Medical Update!

Hey everyone!

Well, these last weeks have been kind of intense. I went to Chincha for two weeks (January 3rd - 16th) to help with the CARE latrine project and then when I came back to Lima, I had a chat with the doctors there. I was told to complete seven days of physical therapy for some issues that I have been having with my knee.

At the end of the seven day session, I would be re-evaluated.

Well, today was day 7 and the results came in that I will be having two more weeks of PT and then perhaps continuing the regimen at my site (hopefully). BUT, there is something more....

I will be going to Panama momentarily for surgery! So, I'll be going back to my site to pack up a few things and keep everyone informed of where I'm going and then I'll be off to Panama. I should only be gone a few days but I'm excited to get this chance to go back to site and at least tell everyone what I'm doing.

Anyway, if anyone has sent me a package, I haven't been in Huaraz to pick it up so my apologies but do email me because in Lima it's pretty easy to check email and I have been....probably too much. :)

Ok, some Chincha updates are on the way so back track on the blog (Jan. 3-16)...

Panama photos coming soon! :)

More Chincha Pictures

There were a lot of kids!













But we taught them how to wash their hands anyway... :)

Huancavelica Pictures

The plaza in Huaytará, a provencial capital in the department of Huancavelica. (With lots of fog...)















Huancavelica was beautiful!!!

But driving wasn't so much fun...

We did hygiene activities with two different communities in Huancavelica. Here, they are signing a "compromiso" a contract, to wash their hands before they eat, after they use the letrine, before preparing food... you get it.

The CARE personel made us wear these ponchos for walking across the plaza in the light rain. I think they just wanted us to look sillier than we already did. :)

Time to wash hands!!!

Chincha PICTURES

Riding in on the bus to Chincha, Ica, Peru. As you can see, it looks slightly different from the Andean Sierra. . . BUT, to my surprise there were mountains.. Also, the squares you see are actually people's houses. People live with their families of two to six children in spaces as big as most of our living rooms.
















This photo was taken from the rooftop of the place that we are staying in Sunampe, a small community just outside of Chincha. The CARE office made it through the earthquake relatively unscathed, the building next door...not so lucky.















One of the communities that we are working in called Satelite Primaveral. They have the straw huts and no water (a water truck comes once a week with a common tank and then the families come with their buckets to get water for the week.) And no electricity.
















This is our CARE counterpart Marianne (white long sleeved shirt) in a meetig with the authorities of the community pictured above. Discussing the letrines and some problems that the community has encountered.
















Devina is working hard drilling holes in boards to construct the letrines (I helped too but they're isn't a picture of me...) :(





















We painted a letrine for the presentation that CARE made to the minister of development of Canada! Here it is with the infectious cyclce described on the side. Woohoo!!















Devina, Aaaron, Me, Marianne, person, standing in front of our pretty letrine. It took a long time to paint that thing.
















If you can make it out, this is a map of Peru and where the earthquake hit. The circles denote the epicenter of the quake.
















These are the employees of CARE, us, and the Canada delegation that dropped by!
















In case you were wondering what the CARE logo looked like...
















This was taken on the central plaza of Sunampe, where we are staying. More of the desctruction from the earthquake.















Sorry, I didn't realize that this was going to come out sideways... Anyway, the volunteers put on a Hygiene Fair and here I am putting up signs for the fair and making unsuspecting children pose with me in pictures. :)

















This is what the base should look like before the letrine arrives! Good job, family!

-- More commentary and pictures on the way! Look at the entry just before this for my first few days in Chincha notes.... --

Chincha 1

Hey! Ok, so it´s been forever and a day (I believe that´s the technical term) since I´ve written anything on this blog and I`m sorry but I`m not putting up any photos until later but I WILL tell all who are still reading about my wonderful time in the city of Chincha, Ica.

For those of you news watchers you know that there was a crazy strong and destructive earthquake that ravaged the area of Ica and Pisco in Southern Peru a few months ago. Well, after much relief work has been done, many NGO´s and regional government organizations have started in the next phase of relief work which has to do with more behavor changes and infrastructure work. Hence, more of the topics that Peace Corps volunteers deal with and could be a resource for any Chincha "counterparts". SO, Peace Corps was awesome and set up a way for the Health and Environment volunteers of Peru 8 (that includes me!!) to come down to the provinces of Chincha or Cañete and work with an NGO called CARE who has projects running in the departments of Lima, Ica, and Huancavelica.

We are working in Chinca and CARE has several projects here but the one that we are helping with is a letrine project. CARE has pre-made the actual latrine and it is the communty´s responsibility to make the 2m hole in the ground that is 70cm x 65cm and has a 5 layer adobe brick base that sticks out of the ground by 20cm. This way water or dirt can´t easily get into the hole and then when the letrine is set on top, there is a base for all that weight (it weighs 100kg). Ok, anyway, point is that CARE is giving them a letrine but they are also training them in not only the use and maintenance of the letrine but also basic hygiene hand washing as well.
That´s how we are helping... We are doing house visits with the different families, some have received a letrine and some haven´t, about how they are going to or are maintaining their letrine and when they wash their hands, etc. We are also conducting a hygiene "fair" with the children of the community to teach them the importance of hand washing and also make it fun.
Ok, that´s what I´m doing right now, more details and PICTURES on the way!!!