Sunday, September 02, 2007

Jacci's Fourth Earthquake Entry

(What amazes me about Jacci's observations is the amount of help coming from Los Martincitos. They have nothing themselves, but they can always find a blouse or a pair of shoes or a kitchen spoon to help those who have less than nothing. Anything we can send to Los Martincitos will help them sustain their effort to help those even worse off than they are! - editor)


As most of you already know I spent two days this past week in Pisco, one of the major areas devastated by the earthquake of August 15th. As in the other reflections, there will be no special order just a series of thoughts, reflections on what the experience was for me.

We - a group of ten - left Villa El Salvador at 6am Wednesday morning. We had been scheduled to leave at 5am but that´s Peruvian time! The group consisted of representatives from three organizations: Los Martincitos (our program for the elderly poor), Solides (a NGO in the area) (Non-Governmental Organization) and CIFO (a school in San Isidro, an affluent area of Lima).

We traveled in what is generally used as city public transportation. We needed the space as we were carrying: two stoves, four giant sized pots, other kitchen equipment, about twenty sacks of clothing, food to feed 100 families for two weeks, plus our personal supplies, such as ten sleeping bags since we did not know where we would be sleeping.

We did not arrive in Pisco until 1pm because we stopped for food (We were not certain if we would be eating for those two days or not ( The group that had gone over the weekend to search a place for us where help was most needed did not have a full meal while they were there.) and also because in some areas the Pan American Highway are in very bad condition causing the traffic to go very slowly.

We did not go to the center of Pisco because help has been arriving there but stayed in an area called Vista al Valle (Valleyview) which is more on the outskirts of the city.

The area has two parts, divided by a hill. The one side of the hill consists of a group of one hundred families that arrived there in March of this year. They are living in "esteras" (huts of woven mats), without water and electricity in an area of sand. The weather is hot during the day, very cold at night and has little rainfall.

The other side of the hill consists (I need to say consisted) of homes made mostly of adobe bricks and probably were there (in some state of building) for 30 or 40years. There was light, water and sewerage there.

Now the area is almost completely leveled and many of these families are now living with their children or grandchildren on the other side of the hill in the "new" area. This means that two, three and even four families are crowded into a very small living space.

I said the area was almost completely leveled. The few houses that were still standing will probably have to be leveled also since they are not safe. It is dificult to walk through the streets because of the rubble. Families have begun to "clean out" their lots - doing it by hand. What must it be like to take your home brick by brick and throw it out into the street?

It is strange how the damage went. One house was leveled except for the bathroom which was a separate structure located in what was probably the back yard.

In two houses, a wall was still standing and the portraits of the parents was still hanging on the wall!

In another lot, I saw a man lifting what was probably the frame of the front window. Some panes were naturally broken, others were still perfectly intact.

No machinery has come into the area to help clear the area. So the people are there working alone, trying to find some articles of use or trying to clear out some of the rubble.

Let me share some other painful images that come to my mind:

People waiting on lines for cooked food, with their plates in their hands, their children at their sides. This food has been donated or bought by the group and then cooked in a "common pot" to try to extend the food. The portions were not even half of what our people receive in the Martincitos' program. (One of the objects of our going there was to encourage the people to organize, form "common kitchens" so that they can help each other in a more formal way, be recognized by the government , and begin to receive supplies of rice, beans and cooking oil monthly from the government. It is the system that we use in Villa El Salvador.)

Food is the biggest need at this point. Water and food is just not arriving into these areas.

The fact that there is little water is a concern - without water, how can one cook, wash, prevent diseases, etc.?

When I spoke of the people working cleaning out the rubble, I was referring to mostly the elderly, children and women. The men were for the most part out looking for aid or work. The area is an agricultural area and this is the time of the asparagus harvest so that ,at least, is a help for the people. But it was so dificult to see the elderly doing the clean up work. (In reference to the agricultural work: the men get up at 3am, leave around 4am, arrive in the fields around 5am to begin work and probably return around 4pm. And this is not just the schedule for "earthquake time".)

We were there on the Feast of Santa Rosa de Lima, a national holiday but there was no holiday for the field workers.

There was dust, dirt everywhere. And little water to clean one´s hands with.

One of the most painful sights was on the road where we had to take a detour because of the collapse of a bridge. There was a strong smell in the area - decay? stagnant water? (One of the men who had gone into the area on the weekend said that they had gone further into the city and this smell was quite prevelant there.) Because the traffic must go very slowly through this area, the elderly, children, women with small babies have gathered there pleading for help from the passing cars and buses. It will be a long time before I forget the expressions on their faces.

Now for some of the promising signs, the signs of hope.

In our area, there are signs all over saying that donations are accepted here or remember our brothers and sisters in the South, pray for them, be in solidarity with them. There are monetary collections in many institutions and in all the churches. Even Los Martincitos added to the collection. We had planned a fund raiser for last Sunday but it was cancelled and the supplies that we had collected for the activity were sent to "the south".

In the Pisco area, some of the signs that gave me hope were:

Sembrando Esperanza, (Planting seeds of Hope) - This sign caught my attention as we walked down the street. A mother with her two adult daughters were using the money that they had received from two daughters living in Europe to cook everyday for their neighbors. They were receiving nothing in return except the satisfaction that they were doing their small part.

The laughter of the children - It was so good to see them laughing and playing in the midst of so much suffering.

The laughter of the adults - We had a meeting with the community - in the dark - and before the meeting actually began, I could hear the chatter and laughter that was coming from the groups as they gathered.

The eagerness of the women to learn how to organize their "common kitchens" and their joy in the moment of the inauguration of the kitchen and the distribution of the meal (spaghetti with tomato sauce - which we had brought with us).

Their openess to receiving us into their community and giving us space in their already overcrowded homes. We slept on the ground alongside of them. (But we had our sleeping bags while they were sharing thin blankets.)

Their spirit - I did not hear anything of "Poor me" nor "what are we going to do?". But rather how can we begin? What can we do to hep each other?

It is this spirit that is going to help in the long haul that they have before them. I know the shock will wear off, the reality will set in and it is then that they will really need our help and support. That is why our group is going to continue to go into that area to try to see their needs and hopefully respond to them. It is not a work of a few weeks but rather of months and perhaps longer.

Your continued support in prayer and concern is a blessing for all of us. Thank you for this!

May God reward you as only God can!

No comments: