October 27-28, 2007

Food Donation for Earthquake Victims

The Ica region was devastated by a powerful earthquake on August 15, 2007. In addition to the hundreds of people who lost their lives, many thousands of survivors still struggle with daily life in the aftermath of this tragic event. Homes were destroyed and basic necessities like water and food remain scarce. Although Program for a Better Peru focuses on charitable work near Arequipa, public interest and the magnitude of the destruction persuaded us that under these circumstances we should also offer aid to the displaced residents of Ica.

On the weekend of October 27-28, three of our volunteers traveled by bus from Arequipa to Ica. We brought sufficient foodstuffs from Arequipa to offer "care packages" to fifty families. Upon arrival in Ica, our initial impressions confirmed that the reconstruction efforts are proceeding slowly. Two months after the earthquake, Ica's residents still require a great deal of outside assistance.

Our food packages consisted of rice, sugar, flour, cooking oil, noodles, milk, tuna, semolina, and other basic staples. We visited a particularly poor area, outside the center of Ica, where we donated these items. We gave each family enough food to meet most of its nutritional needs for two to four weeks. The rebuilding effort in Ica will be difficult, but we hope our humanitarian aid will ease at least part of the burden borne by these families.