October Trip Report

The October Peruvian Humanitarian Trip was a success!

The children of Huilloc were waiting for us with open arms. Many children read Quechua poems, sang songs, and gave us hugs as we visited them the first day. We brought with us a doctor, nurse, and dentist from Ollantaytambo. They spent the day treating and visiting the children along with some adults.

The next villages we visited were Chaullococha and Chupani. These two villages are not accessible by road. We had to hire some porters and horses to bring the supplies to these two villages. The doctor, nurse, and dentist team hiked in with us to visit these two villages.

Volunteer Renee Champagne and Director Anne Beck stayed the night in Chaullococha and did not get a chance to visit Chupani. The altitude was extreme with the mountain terrain at 15,000 feet above sea level. The children in Chaullococha do not have running water, electricity, or bathrooms. The pre-school room is a mud hut with a straw roof. There is a small window with a rock blocking the wind. The environment is harsh for Chaullococha and Chupani since it is at a higher altitude than Huilloc and hard to reach. The dentist and doctor were able to visit and treat all the children and a lot of adults. During our visit it started to hail golf ball size. The ground was covered in a white mass. The children, used to the climate, were still playing soccer with their rubber sandals. We gave about $80 U.S. Dollars to the preschool teacher to have three windows made and to replace the stick door. This will help bring in sunlight to the dim hut. We also gave money to the elementary teacher to replace the broken window panes in her two-room school building. There are 16 preschoolers and 30 elementary students in Chaullococha. In Chupani there are 20 preschool students and 65 elementary students. We brought cereal, sugar, apples, bread, cookies, and canned milk along with all of the school supplies and dental supplies that were generously donated.

The next two villages to be visited were Yanamayo and Kelcanca. Kelcanca is a steep hike, about 15 miles from Yanamayo. Again, porters and horses were hired to bring in the supplies while the doctor, dentist, and nurse hiked and spent a night in their sleeping bags.

The doctor and dentist have now seen all of the children in the five villages. We have met with the teachers and village leaders to discuss what is urgent for their school and community. We have a lot of work ahead of us but have seen how far Huilloc has progressed in health care and education with the aid of our organization. The new school house in Huilloc has a library and a computer room. The teachers have started new programs such as a trout farm and a garden for the students to assist. The village is becoming more self sufficient. Now it is time to direct our attention to the more remote villages and give them a chance. We brought with us approximately $2,000 worth of medical supplies and purchased $2,500 worth of medicine in Cusco. The main issues are malnutrition, intestinal parasites, ticks, scabies, and upper respiratory problems. The dentist was able to make temporary fillings along with other dental procedures. This is the first time a dentist has visited any of these mountain villages.

To our donors, thank you for all of your support and generosity. If it weren’t for people like you, these children would not receive supplement food, medical treatment, educational supplies, mini-libraries, hygiene supplies, and dental supplies.

Many thanks to the doctors, nurse, and dentist who assisted on this trip:

Juan Carlos Leroma Villa, Dentist in Cusco
Arnaldo Penalve Japr, Doctor in Ollantaytambo
Guido Orlando Olave Figueredo, Doctor in Ollantaytambo
Marisol Palomino Varela, Nurse in Ollantaytambo

Reach Out Children’s Fund
Anne Beck, Tania Hoppe, Claas Hoppe, Renee Champagne, Maureen Tart