've come; I was floored by the pride they had in their community, and how positive their outlooks were despite how much they don't have.
We ended our tour at the 'comedor central' in the community. This is the kitchen where local women cook for 300 people a day. I am still not sure how it is entirely funded, as I know the people cannot pay for the food, but I know that Project Peru provides a lot of the resources for this community as well. There were women in the kitchen standing around enormous bowls of potatoes and carrots, many with babies on their backs, just talking and laughing. We really wanted to help but they insisted we sit down and have something to eat. I felt bad eating what little food they had, as I certainly don't need it and they definitely do, but the whole interaction was just another sign to me of the never-ending generosity of the people here. These women just wanted to be nice to us and make us feel at home, and I was so touched by their kindness.
We spent our last 15 minutes at the comedor talking with Señora Rosa, the lady who heads up the project. It was amazing to watch her passionately tell us all about the project and proudly announce the number of people that get fed every day because of this comedor. It was hard to listen to at times, and it did become very emotional for everyone. She told us that people ask her why she does this, because the only 'pay' she gets is that she and her children get to eat. Her response was, "La gente de mi comunidad están sufriendo, y yo también sufrí." (The people in my community are suffering, and I also suffered) She went on to tearfully tell us how hard it is to see the young mothers in her town not being able to feed their children because she was there and remembers how hard it is to ask for help. She told us that every day she tells the kids that just because their moms aren't in their houses with them doesn't mean they don't love them, they are working so that they can eat. Every sentence that came out of her mouth was so emotional, so honest, and she looked us in the eyes and passionately told us her truth, and that in itself was life changing. She gave us huge hugs when we left and pleaded for us to come back whenever we could because they really need our help. Needless to say, I will be back.
Overall, it was an incredibly emotional, difficult, enriching, and life-changing experience. I wish I could describe it better, and I do realize that my ramblings may be a bit incoherent, but I just want to get some of my ideas down in words to remember them later and share with you a bit of the magic that is happening in my life right now. More to come, about all the other brilliant things going on here lately. I love you all, be well.
No comments:
Post a Comment