Last year I met with the guy in the Chapimarca district government who is responsible for water and sanitation... we were involved with various villages in the district so I wanted to let the government know what I might be able to offer. He was REALLY KEEN! Partly from a technical perspective, but also because he had seen the difference it made in other communities (particularly a reduction in alcoholism and domestic abuse) when the church did a long-term programme there. What an encouragement that non-Christians are seeing the transformation God can make!
Pampallacta (where sadly the church didn't have the resources to continue), Santa Rosa and Ancobamba are all in this district, so I've been trying to visit more regularly with the rest of the AIDIA team and get my face known, to then offer some more specific support.
We go every 2 weeks, on a bus that leaves around 3.30am. We usually get there around 8 and have a room with a bed that we rent, so can have a little nap when we arrive! But this week the bus broke down on the way, so we waited while they fetched a different one and were on the road 8 hours! That was a tiring visit...
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| Our home in Ancobamba - it's less full of boxes now than it was when I took the photo, and has another mattress. |
Then Dina teaches Quechua in the primary school, and I help out partly just because, but partly because I might be teaching them about water later so it'll be helpful to know the class.
The government programme "Qali Warma" gives food to primary schools which the mums come and prepare on a rota basis. One day we visited they hadn't turned up, so I peeled potatoes and chopped onions and generally helped prepare (then Dina finished her class and took the credit in the photo...) We always get invited to stay and eat the lunch too.
On our first visit to the school they were doing a brief walk around the community, looking at problems with the water supply and the area that's becoming the rubbish dump. I was pleased they were raising awareness, although slightly bemused by the teaching: "when we leave rubbish out the sun is sad so it shines all the time and we don't have rain, and then we and all our animals die". I suppose it sort of makes sense...
The kids are already pretty good at washing their hands.
Then we visit around different believers in the village. Lots of them find it hard to continue as their neighbours and sometimes their own family are quite hostile. The lady we visited this week said she would be able to come to church that night only if her husband came home sober - but if he was drunk she wouldn't attempt it.
In the afternoon Dina and Viviana (a volunteer from one of the Abancay churches) lead a kids club and then a literacy class.
I sometimes don't know how to help in the literacy class, but this was a great day - I helped this girl to learn to form loops as a preparation to forming letters, and by the end she actually could!
Then I've been trying to meet with the lady who runs the health post. She was the contact given me by the guy in the government. She has been amazing, and this week set up for me to meet some of the water committee. They agreed enthusiastically to receiving some training - about their official responsibilities (which thanks to all the training I went to last year, I know about), as well as about water and health and sanitation in general. This was hugely encouraging! So the first event is in 2 weeks. The government representative will come too, and then I'll present a list of suggested topics.
One (or more) of the church members usually invites us for dinner. Here's where we had delicious maize soup with goat's cheese, and I managed to participate in the Quechua conversation - a little bit. I'm so grateful to have Dina along - as we were leaving our hostess said "don't go saying bad things about me now" and I was horrified, thinking "what have I done so she thinks I will criticise her" - but Dina explained to me it's just something people say as you leave.
In the evening we have a church service. I take my guitar and have been practising the Quechua songs and working out the chords so that now I have a slightly more extensive repertoire - the first 2 times I led with the same 2 songs! Dina preaches from the orality books produced by AIDIA - they are a wonderful tool, and many of the parables are so relevant to Quechua farming life (the sower, the lost sheep, etc.) It's COLD!
In the morning sometimes we visit more people - with so many things planned in it can be hard not to just come for events, but we want to be relational and particularly Dina has been visiting for a year and helping this new church and its members through their difficulties.
It can be difficult to get the right amount of food - but we are usually offered too much rather than too little. This week after breakfast Dina and I went to return some blankets we'd borrowed - and were invited for second breakfast! It can be very rude to say no... fortunately we both had some room. Viviana, who had struggled to finish the first breakfast, came to find us but as soon as she poked her head round the door and saw we were eating, she quickly left before she could be invited too! It's good to be overwhelmed by generosity rather than going hungry.
The bus *usually* leaves in the mid-morning, but the journey home is not without drama. Once we had to stop to help a driver who'd fallen asleep and driven his car off the road. And once the bus came at 6am and we missed it - so got a lift down in the rain with the district governor who was distributing blankets to Ancobamba and the village halfway down.
I'm vaguely considering buying a car - it would give us a lot more flexibility on these visits (there's just one bus a day) and mean we could have more sleep at the right times, and generally be more effective. It would mean learning to drive on roads like these...
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