Wednesday, July 22, 2009

So You're Asking "Should I Go on One of these Trips?"

Yes, by all means you should come! I'm sure many of you reading this have never been on what is now being called a "voluntourism" trip (a combine tourism/volunteer trip). I had never been on one until last year and now I'm a zealot, at least for this trip. It is a great way to see some of Peru's most amazing spots and enjoy some fun activities for the first 4 days (Machhu Picchu, Waynu Picchu, river rafting, horse back riding and more).

What I think would surprising you is the volunteer part of the trip is even more fun and adventurous than the tourism portion. During the second half of the trip you will be in a group of 3 teaching in one of the Coprodeli run schools during the day. You will teach approximately 3 classes per day for 90 minutes at a time. You will have had conference calls with your group in advance of the trip and planned what you are teaching and what materials to bring. On one of the days you will spend 3 hours doing "outreach" where you will get the chance to go out into the community and visit people in their homes and help Coprodeli staff assess needs.

In the evenings you visit the orphanages two or three times. We bring them dinner and also bring goodie bags for them.

COST
The trip is not expensive and in fact it is less expensive then if you wanted to plan a trip to Peru on your own. Total cost, including airfare and all the excursions is approximately $2,000, many of us probably spend $2k at home in ten days. This includes airfare, lodging, transportation, administrative costs and about two-thirds of your meals. You also have the option to skip the tourism portion and just do the volunteer portion would cut the costs further. If you're interested we can provide a much more detailed cost breakdown and itinerary or you can find that in a pdf on our website under the "Be Uplifting" tab at www.boyanciwine.com .

WHEN / HOW LONG IS THE TRIP?
BOYANCI Wine will continue to host one trip a year and we would love for you to join us. We next trip will likely be around the same time as this year's trip so the end of June. If that is not convenient for you Coprodeli does host 2 other trips per year that you could potentially participate in. For more information visit www.coprodeliusa.net or call their office at 312-798-2391 .

The typical schedule is to arrive on a late Wednesday night and leave the 9 days later on a Friday. Again if you did not want to do the Tourism portion the trip could be cut down to under a week.

I was lucky enough to have persuaded some of my friends and family to join us and hopefully you had a chance to read their blog entries about their experience. Everyone had an amazing time. They came back feeling enriched and with a new found perspective. They also saw first hand the excellent and very efficient work that Coprodeli is doing down there and are now committed to help further.

I hope you'll consider joining us. I would be happy to provide any additional information and feel free to email me directly (tom@boyanciwine.com) or just reply to the blog. See you in Peru!

Cheers,

Tom

Friday, July 10, 2009

Thanks for your generousity

Special thanks to Roma, Aline, David, Amy, Sarah, and Papa Tomas for helping us to fund this donation to improve the nutrition of the boys in the Callao orphanage. I thought I would post this so others can see just how diligent Coprodeli is in tracking how the money is spent and providing sight to its use. I hope others will join us for future trips but you don't have to wait to go to Peru to help. There are lots of ways to get involved and donate all posted on coprodeli's web site at www.coprodeliusa.org.

Cheers,

Tom and Kevin


Below is Coprodeli project document:

BOYANCI Project for Boys Orphanage in Callao, Peru
Project: $800 Donation for weekly meals for residents of the Casa Hogar Ana Mogas in Callao, Peru


Project Objective:
On June 3, volunteers from the BOYANCI service group made a contribution of US$ 800 to cover the purchase of weekly meals for one year for the children living in the Casa Hogar Ana Mogas. Funding from the BOYANCI group will be used in coordination with the nutrition initiatives already in place at the center, complimenting the program by providing greater meal variety and additional nutrition.

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

All the Food was Great but La Mar Reigns Supreme

Many don't think of Peru as a culinary center but the food is excellent. Each area has its typical foods: Guinea Pig and Alpaca in Cusco, Chicheria (I'm sure I spelled this wrong) in Ica which is a unique but delicious take on pork and of course Ceviche and other fresh seafood in Lima (Miraflores is the swanky part of Lima where many of the best restaurants are found).

We did not eat at fancy restaurants with one exception, we ate at very common inexpensive local places and had great food and friendly, albeit leisurely service across this great country.

There were though two stand out meals one in Lima and one in Cusco. I'll let Kevin tell you about the Cusco meal.

The best meal that we had was hands down our lunch at LA MAR. This was not just a great meal by Peruvian standards it was world class. OK, we were not the first to discover Gaston Acurio's genius in fact he now has restaurants around the world including Mexico City, San Francisco, San Paolo, Spain and Costa Rica. From our experience he deserves all the praise and success given to him our meal was a spiritual experience.

Cebiches is king and there are 11 different ones to choose from at La Mar. The fish is as fresh as it gets most of it caught within hours of being served and preparations combine the typical and traditional with a great modern and creative flair. Excellent combinations of flavors and textures create a symphony in your mouth.

The meal was made even better by our excellent waiter Paul who spoke perfect English and knew the menu inside and out. He is also a real student of food and provided great background on Peruvian cuisine and how Gaston had stayed true to traditional while giving it his one unique flare. If you go you must request Paul.

Every thing is wonderful but we especially recommend the following:
1) Fuente de 5 Cebiches (a combination of 5 amazing Ceviche preparations)
2) Planchas Criolla (perfectly prepared Octopus on sweet potato)
3) Arroces Criollo (traditional rice topped with scallops and fish prepared in a Wok)

We enjoined this delicious meal with a bottle of Rio Negro Torrentes from Patagonia Argentina. Its floral nose and excellent acidity and dry finish made it versatile enough to match up with all the various flavors. They have a great wine program featuring many excellent Argentinian and Spanish wines and have a knowledgeable staff. We enjoyed our tour of the wine cellar and conversing with the Sommelier.

La Mar is only open for lunch until 5pm each day to ensure the very freshest fish and does not take reservations but the wait is usually no more than 20 minutes. Don't miss it!

Cheers,

Tom

Padre Miguel: One Part CEO, One Part Priest


The last two days that I spent working with Coprodeli in Peru were with Padre Miguel, the founder, strategist and leader of the organization. I could go on and on about what amazing work this guy and his team have done and how much he they accomplished.

I think we have all experienced the amazing privilege you feel when you are able to spent meaningful time with someone that is truly great. I don't mean famous, I mean great. To me a great man (or women for that matter) is able to create breakthroughs, to do things that others would have thought impossible. But it's more than just that, it is also about HOW they do the seemingly impossible. In the case of Padre Miguel, he does it with such grace, humility and and an absence of interest in self-promotion.

During our first night in Peru we all had dinner with Padre Miguel at a Pizza joint near the volunteer house. After dinner he invited us to his office and we then took us through a presentation that explained Coprodeli's mission, strategy and how they "keep score" on how they are doing. He shared his capitalistic philosophy about ensuring that those Coprodeli helps having "skin the game". All recipients pay something for the schooling, uniforms and houses even if it is sweat equity. Padre believes firmly in development and assistance but not charity. The organizations accomplishments were laid out factually and quantitatively without superlatives and with little reference to Padre personally. The presentation resembled the sort of professional presentation that one would expect from a CEO like Jack Welch of a large for profit organization. My PHD Economist father was even impressed which is no small feat.

While he was presenting someone noticed the picture of he and Mother Teresa on Padre's desk and inquired about it "Padre, what a great honor that Mother Teresa came to visit you". He replied "She came here 20 years ago when things were very bad in Peru and Coprodeli was just getting started. She didn't come to honor me she came to offer help because she said I would need a lot of help and she was right". It is this kind of humility that characterizes the man.

Over my last two days with him, we visited Ica (an area completely destroyed by an earthquake 2 years ago where he is determined to build 2,000 houses, he has 111 built so far), Chincha where he has just finished a school and will now build 1,000 houses and a church around it and Pisco, where we stood in an empty field that would eventually have 1,000 houses, a school, church and medical clinic. Standing in that field in Pisco Vanessa, the Director of Coprodeli's US fundraising said to me "the government has stopped paying its promised funds and Coprodeli has incurred a lot of debt". I asked Padre "how will you deal with this setback". He said "the same way we have dealt with all the rest, our employees and volunteers will get creative, we will rally the local people, we will put pressure on the government and somehow we will get he money and finish the project".

As we asked more questions and listened we learned that every single project has had barriers unimaginable to us in the US. Broken promises, no water rights, a government official reneging on payment the day before school was to start, etc. Coprodeli did not receive the deeds to the land that it built schools on in one area until 3 years after the schools had been built. "Better to ask for forgiveness than wait years for permission" Padre Miguel said. This seemed an even more fitting response coming from a Priest.

In Ica, Coprodeli will only build houses that conform to the highest earthquake standards but still the building permits and government funding is very slow to come. Other builders who are building lesser houses are getting permits and funding much quicker because they are "taking care of the inspectors". In a country where bribes are a common part of business Coprodeli abstains. As a result there are challenges and delays but it works out in the end. A recent aftershock in Ica destroyed two new but poorly constructed houses while the new Coprodeli built house next store stood strong without a crack. The next day some funding and approvals arrived at Coprodeli's office. I guess that's the mysterious ways thing in action......

We had a wonderful couple of days and I got a glimpse into what it is like to work in the face of real adversity. The next time I find something particularly challenging I will think of Padre Miguel in that field in Peru and put my challenges in their proper perspective.

I have now arrived back in the states and I already can't wait to go back to Peru. I hope many of you will join us for our next trip. I promise you will have an Uplifting and unforgettable experience.

Cheers,

Tom

In the Classroom




Coprodeli has build 14 schools in some of the poorest neighborhoods in Peru. We spent July 1st and 2nd teaching at two of the four Coprodeli schools in Pachacutec, a shantytown in Callao about 30 miles from Lima. It is a great model, Coprodeli builds the schools, creates the ciriculum(an 8 hour school day), manages the application process which involves entrance exams and the government pays the teachers and expenses.

The contrast is striking. As my Dad talked about in his entry, Pachacutec is a shantytown where the houses have no running water, no indoor plumbing and are built on dirt floors from scrap materials. The schools on the other hand are on par with US schools. They are modern with all of features found in the states including a computer lab. It must be a huge shock to come from those houses into these schools.

We split our volunteers into two groups and both groups had spent the month prior to the trip on conference calls discussing their project, what supplies they needed to bring and who would do what. Our group decided to incorporate photography. On my last visit I remember hearing that most of these children and their parents did not have cameras and did not own photos of themselves. I remember the kids being giddy about seeing their image on the digital camera's little screen and I had wished I had a way to get the pictures to them.

We also wanted to make our project somewhat educational so we explained a little about how photography worked to the class (a very little bit). We had prepared a demonstration of how the first camera was created but after we couldn't get our demonstration to work in rehearsal we scrapped it. We took every child's individual photo (they are 40 kids to a class and kids in most of our classes were around 8 years old). We then passed out wood frames and all kinds of fun decorations: feathers, sequins, markers, glue, balls, yarn, etc. and asked the kids to decorate the frames. We then worked table to table assist them and also spent time teaching them some English words while they taught us some Spanish. Our project was really a collaboration. All 4 of us had input into the content and shared the presentation.

As each photo came out of the printer we secured them in the frames. The kids were ecstatic! They were so proud of their frame creations and their photos. Many put their names on their frames and some added their parents names. They kept asking if they could keep them. Of course!

We had some much fun working these happy, creative and energetic kids. Socio-economic and cultural differences disappear. Even language barriers seemed to get easier to manage. the kids shared the clue and decorations and shocked us with their excellent manners, patience and obedience. The teachers stayed in the classroom and helped as well. It was really a hell of a lot of fun.

OK, does this activity change the world? Does it even change the life of one child? No. But it brightens their day, it provides them with a photo to display at home in their very humble abode and it gives the kids precious attention of caring volunteers. It also brought joy to us the volunteers and every single volunteer got to see the amazing good being done in these schools and they will spread the word and the support will multiply and that will multiply the number of schools we can build and the kids we can help. Big things come out of little things.

Tom Steffanci

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

June 24th Initial Entry

Somehow our very first blog entry did not post so I’m reposting it now, this was written on June 24, sorry that it is out of order.

Tomorrow the BOYANCI crew arrives in Peru. We are a group of 10 volunteers all from the US. The trip participants (Kevin, Thomas, Roma, Sarah, David, Alene, Amy, Erika and Vanessa) will all also hopefully post entries about their experiences. It will be a first time visit for 8 of the 10 volunteers (Vanessa and I have been before). Keep track of us via this blog or from the link on our website.

The week begins with some fun tourist activities and then we begin the volunteer work which is the real purpose of the trip. We will be teaching in schools in a shantytown called Pachacutec and at night volunteering in orphanages in Callao. The schools and orphanages were built and are run by Coprodeli. Coprodeli is a non-profit run by Padre Miguel and supported by Coprodeli US which conducts fundraising and applies for grants to help support the amazing work that Coprodeli does to help develop the most impoverished areas of Peru. Learn more about Coprodeli’s great work on the "Be Uplifting" tab at www.boyanciwine.com or go to Coprodeli’s site directly at www.coprodeliusa.org.

Coprodeli owns a house in a poor area of Callao that serves as a dormitory for its volunteers. The house sleeps 14 and while quite Spartan it does provide the basics (electricity, running water sometimes hot, single beds 2 and 3 to a room and a kitchen). The volunteer house is walking distance to the orphanages which makes it very convenient and allowed us to make additional unplanned visits to the orphanages. The volunteer house is about an hour drive from Pachacutec and we will leave bright and early each day to drive out to Pachacutec to teach in the schools for 8 hours and then return to Callao and bring dinner to the orphanages and play with the kids there. Gotta go get on a plane.

Cheers,

Tom
BOYANCI Wine

Looking Back on an Unforgetable Experience



It was not hard to feel both exhilaration and heart break when I saw the extreme poverty of Pachacutec. The unbelievable conditions left me numb, and feeling small about the trivial complaints that we all have about inconveniences we experience in our lives of plenty. But I felt a sense of exhilaration watching teachers in the Coprodeli schools I visited, their incredible dedication and love for the children of Pachacutec. I find myself thinking daily about those children, deprived of the most basic necessities of life, and what their world will turn out to be 20 years from now. And how do they feel when they look at a TV and see the glamour and wealth spewing out as if is the normal life style of a world far removed from them? The children in the orphanages that I visited were animated, warm, and inquisitive….despite their modest surroundings. I felt honored to have been part of their life for a night, to be so fully accepted by these children.

This experience has left an indelible mark on me. The trip to Macchu Picchu and the trek up the steep mountain to the top of Waynu Picchu was the most physically demanding experience I have ever had. To be 9,000 feet up, peering at Incan ruins far below was breathtaking. And having my children there at the top, cheering my late arrival was unforgettable. But as remarkable as Macchu Picchu was, for me Peru will always be about the children and need for more volunteers and funding for the important work of Coprodeli.

Thomas Steffanci (aka Papa Tomas)

Saturday, July 4, 2009

Sweet Lizbeth



What a feeling to walk into a classroom full of kids and immediately notice a 9 year old girl’s stoic face. None the less it was a happy face, but one that had seen much more pain then it ever should have. Her name is Lizbeth. She is part of an after school program for "at risk" kids that Coprodeli runs out of their schools. These kids go to public school but come to Coprodeli centers before and after their regular public school day and Coprodeli teachers and volunteers (like us) teach classes, play and provide some counseling. The center we volunteered at yesterday was in an extremely poor area of Callao not far from the volunteer dorm where we are staying. All these sweet kids have a story, but Lizbeth's touched me most.
We split the 30 kids into two groups and my group of 3 volunteers explained the activity we had planned for the kids.

From the very beginning of our activity Lizbeth did not leave my side. Since she spoke no English and I no Hablo Esponal we conversed through a translator. Lizbeth slowly began to tell her story. She was alone, literally. Her dad passed away and her mom was no where to be found. I gathered that she might have some distant family who she gets to see once in a while. As she continued to decorate the picture frame we provided she continued with the her story. The entire time she had a big smile on her face. She has no other siblings to her knowledge. Lizbeth has been coming to this after school program for about 5 years. She is surprisingly social and obviously well liked by her fellow students.

She then began to ask about my life. Do I have any siblings? Kids? (After I answered no to the kids she asked about my boyfriend.) Where is my house? What I do? Asked about where my parents were? She asked if I have ever met President Obama. Why am I visiting here? She stops working on her frame to turn to me and give me a huge hug. I felt my heart swell and my eyes welled up. She asked why "I are you sad, do you not like my picture frame decoration?” God bless her, she does not ever realize how heart breaking her situation is.

Lizbeth is in charge of the school library and she gave me a tour. She keeps all the book shelves in perfect order. For those of you who know me, you can only imagine my further adoration for this girl! "Do you have a library?" Do you visit it?" She asked.

This was her life. She seemed content, then again she knows nothing else and more importantly has not much of a choice. This is a safe place for her. She looks adorable in her little navy blue v-neck sweater and skirt. Her hair is in a perfect pulled back pony tail.

Our activity involved taking individual photos of each child and then having the kids decorate the picture frames with markers, feathers and lots of other stuff. All the kids loved it! Most of these kids have never had a printed photo of their own sweet faces. I took 3 photos for Lizbeth: one by herself, one of her and me and one with Tom and me. She patiently waited as her photos printed. She put the one of the 3 of us into her frame. Her other two photos we put away into a little note book she had. Our three names went on the frames. The smile on her face never went away. She continued to ask questions......we played and each time I looked at her I teared up. Time to say goodbye came way too soon and all the kids ran up to give hugs and kisses to the volunteers. Lisbeth never left my side. As we were walking out she just stood there looking, certainly wondering and most importantly still smiling. She ran up to me one more time to give a last big hug, I held back my full cry as I know she did not understand and I did not want to upset her.....she has one more question....... CAN YOU STAY LONGER? I so wish I could have said yes.

We got into our cab and waved goodbye.....as we pulled away my tears flowed uncontrollably. I had no Kleenex which back home would have bothered me……….here my typical trivial worries did not register. All I could think about was this beautiful little girl, all alone in the world but still somehow able to smile through it all. She will stay in my thoughts for a long time to come. I have the Director’s email address so I can keep up with my dear Lizbeth.
Roma Obracaj

Thursday, July 2, 2009

If anyone knows poverty...

This summer, I, Erica Salinas, have the honor of being a Coprodeli USA graduate intern. When the chance arose to visit the actual work sites of Coprodeli Peru, I knew it was an opportunity that I could not pass up. In the USA office I read about microenterprises, schools, at-risk-youth outreach, health clinics and all these other non-profit buzzwords. It all sounds good, but every nonprofit’s mission sounds good. Having now walked through Pachacutec, visited the orphanages, seen the women and children waiting in line for flu shots, I can now say with absolute certainty that Coprodeli makes a difference.

Coprodeli is unique. It didn’t adopt a service (e.g. education or health), it adopted a community. The staff and volunteers know the people, understand their needs, feel their pain, and even live next door to them. Engineers have left the private sector to work for Coprodeli. They now design homes, not houses; plan communities, not impersonal cities.

I had the opportunity today to meet with Rafael, head of the incubusiness department of Coprodeli. With vibrant words, he described the energy and ingenuity of Coprodeli’s sponsored entreprenuers. He knew every hurdle they face to become government recognized businesses and shares their vision of a successful and sustainable industrial park in Pachacutec. The people of Pachacutec are inspired to do their best and Coprodeli enables their success.

As a graduate student, I frequently feel like I live in poverty as well. I look to my family for support and appreciate everything they do for me. On this trip, I had the pleasure of meeting the “family” that supports Coprodeli. BOYANCI co-founders Tom Steffanci and Kevin Boyer not only invigorate pallates with their wine, but energize the people of Pachacutec and Ica and in every community Coprodeli works. While I have donated my time, they have donated their hands, hearts, and profits. That’s hard to top. I am proud to be part of the Coprodeli family.

Erica Salinas
CSR Graduate Intern
Coprodeli USA

Inspiring Volunteers

As Executive Director of Coprodeli USA,I have the privilege of returning to Peru several times each year with our volunteer groups. We now offer four service trips annually to visit our Coprodeli facilities, providing an opportunity individuals to witness, experience, and share the heart and soul of this organization. BOYANCI co-founders Tom Steffanci and Kevin Boyer organized 8 of their friends and family to spend one week in our schools, orphanages, and outreach centers. Each group has its own dynamic and from the get-go, the BOYANCI team's cohesiveness, generosity, and enthusiastic spirit were radiant. Their appreciation for the work Coprodeli does and for those doing the work was most impressive. Each night following our activities the group re-hashed the day and immediately started asking "what can we do to help?" These are do-ers, the kind of people who take initiative to make something happen - and don't stop. Volunteers become ambassadors to the cause, spreading the word, sharing their pictures, engaging and motivating others to get involved. We have a huge appreciation for our volunteers who take the time to come down and give of themselves...and keep coming back. Today, Tom had the opportunity to visit a home for which he replaced the roof last year. To see first hand the impact of $600 was a rewarding and unforgettable exeperience - and one that I hope he continues to share.

I thank our BOYANCI volunteers for sharing the gift of themselves. On behalf of those at Coprodeli, I hope to see you again in Peru - we await with open arms.

Vanessa Keating
Executive Director
COPRODELI USA

Panchecutec....Desperate Poverty!



Buenas Tardes, mi llamo Sarah Meneo, and I am one of the attendees on the BOYANCI / Coprodeli Peru trip. Yesterday our day began with an outreach mission in Panchecutec, a small town outside of Callao, Peru. This town, 5 square miles is only 9 years old. The Peru government promised it's poor, free land on this plot resulting in a population of 120,000 chasing a dream. A glorified "arparthied." Once these people arrived, the government departed. Only 2 miles from the ocean, and only yards from a resovoir there is no running water or plumbing and nothering but dirt streets. This shanty town consists of dessert-like sand, cardboard structures, hundreds of stray dogs, foul scents and very hopeful people.

We walked for miles with Coprodeli volunteers to survey the needs of the poorest of poor and here are a couple of my most moving experiences...

Visit #1 - Maria-Sanchez.....This woman inflicted such emotion for me that it took every ounce of strength to not break down crying in her presence. She is a 42 y.o. mother of 7 whose husband left her for another woman 2 years ago. She appeared to be at least 65. Her oldest son, 20, has a heart condition and eventhough there was a chance that he could receive free medical care, they can not afford transportation to journey the 3 miles to get it, and in his condition he cannot walk there. The younger boys ages 5 - 12 were home and kicking around a torn filthy soccer ball on the dirt floor of the "house". There were no shoes to be found, only a small pile of old broken toys they had found around town. They went to school last year but when the school changed the uniforms, Maria could not afford them so the boys formal education has ended. Their "home" was only canvas walls tied to large branches draped across a wooden frame. The only furniture was a 3 person bench which the family sat on when it rained so that the mud from below would not surround them. Maria broke down in tears while telling us that she doesn't have money to eat every day. Maria is my new project, for $250 US her children will have uniforms and supplies for 1 year and she will have food enough for at least minimal meals. $250 - I've spent that on 1 pair of jeans!! For the same money a family of 8 can get one step closer to the dream that was so fresh in their hearts only 9 short years ago. With Maria's children in school she can take her laundry business outside the home and create a future for her family. Coprodeli has listed her as a high-priority and will begin assisting her with food and medical care. The appreciation in her eyes resembled a child on Christmas morning. PRICELESS!

Visit #2 - Carlos...At our first house, we were greeted by an 11 year boy who was home alone. His mother is single, as were most of th women we came in contact with and his 2 younger brothers were at school. Each morning he got his siblings ready for school, fed the family's 3 chickens which lived inside the house and then he waited for his mother to return. The "house" ( I use that term losely) was made of cardboard walls 6 X 5 feet with a straw fence wall, no roof and an open fire in the center which served as their kitchen. The family lived on 1 meal of rice and potatoes per day and all slept in 1 bed which was foam and covered with canvas. Uncomparable poverty yet Carlos could not be happier to have visitors. He was sharing his breakfast of dehydrated vegetables with the chickens. These meals are provided by US Aide in partnership with Copredeli and are so appreciated by the locals who rely on them for their survival. The toilet is a hole in the the ground in back of the shack covered on 1 side with an old towel. The stench was almost unbearable!

The work that Copredeli is doing in this area is surreal, this is the hope that these people so desperately need. I pray that none of us will ever have to experience the hardship that is "Panchecutec." I urge you all to contribute to Copredeli or at the very least make yourself aware of this amazing group and put their values to work in your own life, I know my very charmed life has a whole new meaning after experiencing these amazing people. http://www.copredeliusa.org/

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

The Coprodeli Boys Orphanage

The developing world is unpredictable. Yesterday we thought we would be in Pachacutec, a shantytown about 40 miles from Lima. That was before the transportation strike which basicly shut the country down. Add to that an electricity outage and the day was off to an interesting start. Not disuaded, we made the best of it and had an amazing day.

We spent the day at both the boys and girls orphanages in Callao, very near the Coproldeli volunteer house where we are staying. Callao is a rough neighborhood on the outskirts of Lima. It is difficult to get cabs to come here out of fear of being robbed but Coprodeli has never had any problems, good Karma I guess. Both orphanges are within walking distance of the volunteer house so we were not dependant on transportation.

We spent 3 hours at the boys orphanage. We split the 25 boys into two groups and Kevin and my group taught the same programs and lesson plans that we had planned for the schools. We then did the same at the girls orphanage in the afternoon and came back to the boys orphanage and brought dinner last night.

Rather than blather on about all that we did and saw I would rather take a minute and talk about what we experienced. In this terribly poor area of Lima these orphanages have created a surprisingly positive and warm environment. The kids must follow a strict schedule and they do so without complaint. The women that single handedly looks after this montly crew is Edisa, a 60 year old saint of women with a soft spoken voice. Make no mistake Edisa means business. She does not ask twice and the boys don't mess with her. Having done volunteer work in south-side Chicago schools with similar aged boys, I'm shocked at how much better behaved these boys are. Is it cultural, is it the regimen, is it the fact that these boys must get along and help eachother or live in chaos? I'm not sure but it is moving to witness. It is inspiring. This orhanage on a shoe-string budget manages to feed and cloth these kids and most importantly show them love.

We had a hell of a lot of fun with them too. After our classroom activities we stayed and played soccer with them on a tiny piece of cement behind the orphanage. The cracked cement and tight space didn't slow them down. The trounced us with a smile and didn't seem to mind that their field was smaller than most Americans garages.

Kevin asked Edisa what we could do to help her. What could we do for her personally. She responded quickly, "just help my kids". Money is very tight she only has $100 per month to feed 25 kids and if she had $50 more a month they could eat Chicken (like the meal we brought) twice a week. Obviously we will take care of that but the more amazing thing is that all this over-worked, underpaid women wants is to better help her kids. Now that is what a real hero looks like. We were honored and moved to see her in action.

Cheers,

Tom and Kevin