Step Into My World: Peru Andes Region

Wow! It's been a whole week since I last wrote an entry. There really has been no reason for that. I've received many letters that I need to post, but it seems I've just let blogging slip my mind. I'll get back into the swing of things with this post, then I'll catch up with writing about the letters I've received tomorrow and next week.

Today, we'll talk a short walk (haha) to Peru together. More specifically, the Andes Region of Peru. The Andes mountain range stretches across most of the country, so it is a very wide area. I have one child who lives in this area:

Jose

Jose lives in a village outside of the city of Arequipa, which is in the Southern part of Peru. 

Villages in the mountains are typically very rural and are isolated from the "outside" modern world. Travel through the mountains is very difficult and most people stay in the village their whole life. Life here remains generally unchanged from generation to generation. 

Here, adults works as either small-scale farmers or as daily laborers. 

Families, per tradition, stay together in one house: grandparents, parents, and children all live together under one roof. However, homes are usually cramped, cold, and not able to accommodate large families.  

In this area, Compassion is working wonders in the lives of children! In this region, children are often cut off from the proper education that they need. Schools are either too far away to travel to or the local schools are in need of quality teachers and supplies. In some cases, parents don't see the value of education because nobody else in their family has attended school before. Compassion works to provide children of all ages with the proper educational support that they need to succeed. 

Every time that a child attends the project, they receive a large, healthy meal that may contain important things (protein, fruits, veggies) that they aren't able to receive at home. 

Compassion recognizes the importance of long-standing traditions in these communities and honors this will special celebrations that allow for children to learn more about these traditions. Parties are held where everyone wears traditional dress and each traditional food. These parties are fun for everyone involved! 

The Compassion staff in this region have the following prayer requests: 

- Pray that families will be protected from the frequent floods that occur in this region, which can destroy crops and lead to food scarcity. 

- Pray that parents will see the value of education and encourage children to succeed academically. 

- Pray for the safety of youths whose families migrate to the cities. There are many unscrupulous people looking to exploit them.