The associates have arrived to attend to the scholarship children and Sister Maria is busy with all that pertains to construction. There are a number of new brick homes projected plus an even greater number of bamboo homes. Sister Gloria is running from one SET to the other seeing that they have the paint they need and supplies for repairing the buildings. Once they are repaired we will put the materials they have asked for into the classroom. The teacher we took shopping last night was one of the first to have finished the clean-up and painting.
For those of you who have followed our journey these last two years will remember young CHAMPI, he and his parents came from the mountains three years ago and still the parents speak very little Spanish, the mountain people speak Quechua, Joel Champi Quispe who is now twelve years old continues to work in the market to support the household. He and his mother came for a visit this morning and I presented him with gifts from Canadian friends. He was so proud to try on the two sweaters sent by Nancy & Robert Coyne and the lovely watch sent to him by Peter and Murielle Gervais. They are in great need of a washroom so Yvonne Sklepowicz has agreed to use the funds she raised to build that bathroom.
Today I am trying to see that all the supplies that the youth need to take to the families they visited yesterday are purchased and ready for distribution tomorrow afternoon as I would like the youth to go back to the family they visited and take the requested supplies. The beds and mattresses should arrive today as well as table and chairs. We have to go to market for stoves, pots, gas tanks, wash tubs, large water containers and many other items. Pauline
It’s another HOT day in Chincha! The church bells and the noise of the traffic continue to wake me up early, but today we don’t have to hurry. The youth are with their Peruvian families and will spend the day with them sightseeing. Everyone seemed to survive the night and we did not get any calls to come and get them!
I visited my sponsored child, Fatima, today. She is going to be 16 and is in her last year of high school. The house I built them 3 years ago is still in good condition and they have a little store at the front of the house to supplement their income. I will be looking for another child to sponsor next year, as there are many in need of help and a good education.
This year I raised funds to help with a water project in a community. At the present time it is stalled because of legalities (paper work and ownership of land) and the fact that the mayor of the municipality was in jail for a while so the papers could not go through the system!! Hopefully, things will be in order for the people in a few months. I have decided to help a family with the building of a bathroom that they need now. ‘Champi’ and his mother came today to the house so that he could receive his scholarship money and so I met them for the first time, but do remember hearing his story from people who met him a few years ago. The family came down from the mountains and squatted in this alley way called the ‘Calle Jon’ – 12 families were housed here with no running water except for a main tap at the entrance to the ‘alley’. After getting all their paper work in order, we helped them get pipes into their homes so that they could enjoy the comfort of turning on their own tap and have running water in their own homes. Unfortunately, most of them do not have bathroom facilities. Champi’s father drinks most of his income (collects recyclables – mostly plastic bottles) anway and Champi works in the market helping anyone who needs things carted ‘from here to there’ – he has a big cart (wheelbarrow style) that he can put things on and just push along! He was doing this at 9 years old!! The people working down here at the time fell in love with Champi and jumped right in to help the family out. Champi slept outside (amidst all the recyclables) and did not even have a room or proper bed. We built him his own separate room and provided him with a bed and other necessities. He was so proud of his room that at first he wouldn’t even let his parents in! Someone then volunteered to pay their hydro and water bills, someone is sponsoring him for an education, someone else is helping out with gifts, etc., so now it’s time for a decent bathroom!! I look forward to seeing what this young boy will end up accomplishing when he grows up!
We are spending the rest of the day preparing the necessary articles we want to get back to all the families we visited and hopefully deliver them tomorrow when the youth return. Friday (when we leave for Lima) is already in sight and time waits for no one!! Yvonne
I got to visit Lily and Gerry Mungham’s scholarship child today. Lily works as a nurse with me at the Deep River Hospital back home. Her child was thrilled with the package of gifts and the photo album of Lily’s family with the lovely write-ups in Spanish! She loved the Barbie doll, and the clothes outfit will fit nicely with some room to grow. She showed us her “Diplomas of Honor” in various subjects. I took some pictures. She said a “muchos gracias”! We tried to connect with the scholarship child of my sister, Sharon Faye, without success, but fortunately she came this afternoon with her mother to the convent to bring her report card. She tried on and loved the outfits sent! They fit very well, also with some room to grow. Photos were taken with them plus holding her report card.
Last evening I got to visit my scholarship teen and her family which was so very great! She is musical too – is learning guitar (plays classical), and sang some songs with her sister. She understands English well (takes it in High School). She will be graduating this year. Today, I also met with the single mom and child whom our family sent support to through Jim and Ali Keogh in Chincha Baja. They are doing great social work among the people there. My interpreter, Jimmy, drove us in his motor-taxi to see her school, her rented home and the land that Jim Keogh is helping get a title for the future home for herself, son and her mother. I was impressed to see that she had chickens and chicks to raise and sell for an income, plus keeps a motorcycle that someone pays her weekly rent to store. Her home has improved a lot from 2 yrs ago when her kitchen was bricks on the ground, no table or chairs, and a small bamboo shelter. Now she has plywood. This afternoon was spent helping sort items to take to a senior’s home in Lima, plus regular household duties of bathroom and floors. My stomach system was unsettled yesterday and today but manageable. It was good to have some down time to catch up with laundry.
Happy Ash Wednesday and the start of Lent to you all! We enjoyed experiencing this service in Spanish. The ashes-cross on my forehead looked a whole lot bolder than the brown Peruvians. Grace
Last evening I got to visit my scholarship teen and her family which was so very great! She is musical too – is learning guitar (plays classical), and sang some songs with her sister. She understands English well (takes it in High School). She will be graduating this year. Today, I also met with the single mom and child whom our family sent support to through Jim and Ali Keogh in Chincha Baja. They are doing great social work among the people there. My interpreter, Jimmy, drove us in his motor-taxi to see her school, her rented home and the land that Jim Keogh is helping get a title for the future home for herself, son and her mother. I was impressed to see that she had chickens and chicks to raise and sell for an income, plus keeps a motorcycle that someone pays her weekly rent to store. Her home has improved a lot from 2 yrs ago when her kitchen was bricks on the ground, no table or chairs, and a small bamboo shelter. Now she has plywood. This afternoon was spent helping sort items to take to a senior’s home in Lima, plus regular household duties of bathroom and floors. My stomach system was unsettled yesterday and today but manageable. It was good to have some down time to catch up with laundry.
Happy Ash Wednesday and the start of Lent to you all! We enjoyed experiencing this service in Spanish. The ashes-cross on my forehead looked a whole lot bolder than the brown Peruvians. Grace
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