The preparation began many months before the trip. We had many missions and had to coordinate them to maximize the potential of the trip. We left Barcelona with Eva Navarrete, a Member of the Board and a lawyer, who advises us on legal matters, her stay was not very long due to scheduling conflicts, although she took advantage of living close to the projects that we had under way. What is more, M. Elena Palacio, President of the board and sculptor, spent 5 weeks visiting, supervising the different projects and teaching some occupational workshops mainly for women. Later Margarita Serra would be added to the team, a professor of nutrition with 5 pupils, whom by agreement with the University Ramón Llull (URL) School of Nutrition Blanquerna, would develop a nutrition project in the college “La Cantera” (the quarry) for the settlement called “El Milagro” in Huanchaco.
Our first chapter was Huanchaco where we were united with Susy Dávila, a volunteer since the beginning of PAYPE. She accompanied us on the visits and collaborated in the workshops. Ricardo Chavez was waiting for us in Piura where he was already busy with other projects.
In Huanchaco, we interviewed the mayor, Fernando Bazón Pinillos, with whom we coordinated the arrival of Margarita Serra and the students of nutrition. He was nice enough to put us in contact with the archaeologist Nancy Dominguez who taught us Chan-Chan, the oldest city of mud constructed, had been the capital of the kingdom of Chumú and was originally more than 20 square kilometers and situated in the neighborhood of Huanchaco. Since 1968 it has been a world heritage site by UNESCO.
We signed a cooperation agreement between the College "The Quarry" and PAYPE with Gaby Alfaro, the Director of the school, in order to carry out a nutrition project biannually. In this first phase there would be a nutritional study of the children, with samples taken so that later a project to reduce the malnutrition in the zone could be developed. The students were given shirts and school bags donated by La Caixa.
The signing of the cooperation agreement with College "La Cantera"
(The Quarry College) for the semiannual nutrition project.
We visited the establishment "Los Huertos" (The Orchards) in Huanchaco,
where we would hold some open workshops from June 22nd to July 4th.
Susana Chinchayan, treasurer of the Council of Neighbors, Eva Navarrete and
M. Elena Palacios in the classroom where the workshops were organized.
The workshops run were:
Cloth Painting Workshop
Cloth Dying Workshop
Glass Painting Workshop
Confectioner's Workshop: making donut-shaped fritters
Kitchen Workshop: making potato tortillas
Soap-Making Workshop
Cloth-Making Workshop
The objective of the "Los Huertos" project is to construct: a dining room, kitchen, occupational workshops, bathrooms, a house of refuge for single mothers and abandoned children, and a library. All this while preserving the environment, conserving Huanchaco's idiosyncrasy and making it sustainable.
Open workshops in "Los Huertos", Huanchaco
We continued our trip to Piura, where, thanks to the grant given by AECID (with the Renovation and Implementation of the libraries' network project), we have been able to remodel their 3 libraries' network in Piura : CARLOS CUETO (La URBA), CARMEN CHECA AND JORGE MOSCOL. In the Library (La Urba) a group of local inhabitants came to meet us, encouraged by our visit, as well as a visit to the other two.
We were received by the Mayor Monica Zapata of Castagnino in the Museum Auditorium of the city.
At all times, we were accompanied by the Councillor of Culture Palace Rosa Ramirez
With the Mayor of Peru, the Councillor of Culture Rosa Palacios, and Eva Navarrete
Back to Huanchaco we were greeted by the Rector of the National University of TrujilloUniversidad Nacional deTrujillo (UNT) D. Victor Carlos Saban Gamarra, for the cooperation through agreements in the different programs between the URL and UNT in solidarity.
Victor Carlos Sabana Gabarra.
Study sponsorship program with the College “The Miracle”. Setting up an agreement that consisted of paying for the studies of a child and monitering the child and their degree of achievement. The benefactor is allowed to have contact with the child who benefits.
A Visit to Chepén. A ShelterProject composed of a group of volunteers and altruistic women, is developing a project for a host shelter for single mothers and abandoned children to turn it into an orphanage. And managed the building and 11 sewing machines to provide women a trade in which they can earn a living while the hostel-orphanage finances. Currently, they are dealing with the theft of 8 of the 12 sewing machines, and all the disappointment the restart caused, to get more resources and move forward with the idea of forming the orphanage.
Preschool San José de Moro. We had an outstanding visit ,It has been two years that we had implemented its facilities. The furnitures were painted, cleaned and endowed as well as various school supplies and games given to develop their education.
We made the delivery of shirts donated by the Social Work "La Caixa", spent some time with the children, and played on the playground. It was a very special meeting.
You can see how they valued what they had been donated by the conservation index that was not only furniture but also books, toys etc. The teachers had educated the children to live with core values, as was respect for the things they use and enjoy. We supported several proposals, we agreed to assess them and hopefully we can meet such needs.
We also visited the Middle School "San José de Moro" which had developed our beginnings in this time we saw such a great improvement in the Middle School. A closed fence had been built so that the 300 children had no danger to the Pan-American Highway that passes in front. The house had been demolished and a larger two-story was constructed, including some sports field (soccer, basketball). Moreover, we delivered shirts to them.
Our next step was Chiclayo (Lambayeque) from where we reached to Mochumi.
We received the Mayor Teodoro Martinez Inoñán, who very kindly devoted his time to join us to learn abou the water supply project to Paredones Fundo. We wore the T-shirts and backpack donated by the Obra Social "La Caixa" where we delivered donations in three schools in very depressed areas. Due to the occasion of the transit strike, there was not much presence of children in the classroom.
We received the Mayor Teodoro Martinez Inoñán, who very kindly devoted his time to join us to learn abou the water supply project to Paredones Fundo. We wore the T-shirts and backpack donated by the Obra Social "La Caixa" where we delivered donations in three schools in very depressed areas. Due to the occasion of the transit strike, there was not much presence of children in the classroom.
We want to thank each and everyone with whom we have allied so kindly during our stay, for their great sympathy and help in order to meet our requirements and finish our travel program. The team has been around all these projects that we will work on during our winter. We want to make dreams a reality by improving the livelyhoods of the residents. Our priority is education and teaching, however we also seek to remind people that for some, every day is a struggle. We are confident that together we can reach our objectives. ALL TOGETHER. THERE, WITH LITTLE MUCH CAN BE DONE.
