Lima, Zapallal and Project Peru

Lima
see more photos »

There´s not much to say about Lima. It is a city like any other and I felt this way largely because I was staying Miraflores. This is the richer area of town and is a haven for any large commercial institution. Baranco is the Bohemian district and I really liked the Parque De Amor which is decorated with the amorous poems of famous Latin American poets and overlooks the Pacific. The centre is quite pretty but you are overwhelmed by everyone´s constant reminders that this one of the most dangerous cities on the continent.

see more photos »

Project Peru

M ost of you reading this web page have donated to my charity of choice, Project Peru. Whilst I was in Lima, I visited Zapallal which is a area of extreme poverty just outside the capital. This dusty desert town is home to Project Peru´s refuge for children.

How the Project got started

Carole Hudson and her husband David run the project from England. Some time ago they met a Peruvian lady whose family was murdered by the ex-president Fujimori´s regime. She left her town in the countryside and went to Lima in search of justice. Whilst she was there she squatted on a piece of land in Zapallal. This subsequently became hers because she had squatted for so long. She came to Europe to speak out against the hundreds of disappearances in Peru and met David and Carole who became interested in the issues of poverty affecting Peru and used the land of this lady to build a house for children who are disadvantaged by these problems.

see more photos »

Today the house is a loving home for thirty two beautiful and happy children. It provides them with food, shelter, clothes and plenty of love, warmth and affection. This place isn´t an institution set up by social services, it is a family for those that do not have one. Whilst I was there, I experienced what it felt like to be one of these children living in the house. I felt at home and comfortable from the start and I have now fallen in love with every single child there and I am considering adopting them !

see more photos »

The children that arrive at the house

What was hard for me to take was the difficult circumstances of some of these children´s past. Antonio for example, was found wondering around a market. The police brought him to the house because there was nowhere else for him to go. The only thing that is known about him is that his father died and that his mother lost him when she was drunk. It was clear that he had never been cared for and still carries the problems that he silences. He looks at you like a puppy who has been beaten too many times and thinks that every touch with hurt.

see more photos »

Maria and her two brothers were brought to the house because their father died in an accident and recently so did their father. Veronica is an amazing student and she wants to be a doctor. Her mother is uninterested in her daughter and is in trouble for drug related crimes. Other children were found beaten or were suffering from severe malnutrition. Others live in extreme poverty due to the fact that their mothers are unaware of family planning.

Project Peru provides a psychologist for these children and teaches them above all to respect themselves and to walk with their head held high. In such degradation, these values are virtually nonexistent. If the poor consider themselves to be inferior, how will they ever lift themselves out of poverty ? This is especially important for the girls who are commonly abused both sexually and physically. This is one thing that I liked about the way the house is run by Lucy, the mother of absolutely everyone- she rules the roost lovingly but with a firm hand and reminds them that she only disciplines them because she loves them.

Baranco
see more photos »

Every morning the children get up at five thirty and undertake their chores for the day. This is normal in Peru, by the way. A lot of people get up at this time to go to work. The values that are written on the walls for example include ´work dignifies us and makes us understand the blessing of responsibility´.

What is startling about the children is that they are so obedient and respectful. This is thanks to Vilma and Lucy. They do their chores without saying a bad word. They get up at this time to clean and seem to do so with pride. I can´t ever imagine a child in England doing this.

see more photos »

They are also able to enjoy themselves without play stations, televisions or Ipods. Instead, the children love to sing and dance and get involved in theatre. Project Peru provides a teacher of theatre and dance for the children and they all get involved. They also love to paint. Whilst I was there, we found an old dolls house and we decided to paint it. All of the children wanted to help. It was so beautiful to see their little faces concentrating on painting.

Project Peru also provides clothes and information for the community. Carole and David receive brand new clothing from shops that haven´t sold that seasons designs or from companies who are changing their logo and no longer require uniforms. All the clothes that cannot be used by the children are distributed amongst the people who live in the area. It is enough to put the word out in the local hospital for hundreds of mothers to queue for the clothes. It was shocking to see the amounts of needy women.

see more photos »

Family planning advice is also available for these women. The scraps of family that the children have left visit on Fridays and are given something to eat and a talk about hygiene, family planning or other relevant information. Project Peru wants to expand these services not only by providing facilities for more children but also by being able to distribute more.

Of course, it is in my genetic make up to cook for loads of people. On the second day that I was there, I cooked spaghetti for forty five people ! I don´t think I have ever seen that amount of pasta in my life! A highlight of my trip was seeing the children slurp up the little strings of pasta and shout out at the end ´is there anymore?!!´

see more photos »

Please visit my website www.justgiving.com/ciccia if you want to donate to this charity. I have seen how your money will be spent and it is put to an extremely worthwhile cause. Even donating five pounds helps enormously. I am very grateful to you all for donating so far and so are the children.