Community Organizers

Sorry President Obama, but you got nothing on them! Anyone who wants to study community organizing needs to visit Peru. At the health center where I've been volunteering, I've been spending most of my time working on a family health initiative that was recently started. Certain neighborhoods around the center were targeted as a result of being in the most material need. Lesser material wealth is often equated with lesser access to health care and lesser education about health, so it makes sense to start in those areas.

Last Tuesday a young woman in the neighborhood where we've spent the most time was badly burned while cooking. We were told she had severe burns on 90% of her body. Within a few days, neighbors had organized themselves to hold a "pollada", an event where they would make fried chicken lunches and sell them to raise money for her hospital bills. When you go to the hospital here you have to pay by the day. If you don't pay, you don't get treated. Literally, you will not get the antibiotics you need, burn treatments, etc etc etc. Pretty shocking, but it's what hospitals have to do to stay open. So these neighbors made over 340 portions of fried chicken, potatoes, and cabbage salad and by selling them for 10 soles a piece ($4), they raised enough money to pay her hospital bills for many days.

The woman who is my "boss" at the clinic was excited to explain to me what Peruvian solidarity meant and encouraged me to take photos. She even handed me her plate full of chicken bones and empty soda glass to hold to prove that I ate there. Yeah, a little strange, but hey.

Me with Rosa (who works at the clinic) and Hilda, Miriam, and Elizabeth (the three nursing students working on the project as well). 

Marinating the chicken and cutting the cabbage

A vat of marinated chicken!

The big pot is for boiling potatoes and the pan is for frying the chicken. They are bigger than it seems from this picture!