Journey to Peru: The building of a day care centre
Reach Out to Humanity is founded on the principle that every person has the right to their basic human needs being met regardless of race, gender or religion. Our aim is to uphold these ideals through initiatives in disadvantaged areas throughout the world.
Well, we are finally finished. The planning that goes into projects of this nature often begins years prior to the actual start date of construction. In that sense, even though we’ve only been here three months, it feels like such a long time coming.
On the day before the opening of the school, at the end of our mad rush to get everything painted, cleaned and ready, the community directors threw ROTH volunteers a lavish feast as token of their genuine appreciation. When I say lavish feast, I mean a three course meal complete with ceviche and Inka Kola.
They had all pooled together whatever money they had to offer us such a memorable gathering. They also said a few heart-felt words that will not be soon forgotten. We were incredibly touched.
This was only the beginning of the celebrations that continued the following day, complete with ribbon cutting and champagne bottle smashing to really inaugurate the place. Aside from all of the celebrations, it was hard not to swell with emotion when watching roughly 90 or so children run around the place with sheer joy. They marvelled at everything from the three different accent walls in our classrooms, to the new books and play mats they would soon enjoy.
These children.
The reason we did it all.
We’re now on our way home. Coming in the New Year: A few retrospective videos of the incredible, unforgettable experience we just went through, building a day care in Peru.
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Category : Uncategorized
Tags: Construction, Day Care, Humanitarian, Lima, Luya, Peru, Reach Out To Humanity, ROTH, Volunteer, work
With the inauguration of the day care centre being a week from Monday, things are down to the wire. Members of the community, our workers, and our volunteers have pulled together to help us with this final leg of the project. With our budget tighter than we had originally anticipated due to the struggling Canadian Dollar we have had to cut back on a few things in order to deliver our promise to the children of Luya. In an act of extreme generosity, devoted members of the community have been putting in seven day weeks and countless overtime hours in order to see the project through. Never have they asked to be compensated for their additional hours. They consider their additional time as a gift to the future children of their community.
It is beginning to set in that we only have a week left with the people whom we have had the opportunity to work alongside of for the past three months. My personal favourite is the man that sells us half-melted chocolate bars from his wood cart right across the street from the site. His unmistakably Peruvian attire and consistent supply of ‘Sublime’ chocolate complete with a hug and a smile has been an invaluable resource to us all. I have really started to feel at home here. It’s going to be hard to say goodbye to our newfound friends. Especially since I can’t even begin to imagine when I will get the opportunity return and see them again. The Peruvians have showered us with warmth and friendship that is not soon to be forgotten by those of us lucky enough to have been on the receiving end.
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Category : Uncategorized
Tags: Construction, Day Care, Humanitarian, Lima, Luya, Peru, Reach Out To Humanity, ROTH, work
Written by
alannah
November 24, 2008
In a time of frantic economic instability, it is refreshing to see how people who live in a disadvantaged area of the world adapt themselves and contribute to the greater good of their community. We’re witnessing sacrifices being made every day. Almost all of our foremen, tradesmen and labourers took a pay cut to work on our site because they realized the positive consequences to their actions. They have repeatedly made references to their work being for the children and their future. Many of these men have children or grandchildren who will benefit from the fruits of their labour.
The community of Luya is desperate for basic employment in order to simply sustain itself. Yet it believes in this project, in this dream, and it is coming together, pitching in wholeheartedly with little afterthought of financial compensation.
I wonder how this idea can be more difficult to grasp or adopt in the more developed world. Without monetary incentive, does our vision become foggy? Are our ideals thrown out of the window? How do we justify not coming together to help our neighbour, not contributing to our own community, wherever it may be?
All pitching in!
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Category : Uncategorized
Tags: Aid, Children, Day Care, Humanitarian, Lima, Luya, Peru, Reach Out To Humanity, ROTH
When I got back from Seattle this week I was pleasantly surprised to see not only that the outer windows have been installed but that we welcomed a new puppy to the site! Should all go well, Oreo will be making the long trek back to Vancouver where he will finish off his later years in the comfort of a new family. Maybe it’s his grave malnourishment that evoked an overwhelming amount sympathy. Perhaps it was his uncanny ability to endure the parasitic relationship he maintains with over 100 fleas that call him home. Whatever it was that drew one of our volunteers to him it once again proves the age-old adage that ‘love is blind’.
Though I am absolutely thrilled to know that he has found a great home, it sort of got me thinking as to why, out of any of the hundreds of puppies in the slums, does he get to live out the rest of his dog-years flea free while so many others get left behind. Was he just at the right place at the right time, doing the right thing? Why would I have had the opportunity to be born into a good family with means to feed, clothes, and educate me while so many others do not? Is this the way the bell-curve drops? Ignoring the whole genetic lineage thing, couldn’t I have just as easily been born in a different environment? What responsibilities, if any, do those ‘lucky’ enough to be born into privileged conditions have towards those who are not so ‘lucky’? I find it difficult to ingest that despite having done nothing to merit the things I was given as a child, that for just being born to the people in the place I was born to, I got a leg up in the world.
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Category : Uncategorized
Tags: Aid, Construction, Day Care, Dog, Humanitarian, Lima, Luya, Oreo, Peru, Reach Out To Humanity, ROTH, Stray
Written by
alannah
November 10, 2008
This past week, I was fortunate enough to visit the first centre built by Asociación Gabriela Mistral, the Peruvian NGO that we are partnering with for this project and the future operators of our centre after its completion. The first centre they took on is located in an area outside Lima notorious for very active terrorist activities in the 1980s.
ROTH volunteer Scott Pike
The centre, Kukuli, has been in the community for twenty-nine years and is a symbol of integrity, education and peace. Built with thought and care, it is a testament to how vitally important non-governmental organizations are in the world. In an area where terrorism and murder were part of the everyday reality of this community, the centre created a safe have for children. It was, and still is, a place where kids learn that they have choices far beyond those forced upon them by violent political groups.
There are many similarities between our centre and Kukuli. Its roof, for instance, was built by the same carpenter as ours. Twenty-nine years later, it is still in excellent condition. Our centre will also accommodate a similar number of children. Our visit to Kukuli rejuvenated my excitement and belief in what we are creating in Luya. The centre is a testament to long-lasting positive change in a high-risk environment.
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Category : Uncategorized
Tags: Children, Day Care, Education, Humanitarian, Luya, Peru, Reach Out To Humanity, ROTH, Volunteer, work
Written by
alannah
November 4, 2008
I sometimes wonder about things that we are inadvertently harming in the process of building our centre. For instance, our timber for the roof is coming from an Amazonian timber yard. The rapidly depleting Amazon, also referred to as one of the world?s lungs, has been a searing environmental topic for quite a few years. Not only do greedy clearcutters deplete the land for their gain, but those that live in the Amazon also lend themselves to its rapid depletion.
Traditionally, inhabitants of the jungle region, as the Amazon is more commonly referred to, would subsist in one settlement on the river. Once that settlement had been stripped of most of its resources – fish, vegetation, and wood – the inhabitants would move to another location, leaving only their waste. Historically, this wasn’t problematic because there was a large amount of land; however, as the jungle disappears, this practice continues.
Regardless, of the higher quality wood that we purchase, we are still adding to the depletion of the Amazon. We are, however, helping fuel the economy of the timber yard as well as create a durable roof for our centre and its inhabitants. It’s a constant and complex weighing of greater goods and lesser evils.
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Category : Uncategorized
Tags: Aid, Children, Construction, Humanitarian, Luya, Peru, Reach Out To Humanity, ROTH
I get a break from construction this week to fly to Seattle for my dad and step-mother’s wedding celebration. As excited as I am to see my family again, returning to North America always makes me a bit anxious. For some culture shock occurs when they are first acclimating to their new environment. For me, it hits me when I go home. I know I’ll eventually calm down, but before I can get to that point, the rants must go on…
Looking around, it’s hard not to be affected by the gaping difference between our world and the one found in the slums. Everything seems so excessive. I can only imagine the look on a child’s face should he find out that in some countries, one day out of the year, you can go around to as many houses as you want and people will give you copious amounts of chocolate and sweets, for FREE. Even more disturbing is that according to the National Retail Foundation, Americans spend more than $4.95 billion a year on Halloween costumes, cards, candy, and decorations. Do we not realize what could be done with this money? How many clinics, houses, schools could be built for 4.95 billion dollars? It’s these sort of ideas that seem to permeate my everyday thoughts and I can’t help but be overwhelmed by this insatiable urge to rid myself of every little ‘extra’. It just feels so wrong that we should be spending so much on something so insignificant when there are much more valuable things we could be doing with this unfathomable sum. How did it come to this? How did we get so wrapped up in finding the perfect 80s style pop-star dress that don’t consider the implications of our actions? Who cares if the 8 year old Indonesian girl painfully made it for a cost equivalent to the change I wouldn’t be bothered to pick up off the street? We need that dress, don’t we.
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Category : Uncategorized
Tags: Aid, Construction, Costumes, Culture, Day Care, Hallween, Humanitarian, Reach Out To Humanity, ROTH, Shock
Written by
alannah
October 27, 2008
When going over our tight budget for furniture and appliances for the centre, I find myself wondering why the Peruvian government isn’t helping to build this centre. Why isn’t the government offering resources to subsidize our fundraising efforts? Shouldn’t the government be building this centre in the first place?
Light was shed on my stream of questions this weekend while visiting the Andes for the first time. Perseverance plays a key role in the Peruvian outlook. Unfortunately, like most developing countries, Peruvians have not been blessed with reliable leadership. Regardless of social and political instability, Peruvians are extremely apt at carrying on with their lives. If the government provides them with resources, they happily accept them, but if it reneges on its promises or simply does not offer any, they find another way. Constantly waiting and hoping for your government to act and vying for the attention of public funds does not get things done.
On another note, while attempting to acclimatize to life at 3800m, I was blown away by the self-sustaining Andean people. From the their ability to build extensive irrigation systems twisting down the mountains to family following grazing rotations to prevent over-working the land, Andeans are not only hard working but also very well organized. Unfortunately, water running through the irrigation systems is now in jeopardy of becoming privatized. Meanwhile, the media’s charm continues to persuade young Andeans to leave their family land and livestock for the cities. With herders and their livestock regularly passing by in nothing more than llama-wool sweaters, I seriously considered if my raingear and I could withstand the next three minutes of my clumsy trek to 4000 meters before I would be forced to take another ten-minute breather. Luckily, my lesson in perseverance pulled me through.
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Category : Uncategorized
Tags: Andes, Humanitarian, Luya, Peru, Reach Out To Humanity, ROTH, Volunteer, work
When I think about the incalculable hours that have gone into building this school and how many children in this world still need access to education, I can’t help but sometimes feel a little discouraged. Looking around the slums it’s easy to feel like you could spend the rest of your life building homes, schools, and clinics without ever even loosening the unforgiving grasp that poverty has on its prey. I know the battle must be fought. I just wonder if we’ll ever win.
On a few memorable occasions I’ve been labeled as ‘idealistic’ or ‘naïve’. As much as I resent these comments, I understand where they come from. One can make a very strong argument for why things will never change, why there will, as there always have been, those without food, water, shelter, health care, and an education. This is the way the world is and, one could argue, the way it will always be.
It seems that throughout human history there have been some people for peace and others for war. There are those who plant trees and those who uproot them, those who give life and others who take it. Over time I have come to conceptualize this delicate dichotomy as what I perceive to be a giant scale. I have to keep reminding myself that we have the choice to decide which side we are going to be on. This choice is even more evident for those of us who have had the privilege of growing up in the so penned ‘developed countries’. I don’t think I can change the world… but I know I can do my part to maybe, hopefully, tilt the scale, if ever so slightly, in favour of life, health, and peace.
View when arriving in Lima from the North.
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Category : Uncategorized
Tags: Children, Construction, Day Care, Health, Humanitarian Aid, Journey, Lima, Luya, Peace, Peru, Poverty, Reach Out To Humanity, ROTH, Slum, Youth
Written by
alannah
October 16, 2008
To my delight, now that the building is slowly taking form, we are beginning to organise more specific interior details. We’re looking into carpenters and furniture makers in Luya to hopefully keep most things local and help fuel the economy. The two volunteer cooks from the temporary daycare centre made it very clear that we should take their Peruvian short height into account when deciding at how high to install the sink and counters. And so we should. After all, these wonderful women volunteer their time everyday to cook roughly 30 children lunch and will soon be cooking for over 90! We need to make things workable for them.
We’re in the middle of getting quotes for furniture and other fixtures. We’re concerned with quality. We need to find furniture that will withstand being hurled across the classroom by three year olds. Luckily we have some samples to go on, which are already being used in the temporary centre.
I’m realising how finding durable materials for the centre’s future daily activities is just as important and the installation of its foundation walls. We want the school to function, and to function for a long time. We also want to give these kids pride. Pride for their school. Pride for everything it will have to offer. Pride for the education they’ll be receiving.
Alannah in the nearby temporary day care centre
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Category : Uncategorized
Tags: Children, Construction, Day Care, Humanitarian Aid, Journey, Luya, Peru, Reach Out To Humanity, ROTH, Slum, Youth
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