Pilgrimage To Peru: DAY 3

As I lay in my bed this morning listening to the mourning dove cooing in the Convent garden, I said my prayers and asked God to help me with my visit to El Agustino today. I had read in our pilgrim’s information book about the community and knew that it was the poorest of the poor in Peru. After our trip to Manchay yesterday, Yvonne advised me that today’s visit would be more difficult. I could do little else but pray for our visit.

The area of El Agustino, east of the city of Peru, is home to over 180,000 people. That is a larger population than the city of Oshawa, Ont. In the most densely populated area, 14,000 people live in a square km. The community was established by families who left Peru’s mountains in the early 1940’s but the majority of the people began their migration in the late 1960’s. They did not turn to the Church for help and waited instead for the government to come to their aid. That help never came.

Today we met with Bishop Tomasi and the El Agustino’s Parish Priest, Padre Arcos. When the people of the community turned to the Church for assistance, the Bishop asked for the Padre’s help because he was able to speak Quechua, the language of the mountain people. This partnership began 5 years ago and their progress has been remarkable.

We met today to make the trip up to the community but alas the roads were not suitable for our van so arrangements had been made for us to drive up in Moto taxis. They are three wheeled carts that are powered by a motor scooter or small motorcycle. The drivers sit on the seat of the bike to drive while two passengers ride in the back seat. There is a plastic cover over the roof and sides but there are no doors and seat belts would be entirely out of the question. The journey up the mountain was, as some mentioned, like a ride in a blender. Throughout the climb it was clear that the higher you traveled, the poorer the people were.

When we got out of our taxis we were greeted by small children and parents who had prepared signs to welcome us to their school. The children danced and sang for us then we moved to the play area of the school where we were served refreshments during snack time for the children. There are currently only 25 children in the school as the rooms are very small. Padre posed for a picture beside the wall plaque that stated that this was a project done in partnership with Pembroke Diocese. The mothers thanked us for our support and asked God to bless us for our charity. It was really an incredible moment.

The entire area was an assault on the senses. While the school area was very clean and neat, the homes were little more than shacks and the smell of human waste was everywhere. Dogs roamed freely and no one cleaned up after them, even in the areas where people walked and the young ones played. Because of the terrain, there is no flat area except for the dirt floors of the houses. The dirt road, a trail really, was just wide enough for two Moto taxis to meet and then the edge gave way to the side of a cliff. The cliff would drop about 20 or 30 feet to the lower level of shacks and thus a community was created. The view from the school could have been stunning as it was high over the city. Instead, as far as you could see there was level after level of shacks and homes built into the side of the mountain. There were a few cactus plants near the path in two locations, but other than that, I did not see a single thing growing there.

The Bishop stopped our group on the way back down the mountain to show us his newest project. The Church had recently bought a piece of land, that had been someone’s home, and had plans to turn it into a larger school that would help 80 students and provide their food. Today we saw three mothers working in this new facility. They had huge pots of potatoes and were peeling them and preparing them for the noon meal. Even though there is little or nothing to work with, these women are already preparing food that is taken out to be eaten by the children. They sat on the cement floor, in the dark, and without running water and were very happy to have this place to prepare food for their people. Miracles happen every day.

Our tour continued to another area of the El Agustino community where an unused water tower had been converted into a day care area for children. Again, women were making lunch and were so grateful for the help that they had been given. The Bishop told us that part of this work was funded by a young couple who had toured the school and were so touched by the children that they donated all of their wedding money to the project. His niece, a teacher in Italy, fundraised at her school to help the Bishop build one of the classes. He seems to have drawn financial support from all corners of the world.

It was at this point that Bishop Tomasi left our group to return to his work. After thanking us and wishing us well for the rest of our trip, he asked that we not forget his people in Peru. That is not possible. The sights, sounds and smells of El Agustino are forever etched in my mind.

Thank you and God Bless. Joan