Live light, Travel light, Spread the light, Be the light

Full Circle

2011-02-13T19:10:00.000-08:00

Since arriving back to Minnesota my blog radar has been turned off. Have I lost you?

Well, I am only back to bid farewell. I started this blog to document my adventures in micro fiance and explore Peru with new eyes. However, now that I am back in MN, I am doing none of the above. My blog started with my leaving Minnesota and now ends with my return. I have reunited with family and dear friends in these past weeks. I have rested (on beds of snow!) and have started to explore this new world that Hugo and I are discovering together in the Cities. Looking for jobs and summer art fairs just isn't as exciting as changing lives and witnessing women take small steps to move themselves out of poverty through artisan classes or literacy classes.

My reunion and homecoming has been wonderful and tasty. Our adventures now are on a different road. I hope to return here someday to share more with you. But, for now, the future is calling.

Thank you for visiting me here and sharing in my stories and struggles and joys.
My best, and do stay in touch.
Saludos, Nora

Sacred Valley, last stop

2011-01-28T15:41:00.000-08:00

We have made it back to Minnesota and Peru already feels so far away. Close in heart and memory, but distance in physical distance. And, it is a whole other world here in the land of ice and snow. I just wanted to share with all you readers the last stop of our travels, after Machu Picchu, was roaming around the Sacred Valley. The Sacred Valley is filled with little towns, generous and friendly people, and incan ruins scattered throughout the mountains and alongside rivers. We spent last week hotel hopping and walking through the mountain passes to discover what was around the corner. Our favorite stops were a native town outside of Pisac, where we were invited into houses with handmade tejidos and played soccer with some kiddos on the dirt, cold streets. Then we stayed in Chincero (a place full of energy and colorful dress) and walked down a mountain pass on an old Incan trail that often doesn't get visitors.

I would highly recommend roaming around the Sacred Valley on your next trip to Peru. There is beauty and magic around every mountain pass and river curve.

This weekend we are celebrating with family and next week the transition into U.S. life really begins. Come back next week, as I wrap up the 3 year Peruvian adventure blog.

Machu Picchu!!

2011-01-23T16:21:00.000-08:00

Finally, 3 years later! Machu Picchu!

It was well worth the wait and absolutely amazing. 100 times better than the postcards you see. Hugo and I got in the early 5:30am line to try our luck at one of the 400 passes into Huayno Picchu (the famous mountain in the background of all the M.P. photos). We were numbers 370 and 371. We climbed the steep mountain to get a 30 second glimpse (in between the cloud cover) of M.P. from above. Spectacular!

There is an energy and beauty about Machu Picchu that you just can´t express with words. Magical, Spiritual, Uplifting. After our all morning hike up and down and up and down Huayno Picchu we wondered around M.P. until our hunger just couldn´t take it anymore. We out stayed the crowds and spent a good part of our afternoon just sitting and enjoying the magic of the ruins from up above. And, we took a bunch of photos, of course. You choose which one wins....

Amazonas Selva

2011-01-12T09:51:00.000-08:00

Pictures from the selva, amazonas jungle. We didn´t see a whole lot of animals in the wild, mosquitos were the most prevelant animal that we saw. And Hugo has the proof. All over his body.

There were beautiful butterflys, birds and monkeys everwhere. In the neighboring town we got to play with sloths, as a family has rescued three baby sloths that had lost their mother. That was definitely a highlight.

We are flying out today and very happy to leave the heat. Tomorrow we are flying to Cusco to start the 2nd part of our travel-venture. Machu Picchu....finally!

The regular stuff: Dr. visit and a zoo trip

2011-01-08T14:41:00.000-08:00

Just a quick little blog, before Hugo and I head out to our jungle accomodations tomorrow. So many tour agencies here in Iquitos, you feel like the travel jungle agencies are fishing for fresh blood when you walk down the river boardwalk. We decided to spend 3 days in a simple thatched roof wooden lodge to get the know the jungle up close. There will be a post next week, don´t worry.

These past couple of days we have been doing what you normally do on a vacation. Besides exploring the town of Iquitos and eating lots of really cold ice cream we have been doing some just plain regular stuff. I went to the doctor´s office (see chair above) to get my ears cleaned. Then, the following day we went to the jungle zoo. Saw butterflys, monkeys and really big snakes.

River Trip to Iquitos

2011-01-06T15:26:00.000-08:00

We survived the river trip. Yurimagus to Iquitos. The famous three story boat that takes 3 days. With Hugo we pitched our hammocks on the 3rd floor, above the cows and mountains of plantains that were traveling below us. We were squeezed (I mean this boat was more than filled to capacity with hammock dwellers) into an open air room, two sides that had walls, and two sides that had plastic curtains that went down at night. Our trip consisted of hanging out in our hammocks, making new friends with our neighbors and watching the jungle pass us by. The boat stopped periodically to pick up passengers and more plantains, and when the people missed the boat, little wooden canoes would bring passengers to the boat and they would board as if the middle of the river was their boarding spot. As we stopped in little jungle towns to pick up passengers and cargo, kids and women would get on the boat to offer fruits and sodas. Hugo and I had a delicious coconut half way through the trip; it was the last thing we ate before we both got a little sick in the stomach.

Our boat route hugged the pacaya.samiria nature reserve. We did not see much wildlife, but the sunset on the river was spectacular.

The trip was unforgettable. Uncomfortable. Hot. Beautiful. Fun. If you had never tried sleeping in a hammock, I wouldn´t recommend it. It is hard to do in extreme heat. We are happy to have a bed in Iquitos tonight.

The 2nd Family Moon

2011-01-01T06:33:00.001-08:00

The trip before the trip (to Minnesota) has started. Hugo and I are on our 2nd Family Moon this year (not to be confused with the January Family Moon) We have been traveling with his family in and around Chachapoyas. It is absolutely beautiful here. A touch of jungle, but still a little chilly. Today we are heading to Tarapoto, which is real jungle. We say good bye to our 3 day Family Moon. We still have all of January to travel, so there is much to see.

We have done some cool things to end 2010. We visited the 3rd largest waterfall in the world and the hike to visit it kicked our butt. We visited ancient pre-Incan sculptures placed high up in a mountain that make you ponder the world before ours. For New Years Eve we witnessed the ¨burn the old year doll¨contest here in Chachapoyas.

Happy New Year to all. Happiness and Peace to all in 2011!

Feliz Navidad

2010-12-26T07:39:00.000-08:00

Live Light, Spread Light!

I hope you all had a peaceful and wonderful Christmas. My last Christmas (for awhile) in Cajamarca was peaceful and wonderful. I went to an amazing mass on Christmas eve where there were christmas light everywhere and the drama came to life of the birth of Jesus. When the theater came to live and He was born the church burst into screams and hollers, as if we were at a football game. It was pretty cool. I had brought my little baby Jesus, from our manager scene at home, to the mass, to receive the blessing for the long trip back to Minnesota. We had a yummy turkey dinner at midnight and gifts for all the kiddos (Sebastian, Javier and Anita). The next day it was more turkey and fruit cake, turkey and fruit cake, all day long. The kids played with the dogs, we reimienced with photos and had some of Dad's strong strega to wash all the food down.

The day after Christmas we had a nice lunch with Vicky and her family. One of our last despididias. Tomorrow we are on the night bus headed to the jungle. It has been an emotional rollercoaster. Leaving 3 years of work, growth, friendship and family behind is difficult. I know Minnesota awaits us with open arms, but that doesn't make the goobyes any less difficult.

Stay tuned for jungle adventures!

Signing Off from the DiscoverHope Office

2010-12-23T08:52:00.000-08:00

I can´t believe it.
December 23, 2010.
More than 3 years ago I landed in Cajamarca, Peru full of ideas, hopes and dreams to do great things for women in poverty.
3 years later I leave Cajamarca with a full heart and still more ideas, hopes and dreams for the women I have come to know and cherish.

My work here was my life and passion. I think forward to the life I will return to in Minnesota, full of comforts (despite the winter snow) and so much access to things, places and dreams right at my fingertips. I am longing to spend time with my dear friends and family. I look forward to hot showers and my own car. But, there is a part of me that is very sad to leave the simple life, this corner of the world that has allowed me to live my dream job. Yes, I am leaving the life where things don't always work, the streets aren't always clean, and the "hora Peruana" ( 1-2 hours later than planned) is the norm. The life where people say thank you and mean it with their whole body, where noboby knows the word materialism, and where the simple smiles of determined, humble women give me energy for the week.

I will miss the chats on wooden benches in the countryside, witnessing our women learn the alphabet, visiting women's businesses on dirt streets, walking into a classroom of students at the Hope House, and the genuine feeling of doing good in the world in a place where there is a lot of good to be done.

I came here with the idea to help women lift themselves up, and I can say with full certainity, I have never done exactly that in any other job more than I have here in Cajamarca. I am so proud to have helped DiscoverHope Fund grow into the organization it is today. I know DHF will continue to grow and do good work, as DHF was born out of the beautiful spirit that Maggie created and instills in the organization still today. I am so excited to continue to witness the growth and energy that DHF spreads into the new year and beyond. My footsteps today go in a different direction, but part of my heart and soul will always be with DiscoverHope.

Thank you DiscoverHope Fund for this wonderful oppportunity and journey! Keep up the Good Work!

Red Jackets

2010-12-15T18:31:00.001-08:00

Today was the last coffee and cake evaluation time with the final class this year. For other courses that have already finished, literacy and computer classes, I held a 'coffee talk' where each student reflected about their experiences in the class and talked about - What was new for them? How are they going to use their new knowledge? while we enjoyed some yummy sweet treats. I did the same thing for our sewing class this afternoon. Our sewing class has been meeting twice a week since April. These dedicated students boast making great strides in learning many new styles and models of clothing. In our coffee talk, the women repeated that before sewing classes they were scared to use the electric sewing machine (many have foot pedal machines in their homes), but now they feel confident that they can use those machines. Also, many women expressed that they had a base of sewing knowledge, but mainly creating one style of skirts. Now they know more than 10 styles of skirts, pants, vests, and jackets. Their sewing repertoire has more than doubled.

The women repeated over and over again that they didn't want sewing class to end. If it was up to them they wouldn't take a break and they would keep going strong through the holidays. I encouraged the women to keep practicing at home, not to lose their new knowledge and to come back next year for classes. The last project this year was a red polo jacket, as you can see pictured above. Projects for next year: new styles, models and projects not yet seen!

Year End Evaluation in progress...

2010-12-15T09:15:00.001-08:00

This week is purely dedicated to compiling the year end report and reviewing the successes and examining challenges in the Social Program piece of our village banking project. It is a lot of work, but so rewarding to review numbers and stories that tell OUR STORY of changing lives in our loan recipients. Above you can see the Math test results of our basic literacy students. They moved mountains and, in some cases, double their percentage test score. The same is true for their reading skills. I am so, so very proud of this group of determined and dedicate women. Congrats to all!

The HAIRCUT

2010-12-12T05:33:00.001-08:00

After our all bank event on Friday, I woke up on Saturday to prepare for another big event. The Haircut. I was asked to be the Godmother of the hair cutting ceremony of the son of one of our loan recipients. It is a strong tradition in the countryside to save the first haircut for the selected 'Godmother,' although do take note the Madrina (Godmother) does not need to have experience cutting hair or even have to be good at it. We went with Hugo and his parents and the kiddos to join my co-padres in their simple adobe house for a guinea pig lunch followed by the hair cutting ceremony. The cuy was actually quite good; I might have enjoyed it more than usual knowing it might be the last time I eat guinea pig for awhile.

The ceremony was simple. I brought scissors and cut a little piece of Christian's hair. Then I put a "tip" on the plate where the cut hair was placed. I passed around the scissors and the "tip" plate so that all the invitees could cut Christian's hair and also put a little bit of money on the plate. Once everyone had a turn with the scissors, I finished the haircut. It wasn't my best work, but it will grow. There was then music, dancing and drinking. Jovita, Christan's mom, gave us 3 whole cuyes to take home and eat for dinner.

It was an honor to be with Jovita's family yesterday and be a part of something so special. It was a wonderful reminder of how in the humblest of homes there can be gratitude and love so wide and full.

Celebrating a year of Success!

2010-12-11T05:20:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we celebrated the completion of our successful year working with village banks together with our local partner Multicredit. It was a lot of prep and hard work up until our start time, which of course was 40 minutes later then planned, but worth all the effort. To give you a small re-cap, I will highlight some of my favorite moments, and let the pictures tell the rest.

The idea of our gathering was to invite all the loan recipients from all 12 village banks in the same room, so we could share their successes with everyone and at the same time motivate the women to continue working hard in the coming year. We had outstanding attendance, out of 100 active loan recipients I would estimate that more than 80 women were present. Each village bank was invited to participate in the "Best Table" Competition where the women put on display their works and were then judged by 4 criteria: presentation, creativity, unity, and quality of works. In the morning when the women came to set up their tables I was in complete awe. They were taking the competition very seriously. 3 of our village banks went above and beyond. "United Women" all came in red shirts that had their village bank name on the front and then their individual names on the back of their shirts. That says TEAM to me. "Strength and Blessings" had each crochet purple vests (and also made my purple crochet cape for the occasion) and arrived in complete unison. Finally, the winner, "Start of Belen" put up a starry night backdrop for their table and every loan recipient had a star filled t-shirt. The competition brought out the best out in some of our banks, and was such a joy to see the unity that our banks have come to grow into.

Certificates were given all afternoon. I was especially filled with pride as our literacy students stood in front of the crowd and received recognition for not only for their hard work and dedication, but their personal decision to invest in themselves with a tool as basic (for many of us) as literacy. Near the end of the event I introduced the crowd to our 2011 village banking team: Desiree, Ahidee, Jheny and Oswaldo. It was an emotional moment, symbolically 'passing on the torch' and giving my blessing to our incredible team to continue the good work into next year.

We finished the event with a raffle and prizes; our friends and collaborators at GyC, as well at the head nun Sor Reyna, helped us throw numbers in the air to select our winners. Then the room turned into chaos as the drinking hot chocolate and eating fruit cake time began. All in all, Success. As I compile information for our Year End report next week I will make sure to share it here on the blog, so you all can get a better idea of specific successes, as there are many. But, now it is time for me to relax and regain strength for the coming week. Enjoy the photos!

The Despedida to Top all Despedidas!

2010-12-03T10:00:00.000-08:00

I was speechless, still am.

Desi gave me the greatest gift ever yesterday. She brought all our 12 village banks together for a surprise Goodbye (Despidida) party. I knew something was up her sleeve, but I never would have guessed a room filled with so much love and appreciation. She lead me, eye closed, into the auditorium filled with close to 100 women. I opened my eyes and was surrounded by the faces that inspire and motivate me. On top of that, there was the most beautiful buffet table of peruvian delicasses laid out across the table. POTLUCK, every village bank had brought a dish to share!

But, first was the speeches and songs and poems. Desi made me sit in front of everyone on, what felt like, the queens chair (I was just missing a crown). Different women and teachers and coworkers came up to give their heart-felt gratitude words of goodbye. It was incredibly touching. I felt a wave of love and gratitude so big I could have exploded right then and there. Then, the food. Nourish the body and soul.

Although it was my GoodBye party, I was infused with all the energy and power that our women hold. I know Desi will do amazing things with DHF in the coming year, I mean, She brought 100 women together in the same room and organized the most beautiful Peruvian buffet, anything in Peru is a piece of cake after that. Our women are thristy for more knowledge and learning opportunities. Only great things will be created from all this goodness.

Paz ~ Nora

Vision

2010-12-02T07:45:00.001-08:00

Last leadership workshop this week. It was bittersweet. I have really enjoyed putting together these workshops as it is the confidence building and real work that opens doors for self-esteem for many women. Yea, I get them playing, laughing, listening to stories...but with the goal of new ideas and thought processing springing up within.

We talked about Vision, both personal and group, for this last session. How do you plan for the future?, a topic that is not a common topic among Peruvians. I had the women evaluate their personal motivations for being in their village banks and then we did TV interviews. What is your life going to be like in 10 years? Think about your life, job, your surroundings. What is different and (hopefully) better? How did you get there? What decisions and steps did you have to make? From these experiences the women had to write down their personal vision on a small sheet of paper. Above you can see that Olga wrote "I want to have all the basic services (electricity and water) in my house so that I can put my small business in my house." Below you can see Laura had written, "I want to be a professional and sell real estate."

Start of Goodbyes

2010-11-29T06:37:00.000-08:00

With only 1 month left in Cajamarca, we decided to have our first Despidia (good bye party). We had a BBQ potluck and it was delicious. Dear friends and family came and we squeezed into our apartment for an afternoon of eating, drinking, conversation and music. However, I am sure this was only the beginning of the Goodbyes.

Week in a Nutshell

2010-11-26T09:25:00.000-08:00

Taking a break from the office workload yesterday, poolside, and feeling the gratitude to be here, in Cajamarca, doing what we are doing. Our work is so fufilling and, although it has it's challenges, it has endless rewards. Although yesterday we took a little break, there hasn't been many other breaks to speak of. Last Saturday our First Aid students finished their health session with the topic of Diarrhea. Again, another health session filled with questions and addressed doubts. Then, as the week got underway we had a Christmas cake class and Christmas crochet class. Finally, our computer class finished their 3 month Word 2007 Documents course with flying colors. Our students made incredible strides to greatly improve not only their typing speed, but their level of comfort with creating formal documents. According to Damaris, one of our top computer students, "This course has helped me a lot. I can make all kinds of documents and I am not scared to do them on my own. Because I learned so many new things with Word I can also help my younger family members at home with their homework."

Many Thanks!

2010-11-26T05:40:00.000-08:00

So a belated Happy Thanksgiving to you all! Desi and I were busy by the thermal pools yesterday and I just couldn´t send out any messages, although I was thinking how deeply grateful I am to be here, to be traveling back home to MN with Hugo, and for all the roads that this life has taken me on and the people that have been there along the way. If you are reading this, you are in my thoughts and I give thanks for you.

'Tis the Season

2010-11-19T15:30:00.001-08:00

Yep. That's right. It's not even Thanksgiving and here we are talking about Christmas. For the end of this month we have planned some special classes at the Hope House, preparing the women for next month. Our true entrepreneurs will take advantage of the Christmas season and boost up their businesses. Come December the streets of Cajamarca burst with activity and sales. This week we held a Christmas chocolate class and a snowman class (even though Cajamarcans don't know what snow is, some symbols for the Christmas season are universal). Peru is a very Catholic country and Christmas is one of the most celebrated holidays. With our classes we hope to not only help our entrepreneurs get ahead of their competition, but also enjoy the season with special homemade treats that they themselves make here at classes.

Official News is Out

2010-11-18T09:16:00.000-08:00

Some of you may not know that I also contribute to the DiscoverHope Fund blog in addition to my personal ramblings here on this blogspot (although much of it is the same). Yesterday, the annoucement became official to all the DHF followers, about my returning to Minnesota. So, I just wanted to share for those of you that wanted the official memo, you can find it at the following website:

http://cajamarcahope.blogspot.com/

2.5 months now. And counting......

Rain or Shine

2010-11-17T07:27:00.001-08:00

It is rainy season. That means, a lot of rain. Everyday. All day. And, sometimes that also means that it is hard for women to come to classes because kids are sick, the rain swells the rivers, and makes it hard to cross, etc... But, this week when Des and I visited our crochet group out in the countryside the rain meant that they bundled up a little bit more and still went to class. Talk about dedication. All the crocheters were under an awning , staying dry, but nonetheless, crocheting in the rain. Rain or shine. We continue to teach, inspire, and work hard. That is what our women reminded us this week.

Photovoice Voices

2010-11-12T14:11:00.000-08:00

Juana was the president of her village bank in the first loan cycle. She was desperate to learn First Aid techniques. She attended all of our First Aid class and claims, "now I save money because instead of going for a medical appointment, I take my children's temperature at home. I know when to medicate and when not to self-medicate."

Ester is one of our younger loan recipients, but also very active. She has two little children, both under the age of 5, and is expecting another little one any day now. Even with her little one on the way now, she comes religiously to computer class because,¨I want to teach my children how to use a computer. I want them to be proud of their mother."

Tania is another young loan recipient that is testimony to the success of a micro loan. ¨Before I use to help my dad sell animals and he would give me a small tip ($2), but now I buy and sell my own animals with the capital I receive and I can make more money ($20) on an animal."

Photovoice Evaluation

2010-11-06T12:12:00.000-07:00

Being that there is only two months left this year, I decided to start our Photo voice project early. What is our Photo voice project? Two of our most active village banks were chosen to answer general evaluation questions with a disposable camera. Desiree and I went out to the village bank Fuerza y Bendicion yesterday morning to show the women the photos that they had taken. Their was giggling, laughing and some red faces. They weren't especially excited to share their photos with the rest of the group, but when you take photos for the first time in your life, that is what happens. The women explained their photos and shared their positive experiences with us. It was reassuring and provided a dose of hope, our work and efforts have deep and powerful impacts. You will be sure to hear more about Photovoice at the end of the year.

All Saints Day on the Rocky Road

2010-11-02T14:46:00.000-07:00

Hugo and I had a unique All Saints Day experience. We decided to go to a town an hour out of Cajamarca and bike back into town on Monday. Chetilla is known for being a Quecha speaking town that holds true to it´s colorful dress and strong town traditions. It turned out that we had come a day too early to witness the towns' tradition. They celebrate Day of the Dead (Nov. 2), not all Saint´s Day (Nov.1). So we had a coffee, bread and egg breakfast and made the random decision to head to the coast, on bike. We had no idea how long it would be, although we were told it would take us a long time.

A long time turned out to be 5 1/2 hours. Mostly downhill on a rocky mountain road, with less than perfect brakes and a hard as can be bike seat. The scenery was spectacular, but our bodies were in pain at the end. We gave thanks to have made the ride safe and sound back to Cajamarca, blistered and burnt. The only sneak peek we got of a All Saints Day celebration was an old man cleaning his sister's grave off the path we were on.

Computer Experts

2010-10-27T07:46:00.000-07:00

We are entering into our last month of computer classes this coming month, November. During class yesterday I walked around and watched our loan recipients complete their 2nd exam, the 1st was completed after the 1st month of computer classes. I was amazed. Stuff I don't even know how to do. Maybe I need to attend some of the computer classes?

Berta, our amazing teacher, knows exactly what to do with the class, with each student, to encourage them to learn and grow. She has gone above and beyond to make sure students make up classes on her own time on the weekends and stays late, comes early when needed. She introduced into the curriculum the theme of "personal maps" (as you can see pictured above). In Cajamarca, if you know how to design a personal map, you can get paid s/5, or close to $2, for each map you produce. It is a small business venture if you know what you are doing. And, from what I saw yesterday, our women know what they are doing.

A little walk in San Marcos

2010-10-25T07:34:00.000-07:00

This Sunday Hugo, Desy and I took a little day trip to San Marcos, a small town about 1.5 hours from Cajamarca. We went to get out of town, take a little hike, and enjoy the company of friends that live there. The hike proved to be just what our bodies needed, downhill for more than 2.5 hours, and along the way we got to see one of the last of functioning flourmills in the area. The mill, pictured below, works by a large metal gear that works only when there is a strong water flow in the water canal below. Above, the two large stones turn to grind seed into flour. A small, older women watches the turning stones day and night. It was as if we had walked into the past, another world, the simple way of doing things.

Full Crochet

2010-10-19T16:22:00.000-07:00

Today was another full crochet class, women starting and women finishing their handmade yarn products. As I mentioned in a previous post, we are filling up our crochet classes and women are selling their ponchos, shawls, baby dresses and sweaters. Our full classes = more income!

I want to share with you a little story about one of our new crochet participants, Maria, who comes from the village bank Fighting Women. I went to Maria's house a couple of weeks ago with Elizabeth, because she had come to one crochet class and then never returned. I wondered if she had such an awful experience that she didn't want to come back. But, I got a different story at her house. It turns out that she is a slower crocheter compared to her other classmates. She came to a poncho class awhile back, but couldn't finish it. So she was invited by the teacher, that also teaches knitting and crochet with the nuns, on the other side of the Hope House complex, to finish her poncho with her. But, since I never saw her again I thought, we lost her! The problem is the crochet teacher that works in collaboration with the nuns charges a monthly fee, whereas in the Hope House we only charge for half of the material costs (and no class fees!) Well, Maria liked the sound of that and now has decided to return to classes with DiscoverHope Fund. Maria lives in a very humble house made out of wood and plastic pieces. She has a small businesses with her husband where she sells an apple quinoa warm breakfast drink from a little cart. She wants to learn more crochet items so that she can have additional income. This month she has learned how to make a shawl and a baby sweater. Her hands are moving faster!

Our little shawl model! Look at that model look!

Subtracting with pencils

2010-10-12T10:59:00.001-07:00

Yesterday a visit was in order to our literacy circle, out in the countryside. The women were learning how to subtract and they were using colored pencils as their counting tools. 10-3 = ....Esperanza counted 10 pencils, took away 3, then had her answer = 7! She did that over and over, not letting go of her precious pencils. Lily increased the difficulty with flashcards, but Esperanza just kept counting away with her pencils. It was so rewarding to watch. Esperanza has a little store and usually her son helps her make change when she sells a soda or crackers and the customer doesn't have change. But with a little more practice, I think Esperanza will be able to add and subtract her own change for her customers. While Esperanza and her fellow students were practicing subtracting, Ester, a fellow loan recipient, was in the back of the house prepping her jewelry for Buy Day this Thursday. DHF will hold the last jewelry Buy Day of the year - one more chance for our women to show off and sell their creations to DHF.

Busy October Start

2010-10-07T10:44:00.001-07:00

Hello out there! Hello?

It has been a busy start to the month, so I apologize for keep you all out of the loop here. Let's catch up.

On Tuesday we had our first Animal Husbandry class in the Hope House. We have held similar activities this year with a Veterinarian in the countryside, but never in the Hope House. The turnout was fantastic. While witnessing the session develop, my favorite parts were watching the women beam with questions throughout the power point presentation and their innocent and pure joyous reaction of watching different pictures of guinea pigs change on the wall through out "movie" presentation with the projector. There was the "ooohhh" and "awh's" throughout the afternoon. Some of the women that came on Tuesday raise cuyes (guinea pigs) for their own family consumption while others breed cuyes for their small businesses. Regardless of their reasons for breeding cuyes, I think everyone got a new tip or two out of the power point "movie" that our Vet presented. Some of the walk-away tips that our women got were; Give cuyes water (it is common practice to not give water to cuyes here), low-cost sanitation ideas, preferred breeding practices and disease treatment.

In addition to our guinea pig activity, we are continuing with our computer series on Tuesday. Berta, our amazing and motivational computer teacher, has designed a computer curriculum that allows our 7 students to practice and perfect their Word skills while creating various formal documents commonly used by Secretaries and Computer Labs here in Cajamarca. Her success can be noted in our near perfect attendance in the month of September. Our computer students come to class on time (often early!), with completed homework, and ready to engage. Amazing, really. This series will end in November when our students will receive an official certificate for their time and acquired new Word skills.

Then, yesterday one of our countryside village banks started a new knitting class. The village bank Margaritas crocheted baby dresses last month and will continue crocheting a new dress model with their teacher Nelly this month. They want to expand their stitches for future dress orders. We like that!

Finally (although there are still more activities this week), after visiting our dress makers, I got in the fastest combi I could find to rush over to the village bank Mujeres Unidas (United Women) on the other side of the city. This bank started their 2nd loan cycle yesterday. I arrived just in time to witness Desy in action, starting their meeting with a funny icebreaker to get them relaxed and laughing. The Directive was sworn in. Then, the Directive received 5,000 soles, which they then distributed to each loan recipient, and we had a little toast to the new loan cycle, with the words of the new president Socorro, "let's be united this cycle, like our name says!"

Elections! Here comes the Parade!

2010-09-29T09:22:00.000-07:00

This Sunday is Election Day in Peru. The past couple of weeks I haven't heard about many debates, but I have seen parade after parade. The tactic that many politicans take here in Peru is to put on a good show, have a catchy tune and hope that the clown will convince you to vote for his candidate. Local races this year. There must be nearly a dozen candidates for Mayor. Which means a lot of parades. I am not sure if I will go out and witness voting on Election Day, as I hear it can get intense with joy and disappointment, but there are still a couple of more days left of the parade.

The little pig visit

2010-09-23T10:01:00.000-07:00

The surprises of working here in and outside of Cajamarca is that sometimes when I go to visit a loan recipient I get to witness her recently, less than a day, old piglets. Desy and I had to visit a crochet class yesterday outside of Los Banos. Before visiting the crochet students we made a visit to another loan recipient's house closeby. Juana and Silvia are in the village bank Azucecans that formed only 2 months ago. Since I haven't seen them since they formed their village bank I wanted to see what they were up to and why they haven't come to classes at the Hope House.

Well, my answer was clear.
1. Their pig was giving birth that very afternoon and (pictured above) you can see the new piglets. They were attentive to the pigs needs, as they didn't want Mama pig to squish little piggies, which have a market value of about $50 each.
2. They have to take care of their pigs and give them a good amount of food every afternoon. The pig feeding and cleaning starts at 4 and goes until 6pm. That is when most of our Hope House activities are planned.
3. Their houses are not next to the Hope House. They have to walk 10 minutes to the street where buses pass, get on a Cajamarca bus for about 1/2 hour before they are within close walking distance to the Hope House. When classes end around 5:30-6pm, they have to do the same thing in reverse. So, it is not that easy to just sign up for a class.

Desy and I were getting a taste of the campo reality that doesn't allow all our loan recipients to easily sign up and participate in our learning opportunities that Hope House offers. Solution: Let's do a class here in your house. We are in the midst of looking for another sewing machine so we can hold a sewing course in Silvia's house. Then, the only people that need to travel are Desy, myself and the teacher!

P.S. I don't know if I introduced Desy in a previous post. She is my new co-worker and I love having her here! There she is, modeling a scarf with our knitting class this week.

Celebrating Literacy Day and Welcome Desy!

2010-09-15T13:59:00.000-07:00

This Monday was a special day for a lot of us in Cajamarca with DiscoverHope
1. We celebrated Literacy Day out in the campo with one of our literacy groups. Literacy Day in Peru is actually September 8, but it is never too late for brownies and coffee!
2. To help us celebrate, Desiree - our new addition to the village bank project, arrived just in time for the festivities. Desiree volunteered with us last year and is back for 3 months to help DHF on the ground and do and learn program coordination in the Hope House.

Cheers to all the literacy learners and all the good work that we still have yet to do! And, Welcome back to Cajamarca Desiree!

First Aid Check

2010-09-13T13:53:00.001-07:00

On Saturday we finished the 2nd part of our First Aid series. Last month Elizabeth talked about preventing infections and healing wounds. This month she talked about burns and what to do/what not to do. The group had me laughing along with them, as we talked about commonly used household goods that are often thought to cure and help burns, like tomato, hot pepper (!) or potato. We not only talked about burns and treatment of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd degree burns, but actually practiced our new found skills using different scenarios. This got the group laughing even more, especially when the patient pretended to scream and then when water was poured on one of the other patients during her scenario. They all said they wanted to come back next month for First Aid classes, but I think on top of all the new information they received, it is also because they had such a good time with Elizabeth.

Photo Show Success

2010-09-12T19:09:00.000-07:00

Hugo's photo inauguration came and went. And, there was standing room only by the time the show started. There were some beautiful Andean tunes that started the show. Father Miguel Garnett very eloquently presented Hugo and the idea of art through photography in a completely poetic way. Father Garnett is a priest from England who has through time become Cajamarcan, and furthermore is well known as a writer and artist himself, including author of various books about the region that he now inhabits. Hugo got a little nervous when it got to be his time to shine and speak to the crowd about his art work. But, he did a fine job. After the presentations the crowd moved into the patio to give a toast to Hugo's work. The crowd stayed and mingled and enjoyed the artwork and appetizers that were passed around. After we all marveled in his work and the friends crowd moved into celebration mode that lasted until, well, the following morning.

Photo Show

2010-09-10T08:33:00.000-07:00

Hugo's first ever individual photography show is tonight. "The Color of Voice" and we will be celebrating until the wee hours afterwards!

Full House at Hope House

2010-09-08T09:35:00.001-07:00

Yesterday we had a Full House here at the Hope House. Days like this feel good and crazy and satisfying. In our computer room we had 6 students take their pre-test to measure their initial computer skills. Our computer course that began yesterday is focusing on creating documents in Word and a brief introduction of Excel. The course that began yesterday will end in November; thus completing 12 sessions in total. The students that finish the full course will receive a course certificate that may help them find a job and definitly beef up their computer credentials. The idea is to prepare them for a job with computers, for example as a secretary or computer lab "typer," which is a popular job here in town.

In the other room we had 14 knitters creating a new poncho stitch. Last month our loan recipients reported a total of 408 soles of additional income due to new techniques that they learned at the Hope House and then used in their knitting businesses. 408 soles = about $150 of new income! Every month I encourage women to fill out their earning/savings sheet that indicate to DHF how much our classes are helping our women economically with their businesses. In August our knitters had good business sales, compared to other months where the women collectively reported less than 300 soles ($100) in knitting additional income.

We're done already?

2010-09-07T09:38:00.000-07:00

That was the response I got yesterday as we finished the 3rd leadership workshop with our village banks here in Cajamarca. One of the participants, Carmela, said "This is the last one? We're done already? But these workshops were so helpful and it feels like we just got started." It touched me to hear that my passion and energy in forming these workshop touched someone deeply. I mentioned to Carmela I would consider holding more leadership workshops for those loan recipients that are thirsty for more knowledge.In the 3 workshops that were organized for our Cajamarcan loan recipients we worked on a couple main themes: identifying good leadership qualities and defining what leadership is, identifying leadership qualities within each of us, and talking about the importance of communication and working in groups (as leaders). I think the 3rd workshop is the best of them all. Why? Because we get to play communication games like; How do you feel today? (making gestures and have the audience guess our emotion) and Car and Driver (in pairs the "Driver" gives instructions to her blind "Car" about where to go), thus using fun activities to talk about the importance of verbal and non-verbal communication. Then we end the workshop by building sweet marmellow towers and test our group communication skills. We reflect about the process of building towers in a group and what worked well, what didn't. It is a great way to bring the women together and talk about leadership in a non-threatening way.

That's the news from the leadership corner. Stay tuned for more to come!

Kuntur Wasi

2010-09-06T08:40:00.000-07:00

After nearly 3 years now in Cajamarca, I finally made it out to Kuntur Wasi. What is Kuntur Wasi you ask? Pre-incan ruins that are known throughout Peru as famous burial grounds where gold beyond imagination was discovered. The small museum down the way from the ruins displays elegant gold crowns and earrings bigger than your head. The ruins themselves have been escavated and then covered again, so there is very little to see as far as intact ruins. But, the view up top the mountain we climbed was spectacular. We went with a fun group of Spainish, Italian, French and Peruvian friends. It was an international day.

We took the new highway to the town San Pablo (that is 1/2 hr. from Kuntur Wasi) from Cajamarca- 1 and 1/2 hours of beauty. The highway was built with money from the mine that has a big presence in the area. The ride was smooth and gorgeous. I need these reminders that I am in a country filled with spectacular views and mountains that sing to you.

Literacy Check

2010-09-01T08:43:00.001-07:00

On Monday, when everyone else was celebrating the Saint of Santa Rosa, I was checking in on our literacy group. (Don't get me wrong, I am not complaining!) I went out to Tartar Chico, outside of Banos de Inca, to visit our women in the village bank Strength and Blessings and see how the 2nd cycle of literacy classes was progressing. They were working on numbers and greater than, less than, equal to signs...which will eventually lead them into the topic of money and making change. Our women always complain about not getting the right change in the market, or sometime for their very own business transactions. We want to prevent that and give women the math skills to manage their money in a honest and correct way. And, on Monday that starts with bottle caps. Women were learning the greater than, less than sign through a bottle cap activity. Lily, our literacy teacher, never fails to amazes me with her creativity and fun and practical activities that she brings to every literacy class.

For Sale!

2010-08-31T08:44:00.000-07:00

Shakira's puppies are officially for sale. Just this past weekend we started feeding them puppy dog food with milk, detaching them from their mother. We have 10 little pups, none have pasted away! and lots of interested owners. Starting this week our puppies numbers will start to go down. As long as they find a happy home, we are happy. Taking care of 10 puppies is a lot of work!

Talkin' about business

2010-08-27T10:52:00.000-07:00

My poor coworkers are getting their exercise today, visiting 3 village banks for loan repayment and business sessions. Unfortunately all banks are located in different extremes of the city, and even one of the banks is located outside of Cajamarca.

I accompanied my coworkers this morning to support Mari and her "marketing" business session. The village bank Estrellitas did an amazing job of participating when Mari asked them questions. Our women already know a lot about basic business tactics, they just don't put a name, like marketing, onto what they do. For example the loan recipient Miriam makes curtains and mototaxi seat covers. At the end of the year she gives her customers a small keychain if they purchase more than x amount of material. That is her promotion, marketing, catch to remain and attract more clients. The women had a lot of ideas and questions about how to improve their marketing. This was definitely a hit business topic.

Yesterday was my exercise day. I went to the bank Margaritas located above Los Banos to visit our knitting group. The group started to make baby blankets 3 weeks ago. The target date was to finish them yesterday, however we had a lot of slow knitters and most of our women weren't finished. I explained to the group we can start another knitting project as soon as everyone finishes their blankets. There were some groans. They want to start on their baby dresses already next week. My rationing is that they get discounted material from DHF, we want to see them finish their projects and not have 1/2 done baby blankets sitting in corners of houses waiting to be finished. We want to see them all the way through their project, no matter how tough it may be. Tough Love.

After my knitting session I ran to the Hope House to see the last bit of jewelry class and finally witness our 3rd village bank this year, Mujeres Emprendedoras, move into their 2nd loan cycle.

Can we say ready for the weekend? Yes!

Sewing Course Graduation

2010-08-26T09:41:00.000-07:00

Presenting DHF's 1st graduating class of the 1st Sewing Modulo: Women's Clothes held in conjunction with the local Cajamarcan training institute CETPRO

We arrived at the finale of our sewing modulo. The one that started back in April. Remember those posts? Women that hadn't sewed in a long time, women that wanted to improve their sewing business, women that wanted to learn how to make their own clothes, etc...

That group of 11 women finished their coursework this month and yesterday was our graduation ceremony. We held the ceremony in the 3rd floor auditorium above the House Hope classrooms. The students were there, some accompanied by family members (and screaming kids), other loan recipients (and future sewers!) and we had a table of special invited guests, for example our angel nuns who provided the sewing space, Oswaldo representing Multicredit and CETPRO representatives.

The ceremony consisted of lots of speeches in recognition of all who made this course possible, especially our beloved teacher Sonia who taught with such passion and patience. Vilma, one of our star students, also spoke on behalf of her fellow students, giving thanks and reassuring the crowd that the group will take advantage of their new knowledge and use it in their daily lives and businesses, "because not everyone has this opportunity and we are very grateful." Prizes were given out to the students with best attendance and we enjoyed cake and tea afterwards.

But, really, the best part of the ceremony was our 'Runway Model Showcase.' Yes, we had all our students model their skirt, blouse and suitcoat for the crowd. I turned on the the music. The women were announced by name. And, one by one, they modeled their work. Their beauty. It was fabulous!

The women didn't want the celebration to end, so their was the famous Peruvian broasted chicken and french fry meal afterwards.

It was so rewarding for me to see the pride and happiness that each of our students radiated yesterday. It is confirmation that DiscoverHope instills Hope and Opportunity in the lives of humble women. And the good news continues: the 2nd Modulo Sewing course is starting next week (no vacation for sewers!) and we will have even more sewers taking advantage of yet another Opportunity of learning.

Congratulations to all our Sewing Graduates!

"At first I was scared"

2010-08-24T08:50:00.001-07:00

That's what Ingrid from the village bank Mujeres Luchadoras told me, "At first I was scared, I felt all alone. But then as I went walking more into the forest I realized I was surrounded by a lot of beautiful things. There was a river, birds, lots of flowers and trees. I realized I wasn't alone and I felt at peace."

During our 2nd leadership workshop yesterday, our final activity was a 'silent, internal trip' to the place where our internal voice is born. The place deep inside ourselves where we affirm our goodness and strength. All the women closed their eyes, I put on soft music and I lead the women to the spring of their internal voice. When we were done the women drew on pieces of paper memories of their trip. It was interesting to hear their comments, especially Ingrid's. She didn't like the idea of being alone, but once she realized she was in a safe place with herself she felt peace.

Meet Hope

2010-08-20T15:28:00.000-07:00

I can't even begin to tell you how excited and proud I am. Today was the start of the 2nd loan cycle for Strength and Blessings. They elected a new Directive to lead them in their 2nd loan cycle. So, new secretary, new treasurer and new president. The new Directive will be fabulous, I just know it, but I am especially excited about the new president. Her name is Esperanza (translated from Spanish is Hope) and she is dynamic. You can not miss her laugh and her energy when you are in the same room as her. She jokes and motivates. She pushes her fellow loan recipients, "Neighbor, you can work with more money. I know you. You are a hard worker. Take out s/600 in your loan, invest it and you will make more. s/400 is nothing for you."
Esperanza is special not only because of her incredible spark, but also because she has been a dedicated literacy student these past 3 months. Esperanza never finished elementary school so when her village bank formed and she had the opportunity to attend literacy classes in her community she signed up. She has learned how to write her name and basic numbers. This month she started her 2nd literacy cycle, together with her loan cycle.

Strength and Blessings is one of our village banks that is located in the countryside. As I got on the combi to head to the countryside this morning I spotted Esperanza. We rode together to the village bank meeting. We stopped in the dirt road next to the river bridge to walk the rest of the way together. Esperanza had two big heavy (30 lbs.?) bins filled with "dirty water" (pig food, but often called agua sucia here in Peru, easier to say than restaurant leftovers) She travels into the city daily to gather 2-4 dirty water bins for her pregnant pigs. Together her two pigs consume 2 full bins of dirty water. They will give birth soon and soon she will need to increase their food availability so that the piglets grow big and strong and ready for market. Since her husband works and her kids are little, she doesn't have anyone to help her. She travels daily, sometimes waiting long hours for a combi that will take her and her bins close to home. Not all combi drivers want to take her bins on their short-of-space minivan. Sometimes they charge her 50 cents a bin, and that is after she pays s/3 a bin for the restaurant leftovers. Esperanza carrys these heavy bins on her back, daily. I couldn't even lift one.

So, these are just a few reasons why I think Esperanza will make a great president. Yeah for Hope!

Little Ones

2010-08-18T15:27:00.001-07:00

Some of you are curious...you want to see Shakira's babies. Here they are!It is interesting this time around with puppies. Shakira, unlike Magnolia, has been overly protectively and surprisingly aggressive since giving birth. She won't let anyone except Hugo get close to her nest. She bit poor Sebastian one day when he was playing near the dog house. She also got aggressive with Magnolia another day. We can't wait til the pups get a little older, we can sell them, they can find a new home, and our Shakira will be back to her normal self.

Start of Cycle, End of Cycle

2010-08-17T11:04:00.000-07:00

Pictured Above is the Village Bank "Strength and Blessing" during their last loan repayment meeting of Loan Cycle 1.

This week it feels like we are in the middle of movement. Then again, it always feels like that. But, if I sit down and reflect (which I have been able to do quite a bit of since I am sick with a cold again) I found myself one day going to a close of loan cycle 1 meeting with a bank and the next day celebrating the start of a loan cycle 1 with another bank. It is really rewarding to watch a bank grow into their 2nd loan cycle. I don't have kids, but I suspect that it is like watching your child grow and marking the milestones of their life. Pictured below you will see a new member of our village banking team: Mari. She is pictured next to Elizabeth helping the Directive of the village bank Violetas administer their first loan reimbursement. Mari hails from a rich background of helping women in poverty, graduated from law school in Cajamarca and is infusing our business assistance program with dynamic and participatory activities. In our village bank 2nd loan cycles Mari wants to get the women thinking about their accounting. Can they figure out how much they make? If they are making a profit? If so, how big or small? Pictures and more stories to come....

Elizabeth and Mari helping the village bank Directive of Violetas sort through their first loan paperwork.

New loan recipient from Violetas showing off her first loan money.

Let There Be Light!

2010-08-13T09:42:00.000-07:00

Folks, the 46 days electric outage came to an end this week. On Tuesday our electric meter was installed and programmed and that night we had LIGHT. Not candle light, but real electricity light. There was stirfry, beers and music to celebrate. Hugo and I almost couldn't believe it. We had partly gotten use to living with out light while simultaneously dreading going home to a dark house every night. We both questioned how we survived for so long. And, we couldn't answer that question.

Getting light back into the house was not easy. The electric company didn't cooperate very much and my poor mother in law was making trips twice a day, daily, to get someone to install our meter. At first they claimed they couldn't install a meter for us because there was an electrification project finishing in our neighborhood (which we weren't a part of) and another entity was in charge of electricity in our neighborhood. Talk to them. Well, once we established we weren't part of the project and were not going to be part of the project, they accepted our petition for an electric meter. Once the technicians finally got out to the house to put in the meter, they installed it wrong and Maritza had to go back to the meter (on the same day when she had already spent more than 3 hours with the techinicians) so they could program it right once and for all.

We have a pre-pay meter. This means we put so much money on a card, swip our card in our meter and it charges for that certain amount. We have to recharge the card, then the meter when it looks like our electric credit is low. With this new re-charge system and our 45 lightless days we will be very careful about our electricity consumption.

Let There Be Light!

Leadership Drama at Hope House

2010-08-10T07:52:00.000-07:00

Another Leadership Workshop started this week, but this time in the Hope House in Cajamarca. We invited 6 village banks to participate ( 3 banks participated in Los Banos). There was participation from all 6 village banks: a total of 23 women. This time around I took into consideration the literacy levels of our women and added a new activity to the 1st session - Theater! We (me and my lovely co-workers) introduced the theme of leadership using Sociodramas and asked the women themselves to participate in acting out scenes from repayment bank meetings. We acted out 3 scenes to show the group different types of leadership styles. After the 3rd scene we reflected on how the different leaders reacted to bank problems and what is the best type of leadership we can practice within our own banks. It was a hit. The dramas got the women laughing and participating much more than in the first series of workshop that we did in Los Banos. However, to be fair, we are working with a different group of women this month. The literacy levels are a bit higher in this group, but the group itself is much more active and talkative. And, this made for a excellent workshop.

I received headnods (women agreeing with me), questions and really great comments throughout the workshop. A couple of my favorite moments were :

1) When Juana, president of Amigas por Siempre village bank, asked me during our brainstorming activity, "I have never heard of leadership? What is it?" I replied, "Well, that is why we are here. If I tell you the answer now then you will all leave and the workshop will be done. What do you think it is?" Then a couple minutes later she replied, " Isn't a leader a responsible person who is in charge of a group." BINGO, she answered her own question!

2) Ingrid (our super star computer student) asked me at the end of the session, "Isn't this a capacitation? Because we are learning new stuff. Does that mean we get a certificate at the end?"

During one of our dramas. Elizabeth, our bank promotora, is acting as the authority (president) and different bank women are acting along with her.
We did group work within our village banks, reflecting on a leadership story and what it means to be a leader.

Wedding and Puppies

2010-08-09T17:35:00.000-07:00

Eventful weekend.

My volunteers, Amy and Blake, left. So we went out til 4am on Friday to have a proper good bye (although they went home way earlier, but what ever).

Then, Hugo and I got the reminder call on Saturday at 10:30am that we had a wedding to go to at 11am. We left our house at 11am, showered at Hugo's parents and got to the church by 12. There was still an hour left of the ceremony. (Or maybe it had just started?)

Hugo's cousin got married in one of the oldest churches in Cajamarca. Stunning. Then, we went to an elegant reception where there was endless drinks and dancing. And, Crazy Hour. After the band had played for at least 3 hours, the clowns and magicians and guys on stilts came in with party favors and the dance floor turned wild. I guess that is the big thing now - Crazy Hour - but since I am not hip, I didn't know what was going on. We danced during Crazy Hour and then we were done. Two consecutive nights of dancing is rough on the body.

Finally, yesterday Shakira gave birth to 10 little puppies that look like rats. They are all, except 1, female. That means it
will be more difficult to sell them.

Back to work!

Cajabamba Again

2010-08-02T06:57:00.000-07:00

The painter, waiting for his bus.The spot. Hugo painted up this dry hill, with absolutely nothing else around, except beauty.

Vicki and her clan (aka family), our company throughout the week.

We are back from Cajabamba, from the 2nd annual Open Air Painting Competition. It was a little different experience this year, compared to last. We traveled with Vicki and her family, which meant lots of time with 7-14 yr. olds. We stayed in her cousin's living room, in a tent. The road outside was noisy, and despite having electricity, we did not have a bathroom. Just a hole in the ground.

The competition itself was different this year. The artist were more spread out. I ended up hiking 4 hours to only see less than a dozen artists at work. Last year Hugo and I walked around the town of Cajabamba and saw close to 3 dozen artists.

Prizes were given out the last day and one of Hugo's fellow Cajamarcan artist (and good friend) won. Hugo didn't win a monetary prize, but his work was selected in the top 50 (out of 350) to be exhibited in an exposition in Lima.

We are now back at home, happy to have a bathroom, but not happy to still be without electricity. This week we will start looking for an apartment in town, WITH ELECTRICITY!

Life before Independence Days

2010-07-27T11:04:00.001-07:00

The 28th and 29th are Independence Days here in Peru. The streets are bustling with people and military parades right now. Hugo and I are on the way to Cajabamba for what is becoming the annual Open Air Painting competition. We are heading out with the whole clan: Vicki + daughter + 2 nephews + Amy & Blake. We are going to camp out in Vicki's cousins living room and we are hoping for good hiking weather. We are also hoping for a successful art competition, with Hugo's name in the headlines.

This work week was short, but full. I already feel like a Friday, even though it is only Tuesday. How is that possible?

Our two literacy groups took their literacy tests and did quite well. We didn't get 100 % goal achievement, but close. After the literacy tests we played Alfabet Bingo to give away some fun prizes. The hardest thing on Monday for one of our women that just kept winning Bingo was identifying all her letters. Will still have to work on that when we start a new literacy series next month.

Today I slipped out of the office to visit our 9th new and active village bank: Amigas (Friends). It was so very cool to be in their humble cement living room, watching them learn for the first time how to collect the loan repayment. They didn't hesitate or say, "no, we don't know how to do it." They just starting doing it, under Eliabeth's direction, of course.

Campo Catch-Up

2010-07-21T09:34:00.000-07:00

Since my arrival back into Cajamarca I have had to play catch-up and do some Campo (countryside) visits. On Monday I went to our literacy group outside of Los Banos to remind them that their 3 month 'test' is happening next week. I had to explain that the test is a good thing (not a scary thing) and it will help us see if they have improved and moved towards reaching some of their individual literacy goals. There was still a little fear in their eyes when I said, TEST, but hopefully that will go away come next Monday when we celebrate their advances.

Following the literacy check-in I visited the village bank Progresistas who were scheduled to prepare to start their 2nd cycle of loans. The group had their Acta meeting; where they agreed on group rules and bank regulations, voted on their Directive and came to other bank agreements. There was some miscommunication about place and time so we started late, but in the meantime there was plenty going on. Paola, former bank treasurer, came early and shared with us the story of her sick daughter. She has tried medicine, doctor's visit, other remedies, but nothing works. Her daughter is permanently sick. The women listened to her story, syptoms, etc... and came to the conclusion that Paola's daughter was 'scared.' She needed a cleaning (either with a candle, newspaper, egg or guinea pig). The closest available cleaning object was a candle, so the older grandmother that was strategically positioned next to Paola, took charge. She whispered something into the candle and then passed the candle over the little girls body. At the end of the process, they lit the candle and the cleaning was done. Let's hope this poor little thing gets better.

Then on Tuesday I accompanied Elizabeth to form yet another village bank, Azucenas. I was so glad that I had accompanied her; this group of women is just plain energetic and full of life. When the formal process of forming the bank, swearing them in and giving them their loan money was done, I invited them to participate in Hope House activities. I didn't really need to do that since half of the group had already signed up for computer class. That same half, plus a handful more also signed up for sewing and cooking class. I hope their excitement and interest doesn't fade as they begin to participate with us. Finally, we took a group picture. I said, 1, 2, 3, Cheese! The group burst out in laughter. The word Cheese appeared to be one of the funniest thing they have heard all year.

Jumping back ... Right into First Aid

2010-07-19T10:20:00.001-07:00

I have landed safely in Cajamarca and made my way back into the world of village banking, once again. It was as if I hadn't left. There were classes going on the day I returned, women showing up late, children trailing after their mom's footsteps and teachers asking for copies. The same stuff. Time stood still. Actually, it was nice to see and know that things can happen while I am away. That is a sign of sustainability. Although it was Amy and Blake taking over for a bit, and not Peruvians (the ultimate goal of sustainable village banking), it still points to the direction of sustainability.

My arrival conveniently came right before the 2nd First Aid class in Los Banos. So I was able to witness the class learn and practice taking respiration counts and blood pressure readings. It was very cool. Women really enjoyed using the stethoscope and taking each other's readings. Elizabeth encouraged the women that enjoyed these first First Aid classes (we plan to hold continuing classes on burns, cuts and injections) to consider purchasing the tools to take blood pressure reading in their communities. People pay for that service. Another business idea! I saw a lot of women nodding their heads in agreement.

The Last Lima Embassy Visit

2010-07-17T10:22:00.000-07:00

So, as many of you know, Hugo and I have been on a long Visa road with the U.S. embassy. Everything culminated with his visit last week, on the 15th to be precise. We were scheduled at 7:30am. When we arrived at 7:15am, the line to enter the embassy was already halfway down the block. We entered, got our number and sat in the crowded waiting room. Had to pay the small $400 fee and then wait again. Other families, individuals and couples were called into the last room, that felt like it could have been a mini prison. Vaulted door. Complete privacy. We waited almost 3 hours before we were finally called at 10:30am. We went in the room, with clamy hands, to meet our fate.

To make a long story short, our fate is to travel to Minnesota together next spring, March 2010. The not-knowing is over! If you are reading this from MN, we will see you soon!

Home - Hot Sweet - Home

2010-07-09T19:55:00.001-07:00

There is nothing quite like being home in Minnesota for a (brief) summer vacation. It is hot, there are tank-tops, more skin than I am used to seeing, but it is wonderful. Long days. Lazy. Endless supply of brats. Gorgeous sunsets. Green. Bikes. God, Minnesota has got it all. My only (2) complaints so far were my extended visit to Terminal A in Newark, New Jersey (due to my world cup replaying watching, I missed my plane, and got lucky to do a standby) and my 24 hour 101 fever virus that knocked me down and kept me in bed for the day. Other than that, what else do you except from an 11 day trip? As much as goodness as you can squeeze in a short amount of time. Didn't see good friends, or visit the waterpark, or go for a long bike ride...but God willing Hugo and I will be back on my stomping grounds next spring and we will do all of that plus a whole lot more.

Happy summer to all!

Put a fork in me -

2010-06-30T06:45:00.000-07:00

I'm Done!

I am signing off for a couple of weeks and leaving the Hope House keys with Amy and Blake to take over while I rest and re-energize at home. I just may be making a couple of posts these next 2 weeks - but from Minnesota!!! I will be back in the southern hemisphere in mid-July in time for lots of activity here in Cajamarca: new first aid classes for loan recipients, literacy evaluations and Independence celebrations for all of Peru.

Note: The photo above is the orange pound cake that the bakery class made this month. Dry, but tasty.

Living without (much) Light

2010-06-28T06:51:00.000-07:00

This past week has been a bundle of stress. Right in time before I head to Minnesota for a short summer vacation. Magnolia, our now-motherless pit bull (the little babies -minus one- were all sold), fell sick and just started recuperating this past week. She is still skin and bones, but at least is running around and wagging her tail. Our last little baby pitbull is having trouble walking, so we are nursing her (literally in the middle of then night) to strengthen her up. Shakira killed our cat. Our electricity went out. And we have plumbing problems.

Hunter RIP. The kitchen is no longer a pool thanks to headlamps. And, Hugo and I are cooking by gas light, thanks to our friend Vicky. Our electricity will hopefully be back on Wednesday or Thursday this week. Minnesota, I am so ready for you!

Summer Ponchos...just in time for the cold

2010-06-25T14:08:00.000-07:00

So when I surveyed women for classes last month they all expressed that they wanted to make ponchos and scarves, "for the cold Cajamarca nights." A note to all you northern hemisphere dwellers : **the nights are a little chilly down here** Yesterday was the 2nd part of the two part poncho class. We had women attending that had finished their ponchos, women that were mid-way and other women that had to completely re-do their ponchos. The stitch wasn't the hard part, but the figuring out where to increase their stitches was. This month in July we will be creating new scarf creations, let's hope there will be less difficulty with those stitches.

Doesn't a poncho sound nice for a chilly summer night? Oh, wait, this probably doesn't apply to ya all that are reading this.

Last leadership (til next month)

2010-06-22T08:16:00.001-07:00

We ended our leadership series in Los Banos ended Saturday. It was so much fun. It was the third session in this series and the reason it was so fun was because I just saw women open up throughout the sessions. This past Saturday we talked about Communication and Group Work, by the way of fun activities like telephone and "car and driver" (blindfold someone - the car- while their driver gives them direction). The session ended by making sweet towers out of marshmellows and gummy bears. The idea was to see how well women work in their groups to construct the tallest tower. The women loved it, especially eating their tower at the end.

As I am heading to MN on July 1st, leadership will take a break until my return mid-July. Then we'll start the series with a new group of women in different banks.

P.S. Minnesota get ready, here I come!

The week in review

2010-06-18T08:13:00.000-07:00

It wouldn't be another normal week here in the DHF Cajamarca headquarters without lots of action and movement. To sum it up in pictures I can offer the following:

Monday: Our sewing class recieved their material to start sewing their jackets that match their skirts that they made last month. Lots of new cuts and measuring for our women.
Tuesday: Birthday cake and Cooking class (although unrelated). DHF held our first cooking FOOD class where participants learned the tricks to make economical and healthy meals in their homes.

Wednesday: Third Buy Day this year. With 3 jewelry judges it made the whole process run smoothly and finish early.
Tuesday and Friday: Computer classes continue. The digital divide becomes smaller yet. This week our students learned the basics of navigating the internet and set up their own personal email accounts. Their homework is to check their email and answer questions that Blake had sent (via email) to the class.

Friday: Literacy learning in the Hope House continues. Lily continues to juggle two literacy sections - Basic and Advanced. We sometimes have little ones join us, because they have a hard time stay in our daycare and be without mom for a couple of hours.

And, the week still isn't done. Saturday is our 3rd and last Leadership workshop in Los Banos. In July we will start another leadership workshop with 3 new village banks.

Enough light?

2010-06-15T14:35:00.000-07:00

One of my jobs is trouble shooting. If there is a problem, however small, I am the one to answer the call. Lily, our literacy teacher, came to me with a concern last week. The women in our Monday class are complaining of headaches during literacy class. And, there isn't enough light that enters into our classroom, could these problems be related? I went to the countryside to check it out. The classroom you see posted above is our natural-lack-light room (don't let the photo deceive you with the cracks in the wall). I scoped out the other houses of other women in the same village bank and found a room with more natural light. We decided to switch classrooms next week to see if this works out better and we have less headaches. And, the women have to study a little bit more outside of class, to get their brains working throughout the week, with the hope of also preventing headaches.

P.S. This morning, for Amy's birthday, we took a little morning break to sing (for a good 10 minutes - just like the Bedard song-o-rama that happens at every MN birthday) and eat yummy chocolate cake. Feliz Cumpleanos Amy!

Meeting with 'Fighting Women'

2010-06-10T14:34:00.000-07:00

I started this week by meeting our new village bank 'Fighting Women,' or in spanish Mujures Luchadoras. Amy and I went to meet the new loan recipients, find out a little bit more about their businesses and explain the "plus" side of microcredit to survey their interests in classes and trainings. This group did not just sit there and listen to me (as you see in this video). Much of our meeting was them chatting, asking questions, and being very vocal. I love walking into a room with energtic women. It is a battery recharge for the week. After our microcredit plus session many of the women signed up for classes this week. A couple women are in computer classes, others came to chocolate class on Tuesday, two others came to jewelry class yesterday and some more are going to learn to crochet ponchos this afternoon.

Ingrid struck me as one of the most energetic of the bunch. She is in our Tuesday section of computer classes and also came to jewelry class for the first time yesterday. She is full of questions, thirsty for knowledge and completely full of light. She must have asked me 4 or 5 different times, "Computer Class is Tuesday. Then we practice on Thursay in the computer lab? Right? I want to learn until I know everything about computers because I don't know anything." I reassured her, Yes. She comes on Tuesday to learn and again on Thursday to practice and do her homework. When she came to computer class and was all questions. According to Blake, when she made a mistake and pressed the wrong key she didn't say Oops, like the other students. She said, "What does this do?" And then she did it again, just to make sure she learned it. For the first time during jewelry class, someone took notes yesterday. Ingrid. She had her notebook writing down all the different parts of the earring. This woman is going to learn a whole lot this month, this year, and hopefully the rest of her life.

Growing Leaders

2010-06-07T08:56:00.000-07:00

So this past Saturday DHF held the 2nd Leadership workshop for our village banks in the Los Banos. Amy and I got to the workshop "dining room" 1/2 hour early to set-up and prepare. We found another group using our contracted dining room, which worried me at first, but then I remember, "We're in Peru. We'll figure something out." And we did. The other group moved into another space and we started prepping. 3 o' clock on the dot came and went and we only had 3 participants. I was worried. 3:10pm. 3:15pm. Well, right around 3:20pm everyone streamed in. All at the same time.

So we got started, 1/2 hour later than I planned, but with a good solid group of 14 women. The workshop topic was: How am I a leader in my own life? The goal today was for each women to recognize their leadership abilities, give themselves more credit than they usually do and identify their internal voice that gives them strength. We did this through a number of activities (not requiring literacy skills); We started by sharing stories of leaders in our own lives, then we identified our own leadership skills through HAND drawings and finally we allowed the women to recognize their internal voice and strength through a partner activity and finally a meditation exercise. I noticed the women laughing, engaging and participating much more than our first workshop. Many because we had different activities on the agenda. Maybe the women felt more comfortable the 2nd time around. Maybe the women came with a more open mind and heart. Regardless, it felt good. It felt like we are growing leaders.

Austin in Cajamarca

2010-06-03T16:02:00.000-07:00

Our LBJ school of public affairs graduate students from Austin are alive and well in Cajamarca. Amy and Blake arrived last week and will be working with DHF through August. The amount of working hands here on the ground just tripled - from 2 to 6! Amy will be helping with general program development and learning the ropes of day-to-day Hope House functioning. She will also be doing some in-depth interviews with loan recipients and develop and improve some of our existing monitoring/evaluation systems. Blake is taking the lead on computer courses set to start tomorrow. He has been busy checking, reprogramming, updating and prepping our computer room. Poor Guy. The computers haven't been used in awhile so he had a lot of work right away. They will be checking in on the blog every once and while, so take note. We - well let me speak for myself - I - am so happy to have them here.

Dear Blog

2010-06-01T13:09:00.001-07:00

Village Bank Officer Elizabeth assisting our new village bank "The Stars of Belen" form their banks rules and regulations.
Literacy class out in the campo with the village bank "Strength and Blessing"; we have two sections - Basic (learners just learning how to write their names) and Advanced (Multiplication and Division)
The last class of our poncho series out in the campo with village bank "Margaritas."
Poncho model - who wouldn't want to buy a poncho for their little girl?

Dear Blog,
I have not forgotten about you. You wake up, work, share with the rest of the world, while I do the same. But, sometimes we just don't connect. I am sorry, there is just so much that happens everyday. It is hard to make the time. I will try to connect more often. Until next time...

At 2 weeks

2010-05-30T17:27:00.001-07:00

So our little 5 pitbull survivors are 2 weeks old this weekend. Some of them have started to open their eyes. They are still inmobile and make sounds like baby toys. Hugo has picked out which of the doggies are going to be stronger than the others, by their neck size. Really, though, they are just all so cute. Magnolia seems to have recovered from childbirth and leaves her little ones in the dog house as she roams the rest of the lawn space. The other doggie news is that it turns out that Shakira now is in heat and if Hugo has anything to do with it (which he does) she will give birth in approximately 2-3 months. That means more little pitbulls.

Any buyers?

So much in so little time

2010-05-28T10:23:00.001-07:00

Have I ever mentioned that I love my job? Well, I do. Every week is full; new things, new stories, triumphs, and yes, struggles. When I wake up I never know what I am going to experience, hear or learn. And I love that.

Another week is coming to an end. This week our partner Multicredit formed a new bank 'Fighting Women' just in time for Amy Knop-Narbutis arrival. Amy is our new volunteer from the LBJ school in Austin, TX joining DHF on the ground in Cajamarca until August. She witnessed the song start and loan reimbursement for 'Fighting Women' on her first day in high altitudes.

Besides the bank formation this week, we also had sewing classes, an appetizer class and finished making children's sweaters. This afternoon we will finish poncho's in the countryside, have more literacy learning and define the leadership directive of yet another new village bank. So much good stuff in one short little week.

Perks

2010-05-25T17:14:00.001-07:00

I enjoy a lot of perks with my job, just like I struggle with many frustrations. One of the perks I got to enjoy today was the sweetest of freshly made truffles and manjar blanco (dulce de leche) cookies. DHF held an appetizer course and by my taste buds, the women did a fabulous job of creating sweet appetizers. There were some extra truffles (after everyone got their fair share) for me to take home and eat as desert later tonight. Yum.

Leadership

2010-05-24T13:04:00.000-07:00

A start on leadership this month! Finally! I have been working for the past two months on starting our leadership series and it finally got off the ground. Like last year, I want to work with our new village banks to create a learning space where our bank members can grow into leaders. Give them the tools, ideas and safe space to try out new things and self-evaluate their self-esteem, strengths and vision.

This group is much different than my leadership group last year. During this leadership workshop ( which is a total of 4 workshops) I invited all (27 women) bank members from 3 different village banks. This loan cycle a women may not be President or Secretary, but next loan cycle she might. We want to find the leader in all our women.

Although the majority of women I invited to the workshop know how to read and write, the majority of women that actually came to the workshop didn't know how to read and write. This created some difficulty when it came time to do certain exercises. Furthermore, although we had a childcare provider, many of the women didn't want to leave their toddlers in someone else's care. So we had some little crys from below the table, here and there, throughout the workshop.

However, since I have such great co-workers, they helped facilitate the movement of our first workshop despite the little crys and other problems that came up. And, they were full of ideas of how to improve for the 2nd workshop. My favorite comment from the workshop was from Nancy, "I want to learn how to speak in front of people, like leaders do."

p.s. The Doggie Update - we still have 5 little guys that squeal like baby toys, but have yet to open their eyes. Growing and healthy.

Dreamtime Circus

2010-05-20T08:41:00.000-07:00

Besides the Pennsylvania University students that visited us this week, there is another group of gringos in town. The Dreamtime circus (http://www.dreamtimecircus.org/). They are finishng up their 2nd International Tour and Cajamarca happens to be their 2nd to last stop. I have invited all our loan recipients and their kids to attend the free shows this week, as it is a presentation that is unique and rare in these parts. Hugo and I took his little brother yesterday and the result: laughs and future jugglers. Sebastian and Javier couldn't stop juggling all night long after the inspiration from the show.

From Research to Field

2010-05-19T10:37:00.001-07:00

This week DiscoverHope Fund hosted a group of University students from Pennslyvania that had collaborated with Maggie on the U.S. side to research information for our Microcredit Toolkit. Since they had read and researched microcredit work they wanted to see firsthand; Is the fieldwork really like what the research says?

They were here a short two days, but made the most of their time. They met our village banking team at the Multicredit office, visited Hope House classes, walked to countryside village banks to hold focus groups, and ended their visit with a business tour (among transportation strikes and street blockage!) They came thirsty for experience and that is what they got, along with a bug or two that dwindled their group down from 6 to 4 people.

On our business tour this morning we visited 7 businesses: Quinoa apple breakfast drink streeet cart (which the group gave 2 thumbs up for service, cleanliness and flavor!), an orange juice stand, a small little store, a house filled with duck-chicken- pig-sheep all being raised for market, a ceviche and frito food stand, a blanket knitter and finally a candlemaker. The group fell in love the kiddos along the way, who wouldn't?

For me the business tour was also an eye opening experience, as I got to visit new loan recipients' businesses in banks that had just formed last month. According to the Penn group, they were surprised at how business savy some of our women are; for example the women who adds spice to her ceviche in order to promote the sale of her soda and our orange juice seller who knows exactly how much oranges (and which kind) she needs to buy and how much juice she needs to sell to make a profit. It filled me with such good energy to listen to our women's stories, celebrate successes and really show-off the good stuff that microcredit does. Imagine, we got to do all this in the midst of a citywide transportation strike that closed off the main streets in town. Goodness prevails!

Dog Day

2010-05-16T16:00:00.000-07:00

Today has been an all out dog day. Hugo awoke to the sound of his brother yelling at the top of his lungs, "there are little puppies. Magnolia had her babies." Hugo didn't take long before he was downstairs with the little ones - all 7. Have you ever seen a newborn pitbull? They look like a mix between guinea pigs and piglets. Cute and akward. Since the morning, two of the little guys didn't make it, mom is just too big and squished some of them. So we now only have 5 little pitbulls, which makes a grand total of 8 dogs in this house right now. Wow.

Hugo and Sebastian decided to work on Shakira's house today, a two story mansion. I have never seen a house so big for one single dog. Well, actually the idea is the two story dog house will hold many dogs, including the new arrivals. The new house is practically done, just needs the staircase finishing touches.

Goals and Ponchos

2010-05-14T16:51:00.000-07:00

The week end on a good note. DHF held two activities this afternoon. A Poncho class in the countryside, for women that don't have the money to cover transportation costs to come to the Hope House. And, literacy class in the Hope House. Our attendance for literacy went from 1 student last week to 7 students this week. A huge literacy boost, I think partly due to recruit help from Elizabeth doing door to door visits. Also, I went to meet a newly formed village bank "United Women" and during our meeting I invited the women to literacy (and other development classes). As part of our literacy program this year we are creating individual goals for each student. What is it that you want to learn in regards to literacy that will help you in your daily life? And each women knows the answer to that, so we just help frame it. And put in on paper. And then work on that.

Going home today happy and healthy. Resting up for another full week; join me on Monday to start the good stuff again.

Finding a Room

2010-05-13T10:48:00.000-07:00

I have been drinking hot limeade and orange juice, which has helped tremedously in the battle against my cold. My energies are almost 100%; which is amazing after I have used a lot of energy to find a room in Banos de Inca.

We are holding our first leadership workshop next Saturday for our rural banks located outside of the small town Banos de Inca. At first I thought we could hold the workshop in one of our loan recipient's houses - she has a great big room that is perfect for this activity. But, after talking with some of our women in another village bank, I found out her house is a good 45 minute walk, and "if we went, what time would we get home to feed our animals?" Good point.

So I started on a search this week to look for a common room that would fit 30 women comfortably in Los Banos. I went to the Municipality and they have this official form that you can fill out to request the auditorium. I filled it out on Monday and returned 2 days later, as indicated. When I returned to the same office to find out if my request had been processed, they sent me across town to another municipality office. There the guy in charge wasn't around and often leaves "whenever on the fly" so I had to return the next day. Today.

Sr. Rosario informed me that they can't honor my request because the Municipality doesn't work on Saturdays. Could someone have told me this when I first filled out the form? Or when I came back two days later? No.

In the meantime, I went to the Parroquia, Catholic Church near the Central Plaza in Los Banos. They have an auditorium that they rent out for a ridiculously large sum of money. I asked to talk to the administrator in charge to see if there was the possiblity of renting a room for a lower fee. Administrator wasn't around, but he would call me. 3 days later, no call.

Oh, and I visited a local restaurant too. I asked about using a room and they just looked at me funny, like I wasn't speaking spanish.

So I went back to the Parroquia 3 days later to encounter - who else? - the administrator. He showed me another room, for a lower fee, that was perfect. Only took 3 visits to Los Banos and some mean negociating skills to get our Leadership Workshop Room!

Meet Bertha (Elizabeth)

2010-05-12T10:25:00.000-07:00

This is a little overdue, please forgive me. After months of good health, the cold/flu bug has attacked and much of my recent energy has been going towards the cold fight.

Last week DiscoverHope Fund welcomed a new member to our village banking project. Elizabeth Bertha, but we'll just call her Bertha, otherwise you'll confuse her with our village bank officer Elizabeth. She is our new business advisor and will dedicate her time to listening to women's business difficulties, providing simple business solutions and do individual follow-up with business progress. She brings a wealth of experience working with women in poverty and her professional background is accounting. I love having her as part of our team as she is a strong woman filled with ideas and totally committed to our work. Since she started she has been meeting the various village banks and visiting women in their respective business. We threw her into the fire and this past Saturday she did a pre-programmed business session with our bank Las Progresistas. Since it was on the eve of Mother's Day, the village banking meeting was filled not only with loan re-payment and business tips, but a small lunch and cake. A nice way to start out on the job.

Takes Time

2010-05-11T08:35:00.000-07:00

Everything takes time. Some things take more time than planned. Others, less. Pictured here is what I like to call the "Pineapple" Flower. We bought these flowers back in October, specifically because I was told they would bloom for January and we would have pineapple flowers everywhere for our wedding ceremony. They finally bloomed in May, when I returned home from a week long Lima trip. 5 months off.

As some of you know, I went to Lima at the end of April to receive my International Residency Card. Yes, I am a legal Peruvian resident now. That meant I could officially petition for Hugo's visa at the embassy, which I did only 2 days after receiving my residency. Yesterday we received two big manila envelopes. The embassy accepted my petition and already set a date to interview Hugo. Next month. This part of the process is indeedmoving much faster than anticipated. This process is a long time coming, ever since the marriage paperwork back in May. It is taking time, but it is moving. And really, at this point, the amount of time left (considering what we have already put in) may not be all that much time, before Hugo and I are in Minnesota together for the first time.

Sales for Mom

2010-05-06T08:57:00.000-07:00

Finally!

I am so happy. Finally 6 of our loan recipients organized themselves to sell their jewelry and other crafts for Mother's Day. I had been encouraging the women since our first Buy Day this year to sell to locals, now that we have a prime traffic space. Our office and Hope House learning space is on the 2nd floor of the community complex that is only 2 blocks from the Central Plaza. 1,000's People walk past our office every day and don't even know it. The loan recipients that motivated to sell for Mother's Day approached the Head Nun earlier this week to ask permission to sell on the 1st floor, right in front of the main doorway. They said, Yes. BINGO!

So far, sales have been steady. Not over the roof, but the women are making just a little bit more money compared to their normal sales.

May Start

2010-05-05T15:46:00.001-07:00

This month has started out with a bang. I usually wait the first couple days of the month to get started with classes, because I use the first days of the month to purchase materials, 'pass the word' and get everything in order. But, since I traveled to Lima last week (to become a legal Peruvian resident with the immigration office!) I handed out May class calendars to loan recipients the last week of April. And, I had women sign up early for classes, which in and of itself is a miracle.

This week so far women have made jewelry, organized themselves for jewelry sales, started computer classes and our sewing class is finishing their skirts for Mother's Day. All of that in only a couple of days. We still have a whole month ahead of us to do so much more.

Our sewing class is moving along and sewing their first project. They are making skirts. Just in time for Mother's Day. So, we will have a lot of happy moms that will be wearing new skirts on Sunday.

It has been such a joy to witness women learning how to use the computer for the first time. Two of our computer students today mentioned, "WOW, now I know how to turn on the computer and write something."

Biz Prep for Mother's Day

2010-05-01T07:22:00.000-07:00

This week was filled with classes to prepare our loan recipients for Mother's Day business. Mother's Day is just around the corner, a week away. Many of our contract teachers know this week and have been preparing for weeks for big sales this coming week. However, many of our loan recipients haven't been doing the same thing, either because they have never made Mother's Day crafts or haven't targeted their businesses in this holiday. The women learned how to decorate chocolates during one of the classes this week, which can be used either as a personal gift (thus saving money) or making more and selling them (making money)! This week will be the test to see if women are able to implement their new skills into new business.

Cow Tips

2010-04-27T12:53:00.000-07:00

We did it - another animal session in the countryside, just as I had promised in a previous post. Last week was pigs, yesterday was cows. We had a small group of 7 village bank members that gathered round in the same, dark living room with listening ears and curious faces. We set up the projector and had "movie" time again. These women have been raising animals for practically their whole life, so they know a thing or two. But, as Esperanza said, "Sometimes you just aren't sure if you are raising your animals the best way and we don't have anyone to ask. This was good because we got to ask questions about our cows." They learned some hygiene and nutrition tips, along with recommendations to control disease. I learned a thing or two, too.

2nd 3-in-1

2010-04-26T09:28:00.000-07:00

Last Friday was another 3-in-1 afternoon. The three activities were thankfully all in the Hope House, so there was no need to be running to the countryside to meet with a group. There was a crochet hat class going on the 2nd floor while our literacy students were working on the 3rd floor. And, just as our literacy class was ending, another village bank was gathering for their first loan repayment. As part of their loan repayment meeting, Oswaldo prepared a "business tips" session. There was so much learning going on last Friday, it was amazing!

Makes the Job Easier

2010-04-23T08:02:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we finished a three week crochet course. 14 loan recipients learned how to make baby blankets. The group met every Thursday for 3 weeks; which for some was just enough time, and for others, well... their poor little blankets are still very little. (Don't worry, our unfinished blankets will be finished by the crochet class next month, when the students will bring their work to class again) What I really appreciated about this course was that Nelly, our crochet teacher extraordinaire, lead the group with her soft, gentle leadership, individual coaching each participant in their work.

I talked with all the women in the class yesterday about other possible crochet/knitting projects. They were not short of ideas. In fact I think we have enough yarn projects to bring us through the end of the year. This makes my job easier. When the women are eager to learn and know what they want to learn, I can plan it. Make it happen. Next yarn project: children's sweaters.

Community Classes

2010-04-20T09:25:00.001-07:00

As many of you have probably gathered from previous posts, the Hope House is busy. There are activities everyday. Women gather, learn new skills, forget their problems, sell their products and leave empowered. But, that isn't the case with all our loan recipient women. Some of the newly formed banks are located in the countryside, a good 45 minute bus ride to the Hope House. That is 45 minutes of ride time (not including wait time), if the women are lucky enough to find space on the one busline that goes out to their community. One of our new village bank members, Tania, was telling me that she really wanted to sign up for sewing classes, but because class ends at 6pm, she would have a hard time getting a space on the bus to get back home. Tania came to bakery class last month and in order to get home, she had to squeeze on one of the last buses, while her arms dangled out the window. Not especially comfortable with two small children. She went so far as to ask her other bank members if they wanted to split the cost of a taxi to come home after sewing class, but there just weren't enough women to make the cost economical.

So what does DHF do about this? Yesterday we started our first community class, where we bring Hope House to the homes of the loan recipients. In Tania's village bank, Strength and Blessings, many of the women raise animals as their business. So we invited a Veterinarian to give some "Animal Tips", specifically about pigs, to this village bank. Attendance was great, almost all of the village bank was present. And, the women had loads of questions. We set up the proyector in a dark living room with a bedsheet as our background. My favorite quote from the afternoon was, "Well, now I am not going to buy sick pigs again." There was so much interest after our session ended that we are already planning a Cow Tips session.

3-in-1

2010-04-16T16:55:00.001-07:00

This afternoon was a 3-in-1 afternoon. Three different activities all going on at the same time. On the 3rd floor of the Hope House there was literacy class. On the 2nd floor we had women selling jewelry to the general public. And, in Los Banos I held a microcredit plus meeting with our new bank "Margaritas" to get to know their businesses and tailor classes to their desires and needs. It is so exciting to be part of DHF right now and feel the grow, learning and amazing energy that is created among our women. But, it is also exhausting. So, I am checking out for the weekend. Until Monday...

Healthy Homes Re-visit

2010-04-15T09:23:00.000-07:00

Those of you that were following us from last year will remember our 'Healthy Families, Healthy Homes' project. We worked together with a local partner, GyC Salud y Ambiente, to improve the homes of 30 of our loan recipients. One of the biggest improvement that occurred in the duration of the Health Project was the construction of a wood fire stove. This simple adobe and brick structure saves firewood while simultaneously significantly diminishing the smoke in the kitchen. 6 months ago we left our families using their new stoves with no maintenance or usage trouble. 6 months later I visited the 'Healthy Homes' with Tula to evaluate the sustainability of our project and possible problems that may have developed during our absence. During the 2 days of our evaluation we encountered everything and anything. *The sustainable part:

The majority of families are using their wood fire stoves daily. They have minimal problems, mostly due to smoke as a result of less desirable firewood usage & pots that don't fit their mold. Both of these problems are preventable, but when working with families in poverty in marginalized rural areas they don't always have access to ideal firewood or an instrument that would cut mental rings to prevent leaking smoke. Tula was able to give the families some practical and simple solutions to their problems.

Some of our families have made even more household improvements. Did our project serve as a motivation to continue improving the conditions in their homes? For example, one family had built a coral for their hens, which were often running wild, in the kitchen, creating unsanitary conditions. Another family built a kitchen shelf to store their food above the ground.

* The hard part:

Some of our families have had to relocate, travel outside of Cajamarca to care for other family members, or have suffered severe family trouble, thus abandoning their stoves and household improvements. Families in poverty do not have the stability that other families enjoy. Income and survival is a constant struggle; in this struggle, time dedicated to survival basics wins over healthy habits.
Our families really thrived when they had that individual, constant attention that Tula provided weekly. She feed our families with praise and motivation. Without that constant presence, some of our families tend to put healthy habits and improvements on the back burner and other things become priority.

Tula reminded our families, we will come again and visit you by SURPRISE! and we want to find your stove and home, clean and in order. The families nodded in agreement. My curiousity is what will happen in another 6 months with our Healthy families?

Export Prep

2010-04-14T14:59:00.000-07:00

Another Buy Day has come and gone. I packaged up the $300 purchase in candlelight yesterday, as the electricity went out in our block in Cajamarca. Today I went to the Serpost office to "Export Facil" (Easily Export) all our goods. This time was more smooth. With Oswaldo we only spent 2.5 hours filling out the 1 sheet form on the internet, instead of 2 days last year. And, instead of 2. 5 hours at the Mail Serpost office, I only spent a grant total of 20 minutes. The true test is the arrival of goods in 7 days. Let's hope for safe travel of our little export package.

Sewing for the Long Term

2010-04-13T13:01:00.000-07:00

Today we started a whole new chapter in DHF activities. We started a 3 month long sewing course in collaboration with Sonia, my new favorite teacher. She taught our women apron's class last month and now is teaching our women a complete sewing women's clothes course, complete with a certificate at the end of 3 months. A certificate from a technical institute here in Cajamarca is the equivalant to post-secondary learning in the U.S. DHF has helped women learn new things, try new things, explore new things. But, this course is an amazing opportunity for our women to really develop their sewing skills and professional/business skills too. Those women that want to root themselves in sewing and grow, this is their chance. I will keep you all posted about our sewing students and their projects as the course takes it's course.

The Big Pig Cook Out

2010-04-11T19:16:00.000-07:00

Today was the Big Pig Cook Out, and it was a smashing success.
Why a Big Pig cook out you ask?

It all started on April 1, no joke.
Sebastian and Javier (two 8 yr. olds) took Magnolia, the youngest of the pitbulls, out for a morning stroll.
Magnolia who loves pigs, got a whif of a pig in the street and raced up to it, pulling the two boys with her, and took a bite right out of her ear.
Eventually Sebastian and Javier pulled Magnolia away from the pig, but the pig's ear was damaged.
So we had a vet look at the pig's ear. Lots of damage, could get infected. Better to kill the pig.

So the next day, two of our neighbors killed the pig. And we send it to a local oven and then put it in the freezer.
Last night we took it out of the freezer and cooked it up with side salads and mashed potatoes. We sold plates for $2 and had limeade and beer to help the pork go down. The plates were delicious and we have no pork leftover, just a pig head in the freezer.

We made more than $60 during our Pig Cook Out - $30 of which will go towards the new pig purchase for our neighbor, and the rest of the gains stay in our pockets - to pay ourselves for all our hard work today!

Mud Recruitment

2010-04-09T16:31:00.000-07:00

Hope House classes have started this month and I haven't seen some of our new loan recipients around or signing up for activities. So, yesterday I slipped out of knitting class early to visit a couple of loan recipients in their houses. Many of our new village banks are in the countryside, where there is dirt, rain and mud. I walked through the thick mud to get to the homes of some of our women. I found many village bank women and was able to give them the "official" invitation to come to class. In my experiences these past couple of years I have found that women need to make a personal connection with you before they will do anything else with you - or me.

For example, if I send the activity calendar of classes to women in a village bank, and there is a woman in that village bank who is interested in classes, she will be hesitate to sign up if I haven't laid the groundwork. She doesn't know my name. Doesn't know where the class is. And, she for sure isn't going to go to Cajamarca alone to class. Peruvians work in groups and the way to motivate one woman is to motivate many. I encourage the women to take advantage of these learning opportunities and come to classes with other bank members. Walking through the mud, dodging angry dogs and knocking on doors yesterday; the mud recruitment paid off. I got some new loan recipients to sign-up for sewing and chocolate making classes this month. And, yes, they are coming with their fellow bank members.

Ring, Ring, Ring

2010-04-07T11:00:00.000-07:00

Amazing the strength of my telephone the past two days!

I had to travel to Lima these past couple of days to visit the Immigration Office and take care of business with my visa and permission to stay in the country. Lima and Immigration is a whole other world from the rest of Peru, but once you learn the lay of the land, it is navigable. Hugo accompanied me on my immigration journey, just as I will accompany him on his immigration journey. We handed in all the paperwork to change my visa status to resident. Nora Bedard, at the end of this month, will be a resident of Peru! Never would I have imagined. Part of the approval process for this visa is getting a criminal record clearance from the international police department in Lima. They make you wait all morning to take fingerprints, get a teeth check and mug shot. Good thing I still had a Vogue magazine lingering from Maggie's visit. We took a lot of dirty, stinky buses to try and get from point A to B in Lima, which isn't very easy. But, now that I am back in Cajamarca, happy to know my paperwork is in process and the first steps of the process are behind us.

Hope House classes start today and since I wasn't in the office the past two days my phone has been ringing off the hook. I was in the interational police department office and women were calling me about jewelry class. I was in the smelly, dirty public bus and women were calling me about jewelry class. I was in the bus station checking in my backpack and women were calling me about jewelry class. I love that so many women are interested in class this afternoon, I just need a secretary!

As DiscoverHope Fund grows, a secretary may be part of that future. But, for now, the reality of a small international NGO is having few personal on the ground and doing whatever, whenever to make things work. This includes class sign-up on the nightbus from Lima to Cajamarca.

New Money!

2010-03-31T08:42:00.000-07:00

As I may have alluded to in previous posts, this month has been busy, busy.

Since this week is Semana Santa, Holy Week, I didn't program activities at the Hope House. But, that doesn't mean it hasn't been busy. I went out to the countryside yesterday to visit loan recipients in their homes and businesses to invite them to our April activities. The women were really excited to see the new calendar and new classes that will be offered. Some of you may remember Precila from last year. She is part of the village bank Jehova es mi Pastor and was involved in literacy courses last year. She had shared with me in a previous visit that she was calling her literacy teacher from last year for help this year. She forgot how to multiply and wanted some quick tips on the phone so she could help her son with his homework. Starting in April she won't have to do that, since we will be offering literacy classes again. I visited her in her countryside store, which has grown since last year, and she looked over the class list and signed up for 3 classes right there on the spot. This is usually rare as the women I work with don't have extra change laying around. I meet all kinds of women on this microcredit journey, and I have learned that when you find women that have inspiration, drive and desire, You Invest in Them.

After walking along cow pastures all day, my day finished with yet another new village bank formation. A village bank called "Margaritas" formed outside of Banos de Inca. This group is talky, active and full of energy. After their loan dispersement I invited the women to participate in our April activities and nearly 1/2 of the village bank signed up for classes. Below is a new loan recipient receiving her new loan money! Gotta love it!

Machine Power

2010-03-26T07:56:00.001-07:00

DHF has really increased it's machine power this year. We went from 2 old Singer sewing machines last year to 8 machines this year. Where our Hope House is housed, with a small group of nuns that believe in serving the poor, there is the capacity to hold sewing classes like we never have before. We held an Introduction to Sewing class yesterday, where women learned how to make a simple apron pattern. In the beginning of class all the women gathered in the sewing room around the long tables where they were instructed to cut their material. The 18 women in class divided into 2 smaller groups and it was really fun to watch them help each other and even teach each other. Our new sewing professor, Sonia, hails from a technical institute in Cajamarca and was so calm, patient and composed as she made the rounds of all 8 sewing machines to get them working. Once material was cut, some women made their way straight to the machine, while others handsewed their material pre-machine pass. I only got to witness a few finished aprons, as I had to run off to a new village bank inauguration, but from the sight of the work level, the women I am sure went home content with their newly made bright aprons.
As the sewing class was finishing their aprons, I ran to another new village bank inauguration, thankfully in the same building complex as our class. The village bank "Women Entrepenuers" formed last night with a 'semilla', or seed money of s/2,000.00 soles (roughly $704) . This bank is composed of many recovering mental health patients that the nuns here have served and rehabilitated. They are women with work skills, but up until this point haven't worked with business capital to use and grow those skills. The best part of the inauguration was the ending when one of the women said, "too bad we couldn't do a toast for this special occasion." At that moment I remembered the extra orange Fanta soda that I had leftover from our business charla. I ran downstairs to grab the sacred orange drink and served the new village bank members their plastic toast glasses. There were heart warming words and the actual (orange) toast, which made the meeting complete.

The Smokey Cheesecake

2010-03-25T08:03:00.001-07:00

There is always room for something crazy to happen in Peru, and DiscoverHope classes are no exception. Let me share with you some of the events that unfolded in our bakery class this week. First of all, we had record breaking participation in our class. There were 22 women that attended class, and many more that had expressed interest in coming but didn't sign up. So we had a very full house of eager students. Which also meant we had a full house of little children running around, and if it wasn't for Socorro, our amazing childcare provider this month, our full house would have turned into a crazy house.

Class started, women receieved their recipes and the baking got underway. I skipped out of the classroom to meet with another teacher and when I came back I found all the women gathered around a plastic chair. They couldn't find the socket to plug in the blender, so the entire class moved to the only visible plugin and were cooking on a plastic chair. I quickly showed the teacher the plug in close to the cooking table, but the women seemed very content with the current set-up so they continued to work in their huddled position.

We put the cakes in the oven, first the Cheesecake and then the Lime Pie. While we were waiting for the oven to do it's work, Oswaldo joined the class for another Business Charla. He had a captive audience until the moment when we noticed that the kitchen was filling with smoke. Upon closer examination the actual oven was leaking smoke. The rescue team, Oswaldo, our teacher and another student, opened the oven to try and resolve the problem, meanwhile all the women had fled the classroom because they couldn't breathe from all the smoke that had traveled out of the kitchen into the classroom. Oswaldo solved the problem. A piece of cloth was stuck back in the oven, caught on fire and was causing all this chaos. He removed the cloth, we faned the kitchen and eventually all the women returned to their seats to finish class. Thankfully, both our Cheesecake and Lime Pie were not damaged. Everyone had a chance to taste the baked goods when our class ended. But lesson learned, check the oven before baking.

The" Plus" of Microcredit

2010-03-24T07:55:00.001-07:00

I was incredibly motivated by our new village bank on Monday. They surprised me and filled me up at the same time. After a new village bank forms I ask the group to gather to have a microcredit "plus" meeting. During this gathering I explain to the women the work of DHF and why we believe that loans coupled with education are key to providing support and a path towards a successful businesses, as well as opportunities to grow personally.

So we do a couple different activities in this meeting, first so that I can get to know the women and their individual businesses. Secondly, I want to know what their desires are, where they need/want support, what they want to learn. I use pictures of activities (for example literacy, sewing classes, etc...) we have done in the past or would like to do in the near future and ask the women to prioritize if any of these activities would help the women in their lives. "Strength and Blessings" village bank had a lot of ideas yesterday; they want to learn more about how to care for their animals, get their pigs good and fat for market day. They also want to learn more about sewing clothes, since almost all of them sew in some way, shape or form. Finally, a number of women want to improve their math skills, so they can keep better track of their business money. The ideas just kept flowing all afternoon. On top of that, 5 of the village bank members signed up for bakery class yesterday. The group of women are meeting at 2pm at the presiden'ts house so they can go together and be early, .."we don't want to get lost." Class starts at 3pm. There are really no words for me when I witness a group of women coming together, organizing amongst themselves, and motivating for self-improvement. It is my inspiration.

Birthday and Goodbye Meals

2010-03-23T10:55:00.000-07:00

We have been eating really well the past couple of days. Partly to celebrate Hugo's 31 years today and also to say farewell to our neighbors Sandro, Heydi and little Dylan. Hugo and I love having Sandro, native to Italy, and his family in the countryside house complex. They have provided lots of laughs, shared meals, freshly made ricotta cheese, and just good company since we came back from our honeymoon. They are heading to Italy next week for 6 months to 1 year, and then will be back in Cajamarca, when hopefully our paths will cross again.

On Sunday we had a BBQ in the hot mountain sun and stuffed ourselves with really good food in Sandro's family honor, for being such good neighbors. Then, in Bedard style, this morning for Hugo's birthday I prepared a bunch feast with eggs, potatoes, cheese and carrot cake. Everyone I think was a little overwhelmed at the breakfast spread, since breakfast is not the main meal of the day here. We will continue eating throughout the day and until Thursday when Sandro and his family leave for Lima. I am hoping my stomach ache will go away soon, too much good food has it's consequences.

Buen Provecho!

Strength and Blessings

2010-03-19T07:58:00.000-07:00

Strength and Blessings, translated in spanish as "Fuerza y Bendicion," is the name of the new village bank formed yesterday. I went to the bank formation thinking I would witness, take pictures and invite women to classes at the Hope House. I did that and a little more.

So the bank formation went like this:
Women trickle in two by two into the open patio space that was surrounded by mud walls in the countryside, Tartar Chico, outside of Banos de Inca. The rain softly reminded us that we were safe and dry under the tin roftop. Elizabeth took the newly elected President, Secretary and Treasurer aside to give them a quick pep talk about how the meeting would go. The formal speeches started. A meeting in Peru is not complete without a long winded formal speech. Then, yours truely - with no advanced notice - did the swearing in ceremony. I admit, I tried not to fall into the long winded speech category. Since our new bank members are all evangelical we had a toast with Pepsi, instead of the wine Oswaldo brought, and congratulated one another on the bank formation. Oswaldo presented the loan money to the president, who together with her new directives counted the money. It was all there. The 3 directives then sat down in front of a wobbly wooden table covered with a blanket to give the corresponding loan amount to each respective bank member. It ran so smooth and it was all so well orquested by Elizabeth. We had little chickens running around at our feet and small children asking for more Pepsi, but nothing crazy. After the loans were dispersed Oswaldo explained the pay back system, including savings account and accrued interest. I also added my invitation to the group to participate in classes. The final part of our meeting was a plate full of potatoes covered in spicy yellow sauce. A perfect end to a perfect village bank formation.

A little warm fuzzy

2010-03-18T07:38:00.000-07:00

OH, how we are eagerly waiting for the raining season to end here in Peru. Yesterday was a perfect example of rainy season madness. I had left the Hope House to buy some things for our afternoon class. The sky was cloudy, but I didn't pay any attention to that. I made my way to the busy market street, when not even 2 blocks later, I found myself hugging the outside store walls and thanking the overhang for protecting me from the brutal downpour. The streets turned into grey rivers and everybody stopped in their tracks. 15 minutes later the downpour disappeared, but the riverflow in the streets stayed heavy. My shopping trip that normally would have taken 20 minutes took almost an hour.

When our afternoon class started my shoes were still soaking wet. The women took pity on me and suggested we make a 'chanchita,' the commonly used word for piggy bank when a group of people all put together a little money to buy something. With the chancita the women bought sugar, hot tea and bread and we had a warm little snack that didn't dry my shoes, but definitely warmed me up.

Today the sky is cloudy, but I am proceeding with caution

Business Charla

2010-03-17T08:59:00.000-07:00

We are trying a different approach to business classes this year - businesses charlas, or chats. Before some of our more popular classes at the Hope House we want to give business advice to the minds and bodies of the women that come to classes. They are already here in the Hope House and an extra 15-20 minutes before classes to get business advice takes away very little class time. Plus, it gets our women thinking 'business' while they are working on their scarf, jewelry piece, etc... Oswaldo, our business advisor, talked about business plans with the 10 women that came to class this week. He did a great job of speaking to their business level and relating to them. The women were quiet during the charla time, but after Oswaldo left I heard the aftermath..."It is really important to seperate our capital business money from personal money, that is why we don't make money. I use to have a name for my business, but didn't think it was important. It is important to think about price of our products, otherwise we don't make money....." and on and on.

Oswaldo gave the women some business homework, the charla ended and the class started on their scarf project. It was interesting that throughout the afternoon the women kept coming back to the business themes. That means the ideas are ringing in their ears.

The next business charla will be next week where Oswaldo will repeat the same business themes with a different group of women.

Chapter 2: Immigration Paperwork Trail

2010-03-16T10:23:00.000-07:00

Hello all,

As I am sure many of you are getting into springtime mode I am recently recovering from a bad sunburn. I know there are no pity feelings for me, since I brought it upon myself. Hugo and I went with a group of friends to the beach this weekend, before our immigration oreal on Monday, finding some peace in the Pacific waves and relaxing with plates of seafood. My white skin was attacked by the harsh sun this weekend and made for a difficult ride back through the mountains to get to Cajamarca.

Remember when I told you about the getting paperwork for getting married in Peru? Well we are moving onto the next chapter, getting paperwork ready to change my immigration status (from tourist to resident!) and the final chapter is Hugo's visa. We started the 2nd chapter yesterday. We waited in line for a half an hour and paid $5 so we could get a legalized stamp on our marriage certificate. 2 weeks. It takes 2 weeks to stamp a piece of paper in this country! That means we will travel again in 2 weeks to do the main meat of paperwork in Lima. I know, this is all very dry and unentertaining, but who knows - some of you down the line may need some of this information in some way, shape or form. So, don't go away! Follow the paperwork trail with me!

My best wishes as you spring clean, plant, grease your bike that has been in storage and frolick in the new grass.

Love, Nora

Ponchos

2010-03-10T08:02:00.001-08:00

Hope House classes have officially started. Woo-who! Yesterday we started our March classes with a crochet class - to be more specific the women made Ponchos. We had three tables and three models of ponchos, so women were directed to select their table according to the model they wanted to learn. The women didn't make a full adult size poncho, but a number of women finished their small poncho model, so they can go home and replicate the stitches to make a bigger poncho. Although we offered this class last year, we had lots of new poncho makers in the class. In reality when I asked the class, who has made a poncho before?, only 4 women replied with a Yes. That means that 11 women learned a totally new skill yesterday. I love it!