From Gardens to Hilltop Homesteading in Villa Maria
March 1, 2015
By Karen and Duane Sherer Stoltzfus
Peru SST Co-Directors, 2014-2015
We followed in the footsteps of nearly a dozen Goshen College groups in traveling to volunteer in the community gardens managed by Señora Gregoria Flores in Villa María del Triunfo, a sandy, southern district of Lima.
Lea translates for Sra. Gregoria as she tells the story of the community gardens.
But rather than go by bus, as groups generally have done, we tried out the Lima Metro, an electric train that began operations four years ago. Only one line is in operation, so few Lima residents get to experience the fast, clean travel by rail. We were in luck. The garden we were visiting is a few hundred yards from the Pumacahua station.
Willy Villavicencia, the service coordinator for the Peru SST unit, met us at the station, and together we walked underneath high-tension power lines, surrounded by very humble homes, to reach a garden where Señora Gregoria was waiting. She began by telling us about the history of the area, with Lea interpreting.
Villa María, a southern district of Lima that was founded more than 50 years ago, is home to more than 360,000 people, many of whom struggle with underemployment, poverty and malnutrition. By some estimates, one-third of the residents lack electrical service and more than one-fifth lack running water.
Gregoria told us about how the first unlikely community garden came to be. She said that at first people didn’t believe a garden could be planted. She went door to door in the community, inviting people to take charge of a plot of land. In the beginning, there were few takers.
Micah, Jo, Ike and Ammon take their turn working the sandy soil in a Villa Maria community garden.
Now that people can see the garden, with its promise of fresh food and even income from selling organic vegetables to local markets, there is a waiting list for prospective gardeners — and they keep adding garden plots. Our work involved turning over the sandy soil in several new beds, while adding compost, for a Villa Maria family. They brought drinks to share, and we took a photo together, before we headed down the hill to look at several other gardens that were full of mature plants. Sra. Gregoria generously shared some of the fresh produce with us before we headed further down the hill to Alicia’s house for lunch.
Alicia Taipe Tello, a longtime member of the Peruvian SST staff, prepares lunch for us a few times a week at the Anglican church where we meet for classes and lectures. When we arrived at her home, also in Villa Maria, she was busy grilling anticuchos (skewers of marinated beef heart and chicken), which we enjoyed with potatoes, aji salsa, and corn on the cob. After working under the hot sun, we were also pleased to see Alicia’s daughter Sara bring out homemade fruit pops, known as marcianos or chups, for dessert (we chose from a lineup of mango, maracuya, strawberry milk, and lucuma).
Maria, Lea and Jo eat anticuchos and corn at Alicia’s house.
After lunch Alicia invited us to visit a home that she and her husband, Oswaldo, are building for their son, Richard, and his family. The first step is claiming a piece of land on a hillside on the outskirts of Villa Maria, known as 12 de Junio. About two months ago they marked out a section of the hill, maybe 20 by 20. They leveled the land and put up a single room with a covered porch. Another son, Raul, has a house in the making nearby.
Through occupying the land, they hope eventually to have a legal claim on what was once vacant land, as many tens of thousands of Peruvians have done over the decades. The process is called an “invasion.” Alicia and Oswaldo are among dozens of families that have staked out a claim on this hillside, far above any drive-able road, and, for now, out or reach of electricity and running water.
We pose in front of Alicia and Oswaldo’s new home-in-process in Villa Maria.
“Welcome to my mansion,” Alicia said with a playful smile, as she showed us around. Inside there is a single bed, a desk, a cupboard.
They have a commanding view of Villa Maria. By climbing to the top of the hillside, as we did, you can see much of Lima and even make out the Pacific shoreline.
Elizabeth with Alicia’s granddaughters.
We were joined by several of their grandchildren: Saray, 7; Raquel, 9; gemelas, Sulee and Garlett, 11; and Aryami, 2.
A sign warns that people who throw their garbage in the vacant lot may be lynched (?!).Sra. Gregoria shares the story of how the community gardens came to be.Sitting and listening to Sra. Gregoria, slightly distracted by the goat.Lea translates for Sra. Gregoria as she tells the story of the community gardens.Sra. Gregoria.Lea and Ammon ham it up as they learn to use their new tools.Micah, Jo and Ike work together.Micah, Jo, Ike and Ammon take their turn at working the sandy soil in a Villa Maria community garden.Lea smiles for the camera.Ike digs in.Christian and Lea working the earth in Cono Sur.More digging.Students at work in the community garden.Some of the plants need protection from the hot Lima sun.A view from the garden.A smile from Jo as she shovels mulch.Jo brings in the mulch.Liz and Courtney take a turn under the watchful eye of Sra. Gregoria.Jo dumps in a wheelbarrow full of mulch.An aguaymanto plant begins to bear fruit.A view from the upper garden to the lower garden.Admiring the lettuce.Maria uses a shovel to work the soil.Students take turns working mulch into the soil.Lea with a wheelbarrow full of mulch.Another view of Villa Maria from the garden.Looking up the hill from the garden at local transportation and many community dogs.Ike shovels mulch for Lea.Lea takes the mulch back to be worked into the soil.Working together.Our community gardener arrives to share refreshment with the students.Sra. Gregoria picks out the bad bugs and leaves the helpful ones.Courtney digs.Ike checks out the soil.A group photo with the family whose garden we were working in, showing off the new tool we got for them.Heading down to the lower garden area.Sra. Gregoria digging sweet potatoes to share.Lots of dill growing in the garden during the summer season!Hanging out in the garden.A view of ladybugs through the dill plantSome lovely flowers grow along the edge of the garden,.Pepper plants.Sra. Gregoria pulls some leeks from the community garden.Bananas growing in the garden.A glimpse of the city through the banana plants.A sign in the garden shows different vegetables and when they will be in season.A common ground cover in Peru (Aptenia cordifolia), which comes in many colors.A sign gives the name for this particular garden plot, Sacsayhuaman – sound familiar?Candy and Willy in the garden.A garden cat rests in the shade.Lea and Maria pose in front of the female scarecrow (espantapájaras).The male counterpart to the female scarecrow appears to have musical talent.Students head down the hill from the garden on their way to lunch at Alicia’s house.A granda (pomegranate) tree along the road to Alicia’s house. The fruit will soon be in season!Alicia grilling anticuchos.Relaxing in front of Alicia’s house before lunch is ready.Students wait for lunch to be served.Maria, Lea and Jo eat anticuchos, potatoes and corn at Alicia’s house.Elizabeth and Ike eat anticuchos and corn at Alicia’s house.Courtney, Ammon and Christian eat their anticuchos.Maria and Lea eat fruit flavored marcianos for dessert.Micah, Courtney, Elizabeth and Christian eat marcianos for dessert.Sra. Gregoria, Candy and Willy enjoy marcianos at Alicia’s house.Alicia and Duane compare marciano flavors.Maria with her new friend (Alicia’s granddaughter, Saray) in a combi.Jo and Lea in a combi on the way to Alicia’s new house.The beginnings of a road on the way to Alicia and Oswaldo’s new home in Villa Maria.Another informal group photo, on the hill outside Alicia and Oswaldo’s new home.Alicia’s granddaughter, Saray, shares Fanta Orange with the students.Maria and Ammon drink Inka Kola.Willy enjoys some Inka Kola.Karen, Elizabeth and Jo with Oswaldo in front of his new home-in-process.Karen with Alicia and Oswaldo in front of the house they’ve been working on.We pose in front of Alicia and Oswaldo’s new home in Villa Maria.A view of Villa Maria from Alicia and Oswaldo’s new home.Alicia poses before heading up the hill with the students.Even in the hot sandy soil on top of the hill, there are some hardy flowers growing.Ammon enjoys the view from the top of the hill in Villa Maria.Ammon and Christian jockey for position on top of the hill in Villa Maria.Maria on top of the hill with Alicia’s granddaughter, Saray.Micah after reaching the top of the hill in Villa Maria.Ammon holds one of Alicia’s granddaughters, Saray, on the road near their home.An informal photo before heading back to the train.Elizabeth with Alicia’s granddaughters (names listed in the blog).