Instead of going to the the school this morning, I went with our program director on home visits. The poverty is so severe here that food, of any sort, is welcomed by the families. Today, we were blessed with extra food so we were able to divide the food into smaller portions and make bags for families who have significant needs. The photo shows us making the bags in the hallway of our home.

The first group of bags were delivered to a lady’s home where the moms of children with severe disabilities could come and pick them up. (Of course that speaks to my heart!). It’s interesting how children with disabilities are treated here. Children with mild disabilities are allowed to attend school (think physical limitations or high functioning autism) and treated like the other kids. However, children with more significant disabilities are pretty much left in the home with their moms as, if a man has a child with a disability, he often leaves the family and the mom is left alone to raise not only the child with special needs but all the kids. In a male dominated society, many of these women do not work so now the mom is left home with no money and all her kids (including one with severe disabilities) to raise. Often time their only means of survival is the food they either can find or is given to them. That makes these bags of rice, flour, pasta, lentils, and oats so very critical to these families.

Another group of bags went to another house (also run by volunteers) which is helping women facing domestic violence escape the cycle. Again, Peru is a male dominated society so making it on your own as a woman is very hard. Therefore, women typically will not leave their husbands even if they find themselves in an abusive situation. In order to help these women to escape the abuse, this organization not only gives the women a home to live in but also an education on skills that they could use to make money. Pictured below is a woman who came to the school to learn to cut hair in hopes of being able to make a career of this.

The rest of the bags were going to “special deliveries” for women in really tough situations. I had the privilege of joining Rosmery (the director) on these visits and, WOW, was it eye-opening how severe the poverty really is.

At the first house, we were greeted by a 10 year old girl who let us into the home. The house had 3 rooms- the main room with a table and one chair. The floor was covered in dog urine and poop from the strays coming in. The second room was a “kitchen” where they cooked over an open fire, and the third room (which we did not see) was the bedroom. The girl went to the bedroom go get Anna – the lady of the house- so we could give her the food. With help, Anna walked from the bedroom to the main room. She was blind, emaciated, and appeared to be about 90 years old. She sat in the one chair and talked to us where I learned that she was only 60 years old- 8 years older than me- but a lifetime of differences. She was a kind and appreciative woman- always smiling and thanking us for coming- and you wonder how she can be that positive when her life is obviously tragic.

Once we left, Rosmery shared Anna’s story. The girl who answered the door was her granddaughter who was now (at 10 years old) in charge of running the house. Anna, the grandma, had a daughter with schizophrenia and, as a result, her husband had left her. In addition, the daughter was often violent and, in one of her episodes, had broken Anna’s wrists and caused her to go blind. (I didn’t ask any more details- no need to know more about that tragedy!). So Anna was left alone with no money and all her kids- including one who has a violent disability- to find a way for her and her family to survive. Again, she might only be 60 years old but they were definitely 60 hard years and her body showed it. (Pictured below is the road outside Anna’s house.)

At the other “special delivery house”, the lady was sitting outside the door of her house. She looked like she had no legs (though she did) but they were so bent and misshaped that she could not use them anymore. (Note that I said “anymore”as her misshaped legs were a result of untreated injuries and malnutrition not birth.). Her house consisted for one room surrounded by 4 concrete walls- no roof. At night, the lady shuffles herself from outside the door of her house to the inside where she sleeps under a table to protect herself from the weather (since she has no roof on her house.). We gave her food, a sweater, and some blankets since she was cold and again emaciated.

When we left, Rosmery told us her story. Her son had taken all of her belongings and sold them to buy drugs leaving her with nothing. And, he is likely to take the blanket and clothes we gave her in order to sell them for more drug money since anything will sell on the black market here. The lady obviously is severely disabled with no way to care for herself and no support from her son. If it weren’t for the food and clothing that Rosmery brings her, she would likely starve to death.

As I have spent today thinking about what I saw, I realize that so much of our lives are simply a product of where we are born. Why am I so lucky to be a 52 year old woman who is blessed with beyond ample food, clothing, and shelter and here are other amazing women just slightly older than me who are quite literally starving? Why- the only real difference is that I was born into a life with prosperity and opportunity. Did I work harder? I don’t think so when I imagine what the last 60 years of their lives entailed. Did I deserve it more? I don’t think so when I see how kind they were despite the trauma they live in each and every day. And, can I fix it? I don’t think so, but as I started this blog writing, I may not be able to change the world but I hope that somehow I can change my small corner of the world for the better. Thanks to amazing people like Rosmery, I believe that today I got to help change a small corner of the world for some beautiful Peruvian women! I feel very fortunate in so many ways!