Rebuilding Peru and Clean Water for Life

21 May 2017

Beneficiaries are the people who receive what we provide on this humanitarian mission. The benefactors are the millions of donors who have contributed to the church humanitarian fund. We are here in the middle of both groups. We serve the recipients by giving what they cannot get on their own (wheelchairs, clean water, emergency supplies, etc.). We also serve the benefactors and donors by voluntarily giving our time, talents and life skills to coordinate projects and make sure the donations reach those most in need. This is a sacred duty we are glad we can administer.

Rebuilding Schools

Over 2,100 schools across Peru were damaged by the nation-wide floods in recent months, and many schools are still closed. We recently approved three projects to help rebuild by providing desks to poor schools where their school equipment was destroyed. These schools, all up north near Piura in a place called Catacaos, sent us these photos showing the damage from the floods.

School in Catacaos, Peru, after the floods that destroyed all the school furniture.

Cleanup in Catacaos will go on for some time. Hopefully, the new desks we are donating for these poor schools will arrive once they clean out all the muck.

The regional school administration is participating in this project by paying all the shipping costs for the new desks, and the local schools will be working on this and other projects in the coming months as we all work to re-open the schools.

A sad sight in Catacaos - returning after the flood waters subsided.

This school playground looks like it can be used for water polo now. Hopefully, the flood waters will go down soon so the rebuilding can get underway.

Clean Water and Wells

A major part of our humanitarian efforts involves clean water initiatives. Many people in remote areas still pull their drinking water from rivers and streams. They also suffer the consequences in terms of diseases that come from drinking contaminated water.

Communities come to us seeking help with wells in poor areas where they could never afford them. We will help communities as long as they also help themselves to the maximum extent possible. We provide the pumps and tanks, and we oversee the construction. The communities are involved in putting together the water distribution network and, most importantly, forming a local water committee to collect water fees ($2 to $10 per month) and ensure the system is repaired and maintained long after we leave.

Local water committee for one of the wells in the jungle region of Ucayali, Peru. The committee collects user fees ($2 to $10 per month) to ensure they can maintain their well into the future.

Without local buy-in to the projects, wells that have been installed will quickly break down and stop working. The water committees make sure that does not happen.

While we don't dig the wells ourselves, we coordinate efforts to get them built. This involves ordering and delivering the parts needed to build the wells.  We (mostly Sandy) spent the past few months working with the invoices, purchase orders, and deliveries for a project in northern Peru (Monsefu) to install 18 wells in rural villages that would never get clean water otherwise.

These wells have a major impact in communities without clean water by reducing sickness and improving health for many, many people.

Photos of some of the 50 wells installed in Ucayali, Peru. Small villages are now drinking safe water due to this project.

We are approaching completion on a project in the jungle region of Ucayali. The church installed 50 wells before we got here. Each well serves between 50 to 300 families scattered across the jungle. We hired an engineer last week to do the 6-month inspection of these wells. Final result: 49 of the 50 wells are still working - a tremendous success. The only well that stopped was clogged with sand, and the regional government agreed to pay for that well to be re-dug 10 yards away from the original well site. All wells have their water committees in place and functioning, and many people now have clean water to drink.

Well pump in Ucayali. The pump pulls the water from the well shaft and pumps it to the tank on top of the tower. All repair and maintenance parts are readily obtainable here in Peru. The locals are taught how to maintain the system and keep it going long after we are gone.

Pressure test during recent well inspection in Ucayali region. Looks like this well is still working with plenty of pressure (all pressure is gravity flow from the tank on top of the tower).

We supply what these poor communities cannot: the pumps, tanks, and drilling. The community is responsible for the rest - distribution system, water committee and maintenance. Thus, this becomes a meaningful donation that also fosters self-reliance - it is more than a handout because it promotes growth of capabilities at the local level and sustainability.

Our engineer, Oscar Castro (left), inspected all 50 wells in Ucayali last week. He sent his final report to us, along with the photos, showing that 49 of the 50 wells are still working fine and the one that is not working is being re-dug by the regional government.

Monkey Eyes

Some mistakes we make when speaking a new language can be hilarious. Sandy said something in the Area Office this week in Spanish that made everyone laugh. She was explaining to our colleagues about our contact lenses. We both have 'monovision', which means we wear contact lenses that correct vision for only one distance, either near or far.

Unfortunately, Sandy told everyone we have 'visión de mono', which means we have monkey eyes (rather than monovision). Our colleagues looked at Sandy with confusion, like something was really wrong with these Americans. When I explained what Sandy was trying to say, everyone burst into laughter Sandy included. We are still joking with others in the office, who ask how our monkey vision is doing.

Backpack Adventure

We went shopping Friday night and took a taxi home with our groceries. The next morning I discovered that I had inadvertently left my small backpack behind in the taxi. Unfortunately, it had a white shirt, tie, and my nice pair of dress shoes. How could I be so stupid! And, with about 5 million taxis in Lima, what were my chances of ever seeing that pack again?

My backpack that had an adventure without me.

I gave up, thinking all was lost. However, a different taxi driver the next day told me to go back to the grocery store and ask if the driver had turned in my pack. I had serious doubts that the driver would return the pack, but we went back later that night just to check. Can you imagine our surprise when the store confirmed that yes, indeed, the taxi driver had returned the pack. After confirming the contents were still in it, they handed it over to me. And then, when we left the store, we found that very driver and got him to give us a ride home for the second time in a row. I thanked him profusely and made sure to give him a nice tip. He told me how he had actually driven back to our house after finding the pack, but he didn't know the apartment number, so he returned to the store to turn it in. Incredible! My faith in humanity, especially here in Peru, has been restored.

Huaca Huallamarca - Another Lima Pyramid

Saturday was our day off, so we took a taxi across town and rented bikes again for another 15 km journey. Our goal was to visit another one of Lima's pyramids, Huaca Huallamarca (WAH-ka why-a-MARK-a). Now surrounded by city, this pyramid predates the other larger ones by hundreds of years. Perfectly symmetrical, Huaca Huallamarca is a beautiful sight, surrounded by a fairly posh neighborhood.

Huaca Huallamarca, another of several ancient pyramids in Lima.  All of these ruins pre-date the Incas by more than a thousand years. 

Billions of hand-made adobe bricks went into the construction of this pyramid.

The pyramid was first constructed about 2,000 years ago and is one of about 250 ancient sites and pyramids that have been uncovered in Lima. Most sites are now part of city parks.

The civilization that build this pyramid (called the Lima culture) disappeared and was replaced by other cultures who, in turn, used the pyramid as a burial ground.

View from the top. The pyramid became a burial ground for later civilizations who would dig pits in the top of the flat pyramid. They would wrap the dead in bundles and bury them vertically, similar to this recreation.

The museum on site contained mummies and other relics recovered from the pyramid.

The dead were bundled in fabric and a false wooden head was attached to the top of the bundle before it was lowered into a hole they dug in the top of pyramid.

Head of one of the mummies with the skin still in tact.

Artifacts recovered the the burials in the pyramid. Excavation still continues in some areas of the pyramid.

Most archaeological sites in Lima are lit up at night. We only came during the day, but I included this night shot of the pyramid I found on line. Next time we will make the journey at night.

Huaca Huallamarca by night - a stunning display.

More Peruvian Delights

Peruvian food has been some of the best in the world that we have ever eaten. Locals take such pride in their culinary tradition here. They all ask what we think of their food, and they all smile when we tell them we think it is the best. From roasted pork to fruits we have never dreamed existed, this place is a wonder to visit if you enjoy eating exotic.

Chancho al Cilindro (rotisserie pork) - this is probably the most tasty dish we have tried. Juicy and moist, this roast is served with both regular and sweet potatoes, an onion side dish called 'sarsa', and plenty of aji chili for extra zip.

This is an incredible fruit called Pitaya. Related to dragon fruit, this is a juicy sweet fruit you scoop out with a spoon and has the consistency and flavor of marmalade. 

Happy Times with the Rest of the Senior Missionaries

Every few months the president of the Lima East Mission, President Boswell, invites all the senior missionaries in the Area Office and Lima Temple to his home for dinner.  We all like these get togethers as a way of unwinding and rubbing shoulders with other English speakers. How lucky to be in this location - it is unique in the world in terms of working with so many other senior missionaries.

Senior Missionaries at the Boswell's house

And so the adventure of living and serving here in Peru continues. What will the future hold? Who knows, but we are glad we are here.

Flood Followup, Donation and First Lady, and Museum of Gold

14 May 2017

Peru is recovering from 3 months of the worst flooding in history. With 114 dead, many still missing, 240,000 homes damaged and 2,100 schools damaged (and still closed), this has been a disaster of Biblical proportions. Lima avoided the worst of it (we were without water for 5 days), but others were not so lucky. We just started a project to replace all the desks in 10 schools up north in Piura that was hardest hit.

Church Emergency Donations - Call of thanks from Peruvian President

As a result of the floods, church donations and service activities kicked into high gear. Here is a summary of some of our donations and aid here in Peru:

     389 metric tons - food, clothing, mattresses, tents, hygiene kits, blankets
     3,020 - church volunteers donating service by gathering, packing, and distributing aid
     12,000 - hours of volunteer service

Peruvian Air Force transports helped haul the hundreds of tons of emergency supplies provided by the Church to the regions most affected.

After one long weekend of gathering supplies to send to affected regions, they held a ceremony at the Presidential Palace in Lima to thank all of the thousands of volunteers. Here is a photo of Peruvian President Pedro Kuczynski celebrating at the Presidential Palace while everyone sang the national anthem. (Church volunteers are in the yellow vests in the photo).

Singing the Peruvian National Anthem, Presidential Palace, Lima, Peru. President Pedro Kuczynski (seen here, center) and volunteers (including several thousand church members in yellow vests) joined in this massive service project. (Photo courtesy of Peruvian Government Press Office).

Last week, President Kuczynski made a point of calling church leaders in Salt Lake City in a video conference to personally thank them for the aid. Church leaders in Peru were among the first called by the government to help out with this emergency.

Video conference from Peruvian President to Elder Henry B. Eyring, First Presidency, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 

Video conference of thanks for aid given.  (L to R) Elder Carlos Godoy, church area president in Lima; Peruvian President Pedro Kuczynski; president's wife and First Lady Nancy Lange (she is from Wisconson); and Moroni Torres, church area welfare manager (our leader in the humanitarian office) 

Elder Carlos Godoy told us later how significant this phone call was. He said that in the many years of church-provided humanitarian aid worldwide, this was the first time a foreign president had called the church presidency to thank them for the aid given.

Donation of Computer Equipment, Meeting with Peruvian First Lady 

We made a donation of surplus computer equipment this week to a residential senior housing center, San Vicente de Paul, in Lima. This is home to about 140 desperately poor seniors, none of whom have families to care for them and many of whom were found abandoned on the streets. These computers will help center administrators better run the facilities and care for this vulnerable group of seniors.

Computers wrapped up for the donation. We are getting really good at using rolls of plastic film to package donations. We hauled these computers, monitors, and cables cross town by taxi.

It seems like every donation we make involves a delivery ceremony (Peruvians love formal ceremonies, the longer, the better).

Part of the crowd of seniors at the housing center waiting for the ceremony. Many of this at-risk group of seniors were picked up on the streets, abandoned and neglected.

As part of the delivery ceremony, Peruvian First Lady Nancy Lange, wife to President Pedro Kuczynski, made a visit and spoke. (As noted above, she is an American from Wisconsin). They called on me to speak at the ceremony right after the First Lady (always an unnerving challenge for me, especially in Spanish and right after the First Lady).

First Lady of Peru, Nancy Lange, wife of President Pedro Kuczyinski. 

The the ceremony talks ended and the real entertainment started up as a team of Peruvian folk dancers took to the floor. These people are passionate about their culture and music.

Mid-ceremony entertainment - Peruvian Folk Dancers

After the ceremony, we toured the facility, and we chatted with the First Lady (all in Spanish) as part of the tour. She had come to our Area Office in Lima last year and is supportive of our humanitarian efforts throughout Peru. It is good to have a friend like her to help open doors.

Sandy and First Lady Nancy Lange getting the full tour of the facility.

Photo op with the First Lady and directors of the residence center. Its is always a surprise what things will turn up with a simple donation.

Peru's Museum of Gold (Museo de Oro de Peru)

On our day off this week we went to the Museum of Gold, a fabulous and extensive collection. This museum houses an incredible amount of gold artifacts recovered from archaeological digs throughout Peru over the last century.

Museo de Oro - More gold than we have ever seen anywhere in one place.

Wall of gold made from individual plates.

The portion of the museum holding all the gold was in the basement of the building behind heavy bank vault doors. Golden crowns, necklaces, earrings, nose rings, bracelets, goblets, and more were part of this collection taken mainly from grave sites. Ancient Peruvian cultures, pre-dating the Incas by more than a thousand years, perfected metallurgy beyond what was being done in Europe during the middle ages.

Golden mask, more than a foot wide, with cinnabar red coloring (made from mercury). This was recovered in a grave of a noble person in northern Peru. 

Golden gloves and gold chalice recovered from a tomb.

Interestingly, the collection contained no relics from the Incas. The Spaniards took all the gold they could steal from the Inca and sent it to Spain to be melted down. As it turns out, all the other civilizations pre-dating the Inca (Wari, Moche, Nazca, etc.) were gone by the time of the Spanish Conquest. The gold from these other civilizations was buried in tombs that would take centuries more to discover and unearth. Thus we now have their gold to admire while the gold of the Incas is long gone.

Golden icons and effigies buried along with the dead. 

Based on the number of ruins we have seen in our short time here, it seems like most of Peru is one big archaeological dig site.

Ceremonial golden knife. This particular design is found among most of the cultures of Peru, including the Incas

The museum staff was not amused by my request for samples. They just looked at me like I was some sort of crazy American who didn't understand the purpose of a museum.

Street Vendors in the Neighborhood

All through the week and especially on the weekend, we have people going up and down throughout the neighborhood selling things. From knife sharpening, to ice cream, to handicrafts, vendors walk or ride down the middle of the street as they sell from house to house.

These ice cream vendors are found everywhere in Lima.  They blow on noise makers as they peddle down the street with a sound that is like a dying duck. Every time I hear one, it makes me think of a sick animal that needs to be put out of its misery.

Each vendor makes a different noise from the other vendors. You can tell who is out in the street, even if you can't see them, by the sound they make. Some just shout out in unintelligible Spanish what they are selling (such as food, handicrafts, or offers to do yard work). Up and down the streets they roam, like a parade of hawkers or vendors from medieval times.

The knife sharpener man makes a sound with a pan pipe that sounds like a little kid blowing randomly. I want to pay him to sharpen some knives just to see how his contraption works.

Freaky Vultures

We have never figured this out, but there are huge numbers of vultures here in Peru. We have no idea what they are living on - rotting flesh or just garbage. Lots of these birds were hanging around the cemetery we visited two weeks ago (which seems creepy).

Vultures in Lima really liked hanging around the cemetery. Note the crypts in the background.

These urban vultures are just a little creepy. They are everywhere here in Peru.

These vultures are the smaller cousins to the Andean Condor, the largest bird in the world and the national symbol of seven countries in South America, including Peru. We saw lots of these vultures out in the jungle last month. 

Vultures gathering on the Amazon in Iquitos. Maybe they clean up the carrion or just feed on garbage floating down stream. They just seem a little vial and despicable.

So we draw to a close on another week here in Peru. Tomorrow we return to our work of coordinating a host of humanitarian projects that should keep us busy for months to come.

Vision, Wheelchairs and the Great Pyramid of Lima

7 May 2017

We enjoyed another good week of humanitarian service, along with a nice little side trip to the great pyramid of Huaca Pucllana on our day off.

Humanitarian Activities

Tarapoto Vision Project

Surgical instruments for Tarapoto Vision Project. Most of the project involves donation of sophisticated ultrasound equipment for use in eye surgeries.

We finally got the contract in place for the Tarapoto vision project in northern Peru. This project involves a donation of diagnostic ultrasound equipment and other instruments for eye surgeries. We are purchasing the equipment now and will later coordinate the visit of Dr. Aaron Peterson, a US doctor who will come to Peru and spend a week performing cataract surgeries and teaching surgical techniques to local doctors. Another part of the project involves examining and providing 2,000 pairs of eyeglasses to disadvantaged children in this region. More on this project in the coming months.

Wheelchairs Project

Our donations of wheelchairs and course for evaluators and technicians in Peru appeared in the Mormon Newsroom website (Noticias Mormonas).  We were glad to see this news article that provides details (albeit in Spanish) of some of the work we have been doing. Click to follow the link:

    iglesia-dona-1100-sillas-de-ruedas-en-peru

Article title translates to "Church of Jesus Christ Donates 1,100 Wheelchairs in Peru" - Good news is a welcome relief from most of the sad news in the world.

We put final touches on the wheelchair training course preparations before our trip up north to Tumbes (near the border with Ecuador) at the end of the month. This course, like the others in Iquitos and Cusco, will be taught by our partners at the National Rehabilitation Institute (Institucion Nacional de Rehabilitacion, INR). We delivered 15 tool kits and boxes of other supplies to be shipped up north to Tumbes when we go to do the course and the donation of wheelchairs.

Wheelchairs donated to the National Rehabilitation Institute (Institucion Nacional de Rehabilitacion, INR) in Lima last year to transport patients within their facility. The donations we make for actual patient use are far more durable for the rough use they get here in Peru.

We are trying to get more evaluators and maintenance technicians trained throughout the country to handle the church donations of wheelchairs, hence our travels to conduct training.  This year alone, the church is donating 1,100 wheelchairs for the needy throughout Peru. Part of our time in Tumbes will also be spent delivering 150 of these donated chairs in a public ceremony.

Great Pyramid of Lima - Huaca Pucllana

On our day off, we traveled to the pyramid of Huaca Pucllana (WA-ca pook-YA-na), located in the heart of the Miraflores suburb of Lima.

Until the 1960s, the locals thought this was a giant sand hill sticking up like a sore thumb in the middle of prime real estate.  When they dug into it, they found what turned out to be one of the largest adobe brick pyramids in the world. After years of work, the pyramid is still only half excavated

Huaca Pucllana now sits in the midst of this high-rise and modern neighborhood

It is such a strange site to see this ancient pyramid, surrounded by modern businesses and high-rise buildings and this high-priced neighborhood. But as they say, 'In Peru, everything is possible'.

Billions of handmade adobe bricks make up Huaca Pucllana

All the bricks in the pyramid were made by hand. Most estimates are that there are several billion bricks that went into the construction. How many is a billion? If you could make one brick in 10 seconds and could keep doing it 24 hours/day, 7 days/week, 365 days a year, it would take 317 years to make your first billion bricks.

Close up of the individual adobe bricks, all hand made. Look closely and you can see the hand prints of the workers that made the bricks more than a thousand years ago.

Bricks stack up on layer after layer, built by successive generations. A layer of mud separates each layer.

Billions of bricks, stacked up like library books on shelves of mud. The builders found that stacking the bricks in this manner (with a small gap in between) helped them survive the many earthquakes Peru receives.

Huaca Pucllana was used as a religious site from 200 A.D. until the Spanish Conquest in the 1500s. Succeeding generations would add new layers of bricks to pre-existing layers, thus helping the pyramid to grow bigger and bigger throughout the centuries.

The walking tour let us traverse along only part of the top of the pyramid; the rest is still under excavation.

Trail to the top of the pyramid

Trail to the top

View from the top. Huaca Pucllana is a popular spot for field trips. The area down below was used for various ceremonies and rituals. In fact, the name Huaca Pucllana translates into something like 'sacred games', which means rituals.

The excavation has been on-going for more than 40 years, and only half of the site has been excavated. They think it will take another 40 years to complete the excavation.

Excavation in process. Left side is finished. Right side still shows what needs to be removed to complete the excavation. Only half the excavation is complete on this massive pyramid (after more than 40 years of work).

Archaeologist have unearthed tombs on the pyramid. Bodies were wrapped up and stored in baskets, along with good needed in the afterlife like food and tools.

Burial tomb inside the pyramid.

Recreation of rituals performed on site. Clothing and ritual offerings are copied from artifacts recovered. From bodies recovered from tombs, anthropologists estimate the average height of the men was about  5' 5" (1.65 meters). 

Roads run around the perimeter of the pyramid, allowing great views. Fences and gates are all that separate the pyramid from the rest of the city.

The city starts where the pyramid ends.

Final shot from the great pyramid - another of the marvels of Peru.

Park Kennedy - Miraflores

We left the pyramid and walked through Miraflores to reach Park Kennedy. Peru, like many other countries around the world, has named parks in honor of U.S. President John F. Kennedy. The park, with its many flowers and trees, is a nice refuge from the press of the Lima crowds. Artists display their paintings on the perimeter of the park, and couples relax in the shade. (The park used to be overrun with hundreds of cats, but the city trapped and move them this year based on health concerns).

Relaxing in the shade at Park Kennedy, one of the nicest spots in Lima.

Artists displaying their wares on the perimeter of Park Kennedy.

Some of the paintings were so beautiful. How do you fold them up for the journey home in a suitcase?

This painting, 4-ft wide, is a little big to fit into a suitcase to take home

Fountains and flowers at the entry gate to Park Kennedy - a refuge from the noise and crowds of the city.

South American Instrument - Kena

A favorite flute of the Andes, handed down from pre-Inca times, is the Kena. All traditional Andean music groups play this instrument. It is a hollow tube with six holes on the front and one on the back that plays delightful music of the native Peruvians. You blow across the open end (the one with a notch) like blowing across a pop bottle, but you have to seal most of the blow hole with the area below your lip, which makes this hard to play.

I have purchased two kenas while here in Peru. Both are excellent quality, professional grade instruments. One is made out of traditional wood, the other is made from several llama bones that are connected together and polished.

Kenas - Traditional wooden instrument (top) and unique white instrument made from polished llama bones. Their sound is similar, but the wooden one is a little easier to play.

These would be a little pricey back in the USA, but here, the prices are incredibly low. The llama bone kena cost around $33 while the wooden one cost about $13 (my excellent bargaining skills came in useful for getting these two instruments).

The kena, unfortunately, may take the rest of our mission here to master - it is one of the hardest flutes I have ever attempted to play. I just hope the neighbors don't call the cops to complain about the shrill notes I make while practicing.

Broken Wisdom Tooth

One of my wisdom teeth broke last week. How do you get something like that fixed in South America?

A big smile:  my teeth - after the repairs

We asked others in our area office what to do.  Both an American and a Peruvian suggested I visit Dr. Quillatupa, a local dentist known for the quality of his work and low prices. His office, like most dentists here, has very low overhead (no receptionists, hygienists, or dental assistants, other than his wife), and his office desk was in the same room as his dental chair. He and his family live in an apartment upstairs.

Dr. Quillatupa got me into his office the same day I called and did one of the most complete dental exams I have ever had. He said he needed to take an X-ray of the affected area, and he apologized about the price (20 soles, about $7). In addition to the broken wisdom tooth, he found a few other teeth that needed fillings. I ended up getting an on-lay crown to fix the broken wisdom tooth, plus he filled the other three teeth. Total price for the crown, fillings, and X-ray was about $200.

I was very pleased with his work, and I was amazed at the price. Many Americans come to Peru on what they call 'dental vacations'. Dr. Quillatupa said whole families will fly to Peru and spend a week or two getting everyone's teeth fixed!

More Peruvian Culinary Finds

Every week, we find more foods that are so amazingly good. This past week was no exception.

Peruvian version of Cordon Bleu - Chicken stuffed with cheese and ham on fries with salad and fresh strawberry smoothie. Your guts are ready to burst after this meal, but you just can't stop eating. (Interestingly, many menus throughout the country list this as 'Gordon Blue'. We laugh whenever we see it written like that.)

Salchipollo is another favorite here in Peru. A delicious layer of sliced roasted chicken sits atop a bed of fries with sliced hot dogs in the middle (a little weird). Not the most delicious meal, but certainly popular here. It comes with a whole tray of sauces, including cactus fruit, hot spicey aji and rocoto, ketchup, mayonnaise, tartar sauce, and mustard. The mango smoothie finishes things off.

A new friend

We just had to include this shot of a llama at the Huaca Pucllana pyramid. We had never seen a llama with a more goofy face. Llamas and alpacas are found throughout Peru, but they often only use alpaca wool (due to its softness) and eat alpaca meat (becaue llama is too tough). Maybe this llama is grinning because he knows he is not going to be eaten like the other alpacas that were in the same enclosure with him.

A face only a mother could love!

So our weekend is over, and we return to the office to continue our humanitarian activities. We are glad we are able to serve here in Peru.