PERU: Project Pisco Final Report
“You all are angels fallen from the sky”
-Javier, Caritas Peru
From September 8, 2007 – January 12, 2008 Hands On worked alongside the people of Pisco and surrounding communities to recover from the massive 8.0 earthquake that hit on August 15, 2007. 535 volunteers came from 30 countries; 120 of whom donated 25 days or more to Project Pisco. Our largest international relief project to date, volunteers gave their time, energy, skills and hearts to an extensive array of projects carried out in the community.
Rubble!
When we first arrived in Pisco all of the streets were filled with rubble to such an extent that nearly every road was blocked by debris and you had to climb over mounds of rubble to get anywhere. From day 1 to day 126, volunteers completed 298 rubble jobs; the progress of the clean up is astounding! These now-cleared lots provided 327 families space to erect temporary shelter or begin to rebuild.
Con Con and Ramadilla Water System
In the farming communities of Con Con and Ramadilla volunteers reconstructed 500 meters of irrigation canal and recreated a water purification system which changes river water to clean drinking water. These projects provide water to crops and safe drinking water to 500 families.
Creating a home
Working with other organizations such as Caritas, the Salvation Army, Un Techo Para Mi Pais, and the local church Camino de Vida, Hands On volunteers constructed a total of 300 temporary modular homes, providing a durable, secure shelter for 300 families who lost their homes in the earthquake.
Click here for the Project Pisco Photo Gallery!
Pisco Medical Support
Early on in the project HODR volunteers with medical backgrounds worked with the San Juan de Dios hospital, assisting with check-ups, administration and documentation at the hospital, and joining vaccination and health education teams serving local shelters.
Back(pack) to School
We partnered with UNICEF on several projects during our 4 months in Pisco. Hands On volunteers stuffed 15,000 backpacks with school supplies, to be handed out to school children in the area ages 3-18.
Ludotecas
Throughout the duration of Project Pisco volunteers went daily to 4 Ludotecas (safe play spaces set up by UNICEF/CEDAPP), serving an average of 50 kids each day. The Ludotecas can be found inside relocation camps that serve as shelters for those who lost their homes in the quake.
HODR volunteers also collected donations for the children and distributed toys and school supplies.
Ica Children’s Event
Collaborating with the Red Cross, UNICEF, the Ministry of Education and other local NGOs, Hands On volunteers assisted at an event for 1,000 kids in Ica that provided fun and distraction from stressful post-earthquake life.
Feliz Navidad
In the Christmas spirit volunteers took on the roles of clowns, jugglers and break-dancers at 2 community events, providing holiday fun for 1,400 children in late December.
The School of Smiles
For 6 weeks volunteers interacted with 50 children a day teaching English, playing games and providing general support at the ‘Botones Rojas’ elementary school in Pisco.
Terre de Hommes
Partnering with NGO Terre Des Hommes, Hands On helped install a water system and latrine at a San Clemente relocation camp. We also worked together on food distribution in the region, specifically to “ollas communes,” or communal kitchens, sorting tons of food to be handed out.
Communal Kitchens
Hands On continued supporting the communal kitchens in the Manuel Pardo neighborhood of Pisco which serve 150 people, distributing donated clothes and building a set of three showers to be used by the community.
Bob’s Latrine
Volunteers constructed a latrine, which also serves as the corner piece to a permanent house, consisting of a shower stall, toilet area, and sink, and serves 5 families.
Mountain of Clothing
Working in conjunction with INDECI, the Peruvian national civil defense, HODR volunteers sorted a two-story tall pile of donated clothing into hundreds of bags organized by gender and age to be distributed throughout the area.
La Catedral de Pisco
The central cathedral in Pisco was destroyed during the earthquake killing 148 people. We worked with Caritas to lay a cement floor where the church once stood and collaborated to build a temporary building where 400 children are now served breakfast every morning.
Temporary Classrooms
Partnering with the Ministry of Education and UNICEF, volunteers coordinated and participated in the inspection, construction, and repairs to 10 temporary classrooms in Chincha and 100 in Ica, in order to ensure the continuation of children’s education while their schools are rebuilt.
Volunteers also built a one-room school from salvaged materials for the ‘Mis Pequeños Angelitos’ preschool in Pisco on the footprint of the original building.
Jenna Bush visited the UNICEF/HODR classroom project in January 2008
Beach Clean-up
The beachfront community of San Andres suffered from a small tsunami triggered by the quake that devastated the beach and coastal wetlands. HODR volunteers planted palm trees, replaced damaged irrigation lines, re-established a footpath, and cleared debris left by the water.
Abe’s School
The Abraham Valdelomar School in San Andres is on its way to once again being whole. The school, serving 30 children, is Hands On’s largest construction project to date. A volunteer favorite, many raised money for the school after leaving Project Pisco and retuning home. Volunteers have put in long but rewarding days the past few months bending rebar, mixing and pouring concrete and laying bricks.
Burners Without Borders
“Burners,” a relief group focusing on sustainable construction, has worked with Hands On’s Project Pisco since November 2007. Upon HODR’s departure, Burners have taken on a commitment to carry forth the Abraham Valedelomar School construction project as well as temporary classroom repairs in Chincha. Burners will be in the Pisco area focusing on reconstruction until June 2008. Click here to learn about how to get involved.
Adios y un abrazo!
Project Pisco closed in grand fashion when 106 volunteers gathered along side 25 Pisco community members at HODR’s favorite Pisco restaurant, site of our famed “Meat Club,” As de Oro’s. The HODR family feasted upon mountains of food, danced and shared thanks with our special friends from the community.
We would not have been able to pull off Project Pisco without the support from numerous locals. The love and support we have received from the community and the wonderful memories of all of the work accomplished, will remain with each volunteer forever. We thanked them, they thanked us and then we danced!
“Hands On has been the best therapy and form of help the community could have received after the earthquake. The motivation Hands On has provided will continue to carry us forward as we rebuild.” –Gisella, Community Member and Project Pisco Cook
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By the numbers:
Total Volunteers: 535
Total Countries Represented: 30
Total Volunteer Hours: 48,500
Total Work Orders Completed: 720
Total Families Directly Served: 1,565
Total Estimated Families Indirectly Served: 9,200
Total Project Cost: $150,000.00
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We directly interacted and impacted 1,565 families and through the strong partnerships that we fostered in Pisco with other NGOs like UNICEF and the Salvation Army we multiplied our volunteer’s efforts, the efforts of each organization, and created a ripple effect that we estimate touched over 9,000 families.
Thank you to all of the volunteers and donors who made this Project happen! Whether you came from near or far to lend a hand, sent a donation or spread the word about our team on the ground, thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Together, since the formation of HODR, we have reinvented the way volunteers can be effectively utilized to help after a disaster. Project Pisco showed us that we have only scratched the surface in terms of our potential and as our Hands On community grows larger and we learn and strengthen our “Hands On” model.
Our focus now turns to Project Rayenda in Bangladesh and the next time an opportunity arises for us to help….
Bill Driscoll Jr.
Operations Director
Hands On Disaster Response
PERU: Project Pisco Video Update
PERU: 90 Day Report
We continue to work on an ever-expanding portfolio of projects – schools, rubble, homes, and more! To date 415 volunteers from 29 countries have donated their time, enthusiasm and hard work to helping the people of Peru. Here's a look at what we've been up to:
News/Updates:
With Marc Young and Stefanie Chang in Bangladesh assessing the damage done by Cyclone Sidr, HODR Operations Director Bill Driscoll Jr and Volunteer Project Director Beca Howard have stepped in to keep Project Pisco going strong.
A Happy HODR Thanksgiving!
We had a wonderful Thanksgiving, with some late turkeys, homemade apple pies and the company of incredible volunteers. Thank You, Thank You to all of you who support Hands On through volunteering and donations! Happy Thanksgiving!
Hands On-"Manos en Acción" (as we are called in Spanish)-has been featured in several local newspapers here in Peru! Click here to read.
In appreciation of Project Pisco, Peruvian volunteer Martin gathered friends and 5 Peruvian bands to put on a concert for HODR volunteers this past Sunday. It was a festive day with incredible live music! Thank you Martin for throwing us such a special event!
Project Updates:
Ramadilla/Con Con
No more sieving sand! HODR volunteers completed their work on the water treatment system this past week!! Now, about 500 families in the communities of Ramadilla and ConCon once again have clean drinking water. Thank you to Jorge and his family for housing the many groups of HODR volunteers and to everyone who contributed to this project!
Rubble!
Although it’s almost four months after the earthquake, rubble clearing and demolition work has gained urgency. The government and NGOs are moving into the rebuilding and rehabilitation phase; loaders are no longer contracted to clear lots and streets, and relocation camps are closing down. Families without clear lots stand to lose out on assistance programs if they are unable to clear off their slabs.
After a month of sustained effort, we’ve wrapped up rubble work in Paracas and sent another rubble crew on tour to San Clemente, a rural district of Pisco. In addition to our mission of clearing sites so that families can return or rebuild, we cleared sites in anticipation of NGOs Un Techo Para Mi País and Cáritas building homes at these locations. Rubble work also continues in Pisco Playa and Pisco Pueblo (central Pisco).
Creating a home
Our partnership with Un Techo Para Mi País continues. In addition to joining Techo volunteers on their weekend builds, we’ve also started to help site materials during the week. The prefabricated floors, walls, and roofs are distributed to their recipient homeowners before the group builds take place. It takes a lot of material to build the dozens of houses that Techo assembles each weekend!
Along with the Salvation Army and Techo, Project Pisco is now also working with NGO Cáritas and Camino de Vida (a Peruvian church-based organization) to clear spaces for and build temporary houses. The homes feature wooden frames, walls made out of locally available estera (woven reed mats), plastic sheeting, and sheet roofing. We’ve worked with Cáritas to construct 15 houses in Pisco, 6 in San Andres and 3 so far in San Clemente. Volunteers have built another 40 homes in Pisco and Ica through our work with Camino.
School Projects
Pisco Playa Temporary Classroom
Local preschool ‘Mis Pequeños Angelitos’ asked our volunteers to help them build a new classroom with some materials they’d been given. The catch was that the materials were actually whatever could be salvaged from a large wooden shipping container bequeathed to the school. Our volunteers dismantled and sorted the wood, and then designed and constructed a solid classroom based on the footprint of the original building. Volunteers applied the finishing touches of a cheerful paint job and a flagpole, and turned the classroom back over to its appreciative teacher and children!
UNICEF Classrooms
Our Ica classrooms are complete! Our volunteers worked with community members to build and inspect over 70 classrooms. UNICEF is excited by the success of this project, and asked HODR to create a classroom building manual, make recommendations for structure maintenance (the classrooms will probably be in use for at least 6 months), and we are now beginning the second phase of the project, inspecting and repairing classrooms in Pisco and Chincha provinces. Special thanks to Connie, our host in Ica, who houses our satellite teams of volunteers.
Abe's School
The construction of the Abraham Valdelomar School in San Andres is coming along strong! With a tutorial by bricklayer volunteers and local construction expert Carlos, HODR volunteers have laid brick, built walls, and continue to pour a seemingly infinite amount of cement!
Play time!
Volunteers go daily to 4 ludotecas (safe play spaces set up by UNICEF/CEDAPP) where they play with kids in the relocation camps offering fun and distraction from the stress of post-earthquake life in Pisco.
In another forum for play HODR volunteers helped with an event organized by UNICEF for children in Ica – more than 1,000 kids enjoyed lunch, clowns and a much-needed day of uninterrupted fun.
Bill Driscoll Jr.
Operations Director
Hands On Disaster Response
PERU: 60 Day Report
After 60 days in Pisco Playa, Hands On Disaster Response (HODR) continues to thrive! Our projects have grown and changed and volunteers continue to pour in, working urgently to assist this community with its continued recovery. Here’s a look at what we’ve accomplished in the past thirty days.
Abe’s School
The idea of one person, combined with motivated donors and the help of many hands is how HODR rolls. In this case it is Peace Corps Volunteer Amy, who had the idea of helping a local school director whose building was destroyed. Led by the efforts of Douglas Beale, a targeted fundraising campaign raised the necessary resources. HODR volunteer Tim got the “build it” fever and assembled a team to begin the on-site work. We have now moved into a full-on construction! Volunteers have dug the footings, bent the wire for and erected the columns and cistern, scavenged wood for forms, and poured load after load of concrete. They demonstrate amazing dedication to the project – perhaps it’s the ice cream man who visits the jobsite daily with double-decker ice cream sandwiches! Stay tuned for project updates. If you are interested in being a part of ongoing funding for this project please contact paula@hodr.org.
Ica Classrooms
Following our successful toy painting and backpack stuffing partnership with UNICEF, they approached us with the outline of a temporary classroom (“aula temporale”) program in Ica province. UNICEF defined the scope of the project and sited materials at 16 schools, HODR provided on-the-ground project management, quality control, and volunteers to construct and inspect the structures, and the local Ministry of Education assisted with coordination. Volunteers Ken and Crystal have been leading a large HODR contingent at our satellite base in Ica; every morning they head off to work at schools in diverse communities of the province. One team might be working in a rural school fringed by asparagus fields and pecan trees, while another is working at a gritty, urban lot bordered by busy roads on three sides. We plan to construct and inspect/repair 60 aulas in total.
Ramadilla/Con-Con Potable Water Plant
In a continuing effort to help the residents of Ramadilla/Con Con we have initiated the re-building of their potable water system. Lead by volunteer Sarah (hydro-engineer!) HODR will collaborate again with Yanapasayki and local residents to repair, replace, and upgrade the system, which creates drinking water from river water channeled through sand and gravel filters. After the filtration process, the water is pumped up to a nearby hillside reservoir where it gravity-feeds the two communities. The specific sand and gravel needed was hard to come by, so the HODR volunteers have been meticulously working sieves to sort the materials. Hard, hot, tedious work, but the end result is drinking water coursing through the pipes of this community once again.
Celebrate, Celebrate!
Over the course of Project Pisco, HODR has developed a close relationship with the communities of Con Con and Ramadilla. With the completion of the irrigation canal project and work on the water filtration plant well underway, we returned en masse on 10 November to have a fiesta commemorating these great projects! This was also an opportunity to bid farewell to volunteer Katie, who led several phases of the irrigation canal construction. HODR hired our friend and neighbor Ricardo to drive a party bus of 22 volunteers to the christening and re-opening ceremony for the Ramadilla/Con Con irrigation canal. It was a perfect day and after some speeches, a blessing, and more speeches we joined our friends, the local farmers and government officials in an all-out fiesta. There was food and music, a piñata, pisco, dancing, laughter, capstrike, more speeches, more pisco, more food……etc.
A Roof for my Country
Un Techo Para Mi País (http://www.untechoparamipais.org/) is a South American NGO which combats poverty through building homes and running social development programs. After the earthquake, they made a strong pledge to increase the total quantity and the rate at which they placed modular homes for the most needy. Over the weekend of 8 November, HODR volunteers have joined 3 Techo team builds to date, where a total of 185 houses were set-up in marathon weekend sessions!
Salvation Army Modular Homes/Rubble Clearing
Earlier I posted a report on the cooperation between HODR and the Salvation Army. I am happy to say that the relationship continued to prosper, clearing lots to ready them for homes and erecting 100 modular houses!
Bob’s Latrine (finished it!)
One of the biggest unaddressed needs is proper sanitation to accompany the modular units being distributed. Hands On volunteer Rob had a great idea - find an extended family and build them a long term, proper latrine, something that will be the cornerstone of their permanent structure. He designed a 3m x 3m tall brick wall with stub dividers between a shower stall, toilet area, and sink. What he started, HODR volunteers Mark, Merlin, Lucas, and others have completed. The happy family is very grateful!
HODR II (Dos)
Brick by brick, we’ve been refurbishing and expanding into the earthquake-damaged building and spacious lot across the street from HODR HQ. As it’s a work in progress, it feels more like a construction site than a home. Volunteers Linda, Emily, Mads, and Marcel adopted it as theirs and they have taken great care in converting it from simply sleep space into a comfortable living space and home for many! The Hands On logo now adorns the whitewashed wall facing Avenida de las Americas thanks to the artistic talents of volunteer Dennis.
Pisco/Paracas/Pueblo Rubblers
A special thanks to all of the HODR volunteers who work every day to clear the rubble of fallen houses. The space created by this hard work has allowed 100s of residents to erect transitional shelters on their property, a move that allows them to return to some sense of normalcy. Thanks to our crew leaders Peter, Kirsty, Tom, Antonio, Ken T, and more, and to all of the volunteers who work with them!
Ludoteca
The UNICEF/CEDAPP program to provide safe space play for children whose families were relocated to camps continues. Every day, about 10 HODR volunteers spread out in the city to visit 4 different camps. Long term volunteer Jolley has left but the passion he put into this program continues in the hearts of others.
Marc Young
Operations Director
Hands On Disaster Response
PERU: Project Update
What fun we had last Saturday! 100 modular homes provided by the Salvation Army arrived in Pisco Pueblo and Hands On Disaster Response volunteers were there to help with the assembly. After the earthquake many Pisco residents found their homes destroyed and the only housing option available was to move into a tented relocation camp. Over the past weeks, HODR volunteers have been working to clear the ruins of the fallen homes and prep the sites for the new structures. The hard work has paid off, as now many of the former camp residents are back on their own property.
PERU: 30 Day Report
Project Pisco is just over one month old, yet Hands On Disaster Response has already established a strong presence and accomplished significant progress in our work here. In four short weeks, we’ve ramped up to an amazing variety of projects, powered by the energy and creativity of 130+ volunteers (60 currently on-site) from 21 different countries.
The former restaurant at 636 Jose Balta has been transformed into a bustling home with rebuilt walls, new bunk beds, and 4 hot-water showers! The volunteer response has demanded that we make our first expansion into the upper level, followed by a space 3 doors down, and most recently the property across the street, which includes a house as well as a large lot perfect for tool storage, tenting, and cricket!
Knock it Down, Scoop it Up
The primary goal of our fieldwork has been to clear a space for the former homeowners. This will allow for placement of an emergency shelter or construction of a transitional home. The work is strenuous and dirty but our volunteers realize the benefit and love it! It’s also a unique opportunity to work side-by-side with the community, hearing their stories, meeting their families, and sharing smiles and laughter. Special thanks to all the volunteers who have stepped up as part of our assessment team, refining our intake process while lining up work for our ravenous rubble crews.
A Day at the Beach
The beachfront community of San Andres was not only damaged by the earthquake but also suffered from a storm surge that devastated the beach and coastal wetlands. HODR volunteers turn out in numbers on a weekly basis to plant palm trees, replace damaged irrigation lines, re-establish a footpath, and clear debris left by the water. Appreciative residents (avian and human) are starting to return and enjoy this beautiful area.
San Andres School (that’s Peru not Philippines)
Many of the schools in the region have been destroyed or damaged by the earthquake. We are currently in the demolition phase of a project at the Abraham Valdelomar School in San Andres. Within a few weeks, we hope to begin construction on preliminary classroom space.
Mt. Clothing (Sorting at Paracas Port)
Working in conjunction with INDECI, the Peruvian national civil defense, our volunteers have been sorting donations stockpiled (actually a mountain of clothes!) at the nearby port in Paracas. It is our goal to install a system of not only organizing the supplies but also helping to facilitate the distribution.
Twister, Anyone?
Our volunteers have also been visiting the local albergue (shelter) and providing “safe space” play activities for children. After we began our own grassroots program at the albergue down the street, we teamed up with UNICEF to help staff their ludotecas at 5 different camps in Pisco. Now volunteers assist the expert staff of the ludotecas as they observe and support the children in their continuing recovery from this event. While it’s a big change of pace from rubble, it’s no simple task – volunteers report being physically tired, emotionally touched, and completely charmed by the children.
UNICEF also has a weekend “2 for 1” program, in which the games and activities involve parents and their children. Our volunteers have been on hand, reaching out to both adults and kids in their healing process.
Back(pack) to School
As the children of Pisco slowly resume classes, many families are scrambling to replace school supplies lost in the disaster. UNICEF mobilized 12,000 backpacks and sets of supplies for different age groups of children, but faced the daunting task of assembling the disparate items into a ready-to-distribute pack. In true Hands On spirit, our volunteers offloaded a semi-truck (lorry) of materials and blasted through 6000 backpacks in four days. A second delivery of 6000 backpacks and supplies will arrive at the end of this week, and we’ll be there to help sort, stuff, and distribute.
HODR Elves
It’s nowhere near Christmas, but the HODR house garden has been transformed into a colourful toy-painting workshop! As part of their variety of programs, UNICEF asked HODR to paint and decorate hundreds of simple wooden block toys. Volunteers demonstrated amazing creativity in the rainbow of trucks, boats, helicopters, and menagerie of animals that have taken over our tables, basking and drying in the sun.
Terre des Hommes
NGO Terre Des Hommes has been doing water/sanitation and food distribution work in the region, and HODR volunteers have been helping. We started the collaboration by assisting the Terre des Hommes technical team break down, transport, and set up a water system at a San Clemente albergue, and also helped to install a latrine at the shelter. Following the success of this project, Terre des Hommes invited us to help them break down and sort food packets for individual families into bulk packages for the ollas communes, or communal kitchens, still feeding large populations in Pisco. The HODR team pounded through tons of food while playing with and entertaining the children at the school where the sorting took place.
Street Teams, Peruvian Style (Pisco Medical Support)
HODR always encourages our volunteers to seek out and develop their own program ideas. A few volunteers with medical backgrounds sought out the devastated San Juan de Dios hospital of Pisco and looked for ways they could help. Our volunteers assisted with checkups at the hospital, and also travelled to local shelters with vaccination and health education teams.
Water of Life (Cañete Irrigation Canal Project)
Last week, a group of 10 HODR volunteers completed a satellite Hands On project in Ramadilla-Con Con, a tiny rural village in the neighbouring province of Cañete. Alongside the local men and women, the team rebuilt a 200m section of irrigation canal. (Read the full report here.) This project is a beautiful collaboration between HODR, Peruvian NGO YCPA, and the municipality of Cañete.
This week, 12 HODR volunteers travelled to Con Con to begin work on the second 300m stretch of canal. Their work is critically important to these families who earn their sole income off of the crops they grow.
Sharing the Love
The victims (our neighbors) have shown an outpouring of love for our hardworking volunteers. It is common for crews of volunteers to not return to our base for lunch, because they are dining on ceviche at the insistence of the family whose home they have been working on! The offers have included not only food but laundry service, accommodations, dinners, and party invitations.
I want to send a very personal and heartfelt “thank-you” to the following group of people. They have been instrumental in helping HODR establish a presence in Pisco, thus helping their own community. My job would have been far more difficult without their kindness:
Thank you Lalo. Lalo took a chance on the idea of having us stay in his restaurant. A beautiful act of kindness and a great start for Project Pisco.
Harold Zevallos , translator/guide and resident of Pisco Playa
Joel Jara Werlem, our first translator/guide
Pilar Castro and Juan Bericat at Posada Hispana
Alejandro and Gypsy at Hostal San Isidro
Paige Reeves
Marc Young
Operations Director
Hands On Disaster Response
PERU: Cañete Irrigation Canal Phase I Report
Greetings from Cañete! The 15 August 2007 quake not only destroyed homes, it also damaged an irrigation canal which supplies water to the farmers of Cañete. Last week, Andy, Chris, Katie, Kaz, Jeremey, Merlin, Nick, Rachel, Suzi, and I traveled to the village of Ramadilla to rebuild a 200m section of canal. Photos of our work are now online.
The importance of our work was immediately apparent – not only are the crops shrunken and stunted due to inadequate watering, the leaking water has formed a visible band soaking and undermining the hillsides it runs through.Rebuilding the canal consisted of digging and leveling the ground, sorting and building wooden frames, installing the wooden frames, collecting rocks, and mixing and pouring cement.
Every morning, we set off on foot for our 30-minute commute. We passed through rolling hills, saw donkeys, and watched the mist clear from the green valley below. Coordinating our efforts with the 15 local men and amazingly hardworking women who came to help was a fun challenge. Once the cement mixer rumbled to life, we all worked nonstop until the lunch bus rolled up to the worksite. (Yes, there was a lunch bus.) In the afternoon, we continued pushing wheelbarrows, reinforcing the frames, and spreading cement, wrapping up just in time for a sunset dip in the river.
Life in Cañete is a big change of pace from that at the base! We lived with Jorge, a local farmer, and his warm, generous family in their home nestled in their apple orchard. Family member Erica took excellent care of us, always offering us “un pocito mas?” (“a little more?”) during meals. The lush, green valley was a welcome change from dusty Pisco, and we bathed in the sparkling waters of the Cañete River.
A special thank you to Luz Salas, mayor of Ramadilla-Con Con, Aníbal Paredes and Yanapasyki Cuerpo Peruano de Ayuda (YCPA), Jorge and his family, and the farmers of Ramadilla, for their partnership on this project.
Next week, a new crew of HODR volunteers will set off for Cañete to tackle the remaining 300m. Who’s up next for un pocito mas in Cañete?
Stefanie Chang
Project Coordinator
Project Pisco
PERU: Director’s Project Update
It is almost time to harvest the fruit and it appears the yield for the farmers will be meager. The irrigation canals, which siphon water off the Cañete River to feed the fields, were broken by the recent earthquake. The repairs have been delayed because of the obvious need to focus on housing.
The farmers need water to fatten the crop and yesterday, Project Coordinator Stefanie Chang and 9 other determined Hands On Disaster Response volunteers arrived in Ramadilla, Peru to help. The team will stay in this remote agricultural area for approximately 1 week working on the first phase of rebuilding 500 meters of irrigation canal.
The project is a beautiful blend of our volunteers and neighboring farmers, a Peruvian NGO and the local government. Four days after the earthquake, Anibal, of Yanapasayki was on his bicycle touring communities isolated by damaged roads. His information brought HODR into the program, and HODR encouraged the local farmers and municipal government to participate in their recovery.This week the water will return to the fields. This week in Ramadilla, people are working together toward a common goal and Hands On Disaster Response is there, helping.
HODR is also participating in the following programs:
Rubble removal to allow for placement of emergency or transitional shelters
Safe space play therapy with children in relocation camps
Ludoteca programs with UNICEF
Food distribution, water and sanitation works with Terre Des Hommes
Beach Rehabilitation
Coordination and distribution of school supplies with UNICEFThank you for your interest and support.
Marc Young
Operations Director
Hands On Disaster Response
PERU: Project Pisco Update
Work in Pisco is going very well and we have a solid number of volunteers who have showed up to lend a helping hand. Shortly after arriving in Pisco, Marc (HODR Operations Director) had close to 40 volunteers in house and he is on the hunt to find some more living space to accommodate a larger number of volunteers.
We are still welcoming volunteers for this project and as always... if you can make your way to us... we'll give you shelter, food, tools and meaningful work to do in a community that really needs your help. Please email info@hodr.org to find out more about volunteering with us in Peru.
Cheers,
-Darius
Operations Director, HODR
PERU: Project Pisco Video Update
Most of the HODR Operations team is down in Peru right now along with over 40 HODR volunteers and from the video Bill just sent along... it looks like the kind of good hard work we love doing in a very supportive community.
I'll also pass along a note from Suzi Lee one of our hardcore and very wonderful volunteers:
Last Sunday night I made it down here to Pisco, Peru, the hardest hit area after a major 8.0 earthquake struck the region August 15th. This is a blast to let you all know I am safe, well-fed (amazingly so, thanks to the generosity of the locals here in the community), have easy internet access (not even 3 blocks from the Hands On House), but cold, oh so cold. It is going to take some time for my body to adjust to the cold nights and mornings (thank goodness we are going into summer here in the southern hemisphere or I do not know how I would survive), since I have been in South East Asia the last 11 months. BRRRRRR....Here is a link to what actually happened here in Pisco. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_Peru_earthquake.
It is dusty, dirty and hard work shoveling debris and hauling it out onto the streets, but if we do not do it, who will? We have received some help from the locals, in terms of picking up a shovel or a pick axe and "going to town," others seem to offer us help in a different way -- they feed us. Sometimes it is a huge bag of juicy oranges. One time we received three squashed bags of sliced white bread. Many large water bottles, bottles of soda or Inca Cola (the local bright yellow, very sweet soda drink-- a local delicacy but a bit hard to stomach) and little plastic cups just "show up" at the job sites by appreciative home owners. Sometimes we are "forced " to eat an entire meal, when we have just come back from lunch at our Hands On base, where two lovely ladies cook two meals a day for us. The generosity and kindness of the locals is pretty amazing.
