Ian, Clara, Makena, Dillon and Greta are living and serving in Ayacucho, a region in the south central Andes. The city of Ayacucho, also known as Huamanga, is the capital of the region and is famous for its 33 churches, as well as its elaborate Holy Week celebrations which will soon be attracting thousands of visitors from across Perú. It is also one of the poorest regions of Perú and was one of the hardest hit by the Shining Path insurgency in the 1980s. Ian, Clara, and Makena live within the city limits of Huamanga, and Greta and Dillon live about 45 minutes away, in the smaller town of Quinua.
Ian teaches English to primary students at Colegio Apostol Pablo, a private, Christian school. Clara is working in a classroom for 9-12 year-olds at Centro de Educación Básica Especial ‘San Juan de Dios,’ a public school serving children with disabilities. Makena is working at Comedor Getsemani, a food program that serves meals to children living in poverty.
Dillon and Greta are living with artisan families in the town of Quinua, assisting in their families’ ceramic workshops and storefronts. Quinua is well-known for its distinctive art and most residents earn their livelihood through the sale of their work.
Clara poses in front of her classroom at CEBE San Juan de Dios. Clara and Ruth roll tissue paper for a color project. The children in Clara’s classroom have a range of disabilities, including cerebral palsy, Down syndrome and autism.Each student brings food from home for lunch. Clara enjoys dinner with host sisters, Allison and Jessi, and host dad, Oscar. Ian poses outside the second grade classroom where he will teach English today. Today’s lesson is animal names in English. Makena stands outside Iglesia Getsemaní, which houses the food program. Ian stands with host dad, Isaac, host brother, Usiel, and host mom, Frine. Makena assists head cook Irma in the kitchen every morning. The program serves 40-50 kids every day.One of Makena’s daily tasks is peeling potatoes. Lots of them. Makena and Willy chat with Herlinda, the director of the food program. After helping to prepare the food in the morning, Makena supervises the children as they eat and engages them in activities and conversation.Makena poses with host dad, Samuel, host mom, Julia, and host brother, Denison. Dillon stands outside her family’s home, which also houses their workshop and storefront. Dillon’s host dad, Marino, learned his craft from his parents and older siblings. Ceramic pieces in Marino’s workshop await their next step. Dillon shows off her handiwork.Dillon holds one of her items that is for sale in the family’s store. The guinea pigs at Dillon’s house get their own room. Dillon’s pet parrot steals some mote off the table. Dillon poses with host dad, Marino, host mom, Norma and host parrot, Huejkro. Greta lives just a short walk away from Dillon’s house. Ceramics line the walls of Greta’s home. Greta’s host dad, Maximilio, shows us one of the clay churches he is working on. In his studio, they use both synthetic paints and paints made from natural pigments, shown above. There are two ovens on the property used to fire the clay. Greta demonstrates the painting techniques she has learned. Greta and her host dad pose with one of her pieces in the workshop. Greta’s family also runs a restaurant where Greta helps to serve.In addition to being famous for its art, Quinua is also the site of the famous battle of Ayacucho, which gave Perú, and the rest of South America, its independence from Spain. Greta stands with host dad Maximilio and host mom Ana María. After a steep walk up to the site, the group enjoys a leisurely ride across the pampa on horseback. In addition to their workshop, Dillon’s family also has several plots of land in the surrounding area where they grow corn, potatoes and beans. Dillon points out one of them along the route.
