April 13, 2006

Distribution of clothing and school supplies

Virgen de Chapi is a village located near the town of Characato, roughly 10 miles south of Arequipa. Our volunteers traveled there on April 13, 2006 to meet the villagers and distribute clothing and educational supplies.

The village's central dirt lane leads through a community of several thousand residents living in basic homes made of adobe or rocks. Most of the men work as brickmakers in small factories scattered throughout the village. Women and children often help in the brick-making enterprise. Life is especially difficult for the children because there is no bus service to their school, and they must walk several miles, sometimes without shoes.

We arrived in the late morning and met with a group of around twenty residents. After distributing shirts, pants, skirts, and school supplies such as notebooks and pens, we took some time to talk to the villagers and learn more about their needs. Besides the obvious scarcity of food and clothing, one of the common complaints was the inaccessibility of potable water.

A mother also mentioned that, "The world seems to have forgotten about us," and "Christmas does not exist for our children. They never have toys to play with." We assured her that the world most definitely has not forgotten them, and we vowed to return with more donations of basic supplies, as well as Christmas gifts for the children in December.