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Traveller steps up to Peru's Challenge
Non-profit offers a chance to help give education, health care and safe environments to children
Mary Julkowski, Special to the Sun
Published: Saturday, October 06, 2007Cuzco was considered by the Ancient Incas to be the navel of the world and served as the capital of their empire. With Machu Picchu, a UNESCO World Heritage Site recently named one of the Seven New Wonders of the World nearby, the tourism industry in Peru, and Cuzco in particular, is booming.
In spite of this prosperity, many Peruvians live in extreme poverty. In Cuzco the underemployment rate is 74 per cent and the average life expectancy is only 41 years. About half of all Peruvians live on less than $2 per day.
Although these statistics sound gloomy, they in no way define the Peruvians' spirit or their future. Pumamarca, a rural village 40 minutes from the centre of Cuzco, is a great example of how a community has worked hard to change and create a future with more opportunities for their children.
I spent two months this summer working in Pumamarca as a volunteer for the non-profit organization Peru's Challenge. Started in 2003 by Australian Jane Gavel and Peruvian Selvy Ugaz, the organization works at providing education, health care and a safe community environment for children living in extreme poverty. They choose communities to work with that agree to put in as much time and effort as Peru's Challenge does, and are also willing to learn new things to keep improving their lives.
Peru's Challenge uses their volunteer workers and donated resources to establish educational and health development programs and teaches the community members how to run these programs independently. So far Peru's Challenge has helped build a school for 140 kindergarten to Grade 6 students and is organizing a medical clinic for Pumamarca.
As a volunteer with Peru's Challenge I taught English and art classes, helped with construction projects and became interested in the mothers' workshop group, talleres, which is held three times a week for the women of the community and is a place for them to learn new skills, make friends, build community spirit and help supplement their family's income.
At talleres, the women learn how to knit, crochet, paint, weave and make jewelry and greeting cards that are sold at bimonthly exhibitions.
I decided to help with a website project for the talleres group on which they can start to sell their items online, with the goal of the group eventually conducting its business independently of Peru's Challenge.
The children in Pumamarca are really the heart of Peru's Challenge and were my biggest inspiration. They literally greet the volunteers with hugs and kisses every day, are extremely curious about what the volunteers are doing and try to get involved and learn as much as they can.
During my first day of volunteer work, I had to take a short break from digging holes, where we were to plant flowers, because I hadn't yet acclimatized to doing hard labour at an altitude of 4,000 metres. A young boy came up to me, asked me why I wasn't working, and then took my shovel and did my job for me.
Peru's Challenge offers a comprehensive experience by including tours to Machu Picchu and Lake Titicaca, biweekly Spanish lessons, comfortable accommodation and a support system that makes volunteering with them a unique and satisfying travel experience.
I would be happy to provide more information or answer questions at maryjulkowski@gmail.com. More information about Peru's Challenge can be found at www.peruschallenge.com.
Mary Julkowski, 25, is a graduate student at UBC.
