Rebuilding Peruvian Schools, Help for the Blind, and Traumatized for Life

29 October 2017

Helping Schools Recover after the Floods

Floods in February and March wiped out schools throughout northern Peru. An appeal for help came from regional governments once the floodwaters subsided. It then became clear that school desks were destroyed in dozens of schools, especially in the city of Catacaos near Piura.

Photo showing the flood damage earlier this year in Catacaos. This photo came to us with an appeal for help.

It would have taken years for the local school districts to come up with funding to replace all the desks, so they came to us for help. Months ago we started a project to supply almost 930 student and teacher desks in 13 schools in Catacaos in response to the disaster.

The project involved ordering all the desks, coordinating their manufacture and delivery, coordinating church service projects by volunteers, and holding the delivery ceremony. (Sandy handles the ordering and budgets, I handle the phone calls and other coordination).

Before the delivery of the desks, we held service projects at the schools, coordinated by local church leaders in Catacaos. About 90 members showed up to help with further cleanup at the schools.

Service project in Catacaos to help with cleanup before the desks arrived.

Cleaning and moving the desks once they arrived.

With the arrival of the desks, we held a delivery ceremony that was attended by leaders from our humanitarian office, government and education officials, and others. (We wished we could have gone, but we were on another humanitarian assignment in the jungle, so we missed out on this one.)

At the delivery ceremony for the almost 930 new student and teacher desks for 13 schools.(L to R: Regional Governor of Piura, Minister of Education for Peru, and Piura Mission President for the church).

Inside a classroom after the ceremony with the new desks donated as part of this humanitarian project.

Our donations were just part of the commitment of the entire country to rebuild after the floods. The government has had to rebuild many schools, and some of that reconstruction was still underway when our desks arrived.

The donation included small desks for the youngest kids. Note the gravel floor - reconstruction on the schools is still in progress. They finished the walls and ceiling to allow school to continue, and they will pour the cement floors later.

We were glad we played a role in this commitment to help the country recover after the flood disasters.

Help for the Blind

A project just started to help blind people in Peru. Our partner on this project, CONFENADIP, a Peruvian association to help the blind, came to us with a request, and it seemed like a worthy project.

Meeting with CONFENADIP, Association for the Blind.

The association came to us with a request for donations of 500 collapsible canes and 500 punch-note braille readers for blind students. The association would then send these around the country for distribution to the blind who have no means to obtain such basic items that would help them survive.

Cane and Braille Punch Reader (for taking notes). These items are so basic to help the blind survive but are unavailable to the poorest of the poor.

This project was approved and we are now moving ahead with ordering these basic items.

The painful part of projects like these is to see how people suffer for lack of something so basic and which is otherwise so inexpensive for us. We are glad we can help in a way that will affect people so profoundly by increasing their mobility and allowing them to take notes in school.

Christmas on its Way

We are in the Southern Hemisphere where seasons are reversed. We are moving into summer in the next months, but already, Christmas goods fill the stores. The strange thing is that we are so far from the North Pole, yet reindeer are setup in the malls here in South America.

Malls in Lima, Peru - so far away from the North Pole, but all is now ready for Christmas in October.

Poinsettias are planted outside homes here in Peru as outdoor ornamental plants. They easily survive because temperatures seldom drop below 50 degrees Fahrenheit. However, it is strange to be walking down the street and see these plants we associate with Christmas just growing outside people's homes.

Poinsettias - these are just yard plants here in Peru. It always makes us think of Christmas when we see these growing in someone's yard.

Traumatized for Life

We love most Peruvian foods. However, there are always surprises that catch us off guard.

This week, we were eating at a local Peruvian restaurant. They had served us the most delicious chicken soup I had ever eaten. Right in the middle of eating the soup, Sandy said, "Oh, no!"  I looked over and saw her staring in shock at a CHICKEN FOOT that was included as part of the soup. I just had to take a picture.

Chicken-Foot Surprise Soup!

Of course, Sandy wouldn't finish her soup after that, no matter how good the soup was. The rest of the meal came and was good, but Sandy said, "We are never eating here ever again. NEVER!" She claims what she found was not just a chicken foot, it was a giant bird talon!

We shared this tale with our Peruvian friends back at the office. Many of them winced in disgust. However, a few said they ate plenty of chicken feet as children at home and were always fighting over who would end up with this most-coveted dinner treat.

I guess I felt a little cheated because my soup didn't come with that 'extra' little treat!

Pampered Dogs of Lima

Peruvians love their dogs, just like most people around the world. But people here take their affection to the next level by often dressing their dogs when they take them on walks or into the parks. We always have a good laugh, almost daily, at the weird garb we see dogs wearing here in Lima.

Petite little Chihuahua in a comfy Levi skirt with lace accents - very attractive.

Smartly dressed terrier wearing his favorite doggie sweater.

Best-dressed dog we have seen yet - a lovely Golden Retriever wearing her favorite purple taffeta and sporting a happy smile to be seen wearing such high fashion - all the way down to the silver slippers on her front paws! How chic and elegant!

Please note: these are not Halloween costumes but rather they are everyday canine fashion statements here in Lima.

Starting a New Craze in Peru

I love roasted and salted sunflower seeds without their shells. They are unavailable in Peru, although you can occasionally find the raw seeds in nut stores. I had to come up with a way to salt and roast the seeds when I can find them.

Roasting and salting sunflower seeds

After much trial and error, I landed on this method: 4 cups sunflower seeds, 4 tablespoons of oil, 1 tablespoon of salt. Put them in a frying pan on low heat and stir constantly for 10 minutes. Voila, perfectly roasted and salted sunflower seeds!

Pour out the sunflower seeds on a paper towel to cool and then they are ready to eat. (I often put the seeds in a colander to shake off any extra salt before putting them in individual plastic bags.)

I have shared these sunflower seeds and the recipe with many Peruvians in the office, and they love them. Many of them are now buying the raw seeds and roasting them at home. Who knows, maybe I have started a craze.

Fruits-a-plenty

Fruit is plentiful and inexpensive here in Peru. We eat fresh fruit every day. Once a week I make a special smoothie with all of our favorites: mango, passion fruit, granadilla, and peach yogurt. Ah, it is nice living in the tropics!

Passion fruit (back), Mangos (middle), and Granadilla (front) - some of our favorites to put into our smoothies.

And so we have now hit our halfway point on this mission - 9 months completed and 9 months to go. Sometimes it feels like the time has just flown by, but in retrospect, it seems like we have had a decade worth of experiences, so far, and with more yet to come. What an incredible blessing this has been to be able to serve in this unique way.

High Jungle Donation of Eye Exams and Glasses

22 October 2017

We returned to the high jungle of Tarapoto this week to oversee eye exams and donations of glasses for over 900 children in this region of stunning beauty. The exams and glasses are part of our annual commitment here in Peru to improving vision services for those most at risk.

Spectacular views of the high jungle near Tarapoto.

High Jungle of Tarapoto and Moyobamba

The jungles of Peru cover half of this country. However, only 5 percent of the population lives in the jungle because it is such a tough environment. Some Peruvian jungles are in the lowlands along the Amazon River. Others, like around Tarapoto and Moyobamba, have mountains and are a couple of thousand feet in elevation. These are called the high jungles. While still hot, the high jungle is a much more pleasant place to visit because of slightly lower humidity, and the views are spectacular.

Thick jungle vegetation covers the countryside in the high jungle.

A young local leader from our church, Jimmy Guevara, provided our transportation for the drive between Moyobamba and Tarapoto, and he commented what it is like to live in this region. "The jungle is a treasure. These jungles are the lungs of the earth [from the oxygen they provide]", he said. It is an incredible journey through lush vegetation and mountains between these two cities.

Beauties of the high jungle.

We flew into Tarapoto but had to drive the 2 hours with Jimmy in order to get to Moyobamba.

Whenever we go to Moyobamba, it requires a flight to Tarapoto and then an additional drive to Moyobamba. However, the jungles and the mountains are spectacular, so the drive is enjoyable.

Into Moyobamba

Our donation of around 900 eye exams and glasses took place in the entire region over the course of a week (in Tarapoto, Moyobamba, and other cities). We arrived on the last day for some final oversight in Moyobamba and to attend a press conference.

Children arriving at the regional health center for the eye exam.

The regional health authorities and schools had pre-screened the children to only send those who truly needed glasses. Children came from throughout the region for these free exams and glasses.

We had previously hired an optical firm from Lima (called Mezones) who sent three optometrists and two coordinators plus all their equipment to travel around the region to do the exams and later provide the glasses.

Everyone awaiting their turn for the exam. Each child had been pre-screened at their school so only those needing glasses came for the exam.

The team of optometrists was able to handle about 200 children each day during the week.

Exams, three at a time all day for a week.

Optometrists gave exams with equipment they brought from Lima. 

After the exam, each child got to pick out his or her own frame. This is something that was learned through several of these past projects - if a child picks the frame they want, they will usually wear the glasses. There were more than 50 frames to choose from, but incredibly, most of the kids wanted the black frames. We just laughed.

Picking out the frames. With so many to choose from, it was a hard decision.

Part of the Lima team with their many frames for children to choose.

Now that the week of exams is completed, the optometrist firm will manufacture the 900 glasses in Lima and then send them back to the high jungle cities where the health authorities will distribute them.

Without this donation, many poor children would never get vision correction. This project will make a big difference in the lives of many for years to come.

Students bid us farewell after their exams.

Meet the Press

Part of the reason for returning to Moyobamba was to attend a press conference where we hoped to straighten out some misinformation about the donation.

Earlier in the week, a local TV station had run a news report stating that the Government ministry of health was providing the glasses and exams. Whether this was intentional or not, we wanted to clarify that this was not a Government donation.

Carmen Tipian from the Health Ministry at the press conference clearing up some confusion about the donation.

The purpose of this project, first and foremost, was to aid those with the greatest need. However, when the press claimed that the donation was from the Government, we needed to clarify. Six TV and radio stations showed up for the press conference. We were all interviewed and appeared on local news that night.

Sandy being interviewed by the press regarding the donation. She explained that, for us, being in Peru is a sacrifice we do to help others. Who knew that she would end up on TV a year after starting to learn Spanish. She did a great job.

At the press conference (L to R): Jimmy Guevara, our local church leader from Tarapoto; Marshall; Carmen Tipian from the Government health ministry; and Sandy)

Hopefully, we cleared up the confusion that had existed previously (although the TV station still identifies us as the 'iglesia evangelica' (or Evangelist Church).

Around Town

In the jungle, you see things you don't see in the big cities. This is a shot of someone bringing back a load of bananas from the jungle on a motor taxi. From jungle to you table in just minites - that is fresh!

Bananas - from the jungle to your table. Many families raise their own fruit on small plots of ground just outside the city, then harvest them and bring them into town to sell or eat.

And so we left the jungle, but we return again in two weeks as in-country contacts for the visit of a US ophthalmologist who is coming to Peru to share eye surgery techniques with local eye surgeons.

Farewell to the jungle as the sun sets over Tarapoto - a beautiful but warm part of Peru. We will next return in two weeks as in-country contacts with the US ophthalmologist.

Lake Titicaca, Nutrition Project in the Andes, and Uros Floating Islands

15 October 2017

This week's project took us to Lake Titicaca on the border with Bolivia to review a nutrition project that has been running for several years.

This high-altitude region of Peru has special needs. When you consider that many diets consist mostly of rice and potatoes, growing a home garden or raising small animals can help solve a host of issues associated with malnutrition.

Lake Titicaca and Puno

Lake Titicaca is the largest lake in South America and is also the highest navigable lake in the world (12,500 ft. elevation). The lake, 50 miles wide by 120 long, sits half in Peru and half in Bolivia.

Alpacas on the shore of Lake Titicaca. Puno is the city in the background.

Puno, on Lake Titicaca, is about as far south of Lima as you can get and still be in Peru. We fly into this remote region because driving would take several days.

Puno sits on the mountains slopes above the lake. Homes overlook the lake at altitudes approaching 14,000 feet.

Puno rises up out of Lake Titicaca and clings to the hillsides. Notice the ancient terraces on the tops of the mountains, built by the Incas to grow their crops.

Streets in Puno tend to be steeper and steeper the further from the lake that you get. Inca terraces are on the hills further up from the city, a reminder of the ancient cultures that lived here long ago.

Many women dress in traditional outfits in this region. They carry big loads in their brightly color shawls. Most of the time, they are carrying their babies in the shawls. Typical dress for women in this region includes the bright shawl, puffy skirt, alpaca socks, and pink shoes. I have never seen a woman dress like this in Lima. 

This was an interesting shot of a traditional Puno. With her other hand she was holding her cell phone and just chatting away. You somehow expect that someone dressed in such traditional garb is disassociated from the modern world, but this is never the case here in Peru.

Nutrition Improvement Project

A project in Puno was started 3 years ago to improve nutrition among our church members. The project included providing materials to construct small greenhouses to grow vegetables at high altitude (only potatoes and quinoa grows at this altitude without a greenhouse). Also, the project included building cages for animals like chickens and guinea pigs to provide more protein.

A simple greenhouse involves covering spare space with a wood frame and plastic sheets. It allows growing vegetables that could never grow otherwise at this elevation and cold.

Lettuce, beets, carrots, tomatoes, parsley, onions, and a host of other vegetables grow well as long as they are in a greenhouse.

We traveled around Puno, visiting several of these member greenhouses and animal pens to assess project effectiveness. Local leaders will finish up a survey to help us understand how to better run these projects in the future.

This small greenhouse helps feed a family of six.

In just a small space (4' x 10'), these members grow an amazing variety of nutritious vegetables, something that might otherwise be lacking in their diets. 

The church supplied the building materials (lumber, plastic sheets, starter seeds, and some initial animals). Members did the rest to build their enclosures and start their own gardens and animal breeding.

Some members raised small animals, such as guinea pigs (called 'cuy') and chickens, in the cages they kept on their roofs or sidewalks. Raising small animals works well, but (as one member told us) you can't let your children name the animals. Naming them turns them into pets, and the kids refuse to eat their pets.

Guinea pigs (called 'cuy') have been raised for food for millennia in the Andes Mountains. They look too cute to eat. I have eaten cuy before - it tastes like chicken!

We hope to close this project (meaning, let it continue on its own without further involvement) while starting other projects in different high-altitude regions.

Uros Islands

Several hundred families of Uros Indians live on floating islands on Lake Titicaca near Puno. During our few hours of free time on Saturday, we went out to the islands.

Aerial photo from the internet showing some of the 100 floating islands on Lake Titicaca on which the Uros Indians live. Each island is made of reeds. Up to 10 families live on each island.

Families work together to build their islands out of reeds. Their houses, also made of reeds, sit on top. They have to put a fresh layer of reeds on top of their islands every two weeks to keep them from sinking. Each island is about a yard thick and is anchored to the bottom of the lake, which is 30 feet below the surface.

The Uros Indians on one of their islands (I took this photo 3 years ago when we first came while on vacation in Peru. Unfortunately, it was cloudy and rainy on this visit, so no one was outside). The Uros certainly love their bright-colored clothing.

The Uros chose to live on the lake rather than on land centuries ago, probably as a defensive measure. They get their food from the lake (fish and roots of reeds). They drink their water from the lake. When they need to use the bathroom, they row a small boat away from their island into the reeds and use the lake.

We found a boat and a local Uros guide to take us to his island. During this visit, it was cloudy, raining, and cold. We were the only tourists because of the weather and the late hour we arrived, so this was very much a private tour. 

Boats line the dock in Puno, waiting to take visitors out to the islands.

Our guide, Walter, took us to his island which he and his wife and kids share with 6 other families. The only trace of modern life was a solar panel that charges a battery in each home to provide light when it is night.

In the middle of the island was a small pond holding trout, which they use as a food source. A net at the bottom of the pond keeps the fish from escaping back into the lake. Ducks and chickens also roamed the island.

Walter invited us into his home. We walked across the floating island on the spongy reeds, about a yard thick. Every two weeks they add a new layer of reeds on top as the reeds on the bottom decay away. This keeps the island from sinking.

Our guide, Walter, tied up the boat to his island and invited us inside his home.

Once inside Walter's reed house, he changed into his more comfortable home attire. All the clothes for the family of four were hanging along the walls, helping to weigh down the house and hold it onto the island.

Walter invited us into his home. Note the floor is reeds, the bed is made of reeds, and the walls are made of reeds. There is no heater (due to fire concerns). They use about 10 layers of blankets to keep warm at night.

This wood-reinforced reed house is typical of all Uros homes. They have to lift their houses up each time they add a new layer of reeds to their floating island, so they have to keep the weight of the houses to a minimum.

Much of the family income came from selling handicrafts. Walter pulled out tapestries that his wife embroidered, a few of which we bought.

This is one of the Uros handicrafts that we bought. The colors are so bright, I asked Walter if it required a battery. He laughed. The piece of handiwork is about a yard long and cost about $25.

It felt comfy in Walter's home, in spite of  a cold wind and rain outside. However, we were glad we had sweaters and a light jacket. They don't use heaters since fire is a concern.

We left the island after the sun had set and returned in darkness to Puno in Walter's boat. We were guided on the 5-mile journey back to Puno by the lights of the city.

City lights of Puno guided our journey back in the darkness.

Life as a Uros Indian living on the island is a challenge. Walter told us that many Uros now live and work in Puno rather than face the trials of living on floating islands that require lots of maintenance to keep from sinking. He said that within another 20 to 30 years, he expected that most Uros would abandon the floating islands in favor of a more comfortable life ashore.

Critters

While most domestic guinea pigs have beautiful coats, wild guinea pigs roamed freely around the hotel grounds. These are the kinds of guinea pigs that were bred for their meat by many Peruvian civilizations, including the Incas.

Wild guinea pigs roaming around our hotel in Puno.

Our hotel kept alpacas on the hotel grounds. These friendly alpacas cut (and fertilized) the hotel grass while providing a reminder that the higlands of Peru are their native home.

These fluffy alpacas were a friendly addition to the hotel.

And so the trip ended at this high-altitude city and we returned to Lima, grateful to be back at sea level without the headaches caused by the altitude sickness.