First of all Tacna makes Rock Springs look lush! Scary, huh?! It is just so incredibly dry and to be honest quite desolate looking! I went on a run the other day and we passed these little shacks out in the desert where there was clearly no access to water so a little bit further down a bunch of people were in this trench getting out buckets of water. This idea was a bit foreign to me since I´ve always had access to running water. It sounds like water is a pretty big problem here, which makes sense considering the fact that Tacna is in the middle of one of the driest deserts. The issues related to water are intensified by the growth of this city. The city has experienced incredible growth in its recent history. Because Tacna is on the border with Chile it offers more opportunities for work so a lot of people that might not have as many job opportunities in other parts of Peru such as the highlands will migrate down to Tacna. This seems to give the city an interesting dynamic in terms of the various groups of people that converge in this city.
Habitat is located about 15ish minutes from the center of the city, which seems to have its pros and cons. Transportation at night especially can be a little tricky, because you have to rely on collectivos which are basically shared taxis. They´re reasonably priced (about 40ish cents), especially for people that sit in what is essentially the trunk- that´s half the price! But it´s nice being a bit away from the city because it´s much quieter and a pretty safe area. The area has a really interesting history. Almost all of the houses here were built by Habitat for Humanity, starting in 1989. The land had been donated by the mayor who was a friend of Father Fred. Everyone worked on all of the houses not knowing which house would actually be theirs. Then, depending on how many hours the people put into it they chose their house. Thus, those people that put in more hours chose first. In all, 474 houses were built. At first there were no lights or water, but now the houses here have both.
Last week the volunteers spent time at each different work site, which was a really great opportunity to get to know the different places and I think it will be really helpful in understanding what my housemates are dealing with in their own jobs to see it first hand. I will be working at Miguel Pro, which is located right here in Habitat. The school just celebrated their 18th anniversary last week, so it is still fairly new. The school is Jesuit and follows the principal that the students are here not just for academic formation, but equally important is the formation of the person. The emphasis on Jesuit principals such as being men and women for others is a critical part of this formation. These ideas don´t always play out in the classroom, but it´s an ideal to strive for. In terms of the population that is served here at Miguel Pro, many obviously come from Habitat although some kids commute here from other communities. A study found that approximately 25% of the students are chronically malnourished so the school offers a health program with fortified bread to try and address this issue. About 70% of the Miguel Pro students come from families with a monthly income of $160, which works out to be a little over $5 a day. We heard a story about a taxi driver that works about 11 hours a day for a total of $5. This number was really shocking to me, because although I´ve seen that a little money can go a long way here, for a family to survive on just over $5 a day must be incredibly difficult. It challenges me to think about my own lifestyle and how little I think of spending $5. The tuition at the school is about $6 for one kid $10 for two and then the price decreases if there are more kids in the family, although there are scholarships available for those who cannot pay the cost of tuition.
One of the other sites is Colegio Cristo Rey (primary-high school) where my housemate, Greg will be working. The school seems to serve a different population as evidenced by their tuition of over $100 a month, although they also have scholarships available. The day we spent there was really impressive. They have a lot of resources, and a lot of great opportunities. It is really seen as one of the premiere schools here, and has an awesome reputation. I´m excited to see the ways in which Greg will really be able to push the kids to move beyond their comfort zones and live out the Jesuit values of the school.
Rose, another newbie like me will be working at a school, called Fe y Alegria (Faith and Happiness) that serves the most in need. It´s a part of a network of schools by the same name that serve those on the margins of communities. They really try to reach out to the people that might otherwise not get an education. The cost to attend the school is about $25 per year per family although many people cannot pay. The majority of the failies have migrated from other parts of Peru. The students at Fe y Alegria face a lot of unique circumstances due to often unstable home lives. For example, a lot of them are alone in the houses for maybe a week at a time while their parents work in Chile, and many more are alone all day while their families work. So although a lot of the kids are intelligent and have a lot of potential, it´s challenging because they might not get the support they need. They´re very skilled though, especially since many have been essentially on their own for many years. At Fe y Alegria though they learn various trades to hopefully help them and give them more work opportunities for the future since few go on to college from the school.
As you can tell, the three different sites are all very different! I´m really looking forward to seeing what each of us can contribute at our schools, and the different lessons we can take away from our positions. I think there is a place for all of us at our sites, and I hope we can each find that place in the coming months.
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| A view of Habitat from the rooftop of a friend´s house. |
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| The other side of Habitat...in the distance are the Andes mountains that look awesome on a clear day! On the right side of the photo is the Pan-American highway that passes by Habitat. |
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| Miguel Pro |
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