In the early months of 2006, I spent 10 weeks in Cusco, Peru coordinating service-oriented trips. My time there helped
me acquire a renewed perspective for life and the many things I take for granted.
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| Children at Hatun Soncco Wasi Home/School in Cusco, Peru. |
My time in Peru was spent with Globe Aware, a nonprofit organization
that offers “Peace Corps-like” vacations that focus on cultural-awareness and sustainability. During this time,
I helped immerse U.S. and Canadian volunteers into life, work and day-to-day activities at Hatun Soncco Wasi (House with a
Big Heart in Quechua). Children from rural areas live at Hatun Soncco Wasi in order to attend school in Cusco, because schooling
beyond the third grade is not offered in their communities.
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| Andrea and Carlos - Mixing Mud. Huasampata, Peru. |
During each trip, volunteers go on field trips with the children,
organize educational and sports activities, and do improvement projects at the home/school. Each group also builds a stove/chimney
in one of the children’s homes.
These projects ato improve living conditions and give volunteers
an opportunity to see first hand the children’s community. Globe Aware trips to Cusco and the work with the home/school
focuses on accomplishing tasks…
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| Parents of a child at Hatun Soncco Wasi. - Ocopata, Peru. |
In a country where there’s much poverty, I saw human
warmth, felt joy and experienced tranquility in the day’s rhythm. Here, like everywhere, beauty, wealth, joy and their
opposites coexist. From my experience in Peru, joy and warmth seem to emerge and be present often, despite poverty and
hardship. It took me a trip to Peru, to step OUTSIDE in order to see INSIDE.
My time in Peru gave me a renewed perspective, a thankful
sense for the wealth I have, and clarity to follow my life’s path here forth. Once again, in giving I received much
more than I ever expected or imagined.
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| Machu Picchu, Peru. |
For more information about Globe Aware or how to provide a scholarship
for children at Hatun Soncco Wasi, please contact:
Carlos A. Gonzalez, RPCV
Paraguay 1994 – 1996
E-mail:
CAGATL@yahoo.com
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