Hands of Hope Peru Update #2

Dana Renolds is with Spanapark Lions .  .  . Update #2

Dear friends of Hands of Hope,

After waiting to be able to get back to Taucca in August (the road was closed for 3 weeks), I was able to take 48 ponedora chickens (laying chickens) to the school mothers. Each mom received 2 laying chickens and 1 male. These chickens are supposed to be the best - laying 2 and sometimes more eggs a day. The goal is for the the children to have eggs in the mornings and also for the chickens to reproduce (thanks to the males) so the families can have an ongoing supply of eggs. We paid more and bought the chickens a little bigger, therefore their survival rate is almost guaranteed as they have time to become acclimatized to the altitude. 

The Lions club here had bought chicks for another high Andean community a few years ago and the club reported the chickens all died because they were too young. I was advised to make sure they are stronger before taking them up to 12.000 ft. I also bought some laying chickens a few years ago with the remainder of the money I had, but I only bought a few for the poorest families and I didn't think to buy some males. Anyways, learning about ponedora chickens, shopping for, and delivering them safely was quite an education for a city born and raised gal like me! 

Of course, once we got them to Taucca  - all the moms and some grandmothers (if the mom couldn't make it) were waiting with boxes to take the chickens home. It was another heartfelt, emotional exchange with these very grateful mothers. They took turns expressing how thankful they are to us for remembering them and their children every year. 

It was also so delightful to see the real sense of community in action as these moms all look out for each other and each other's children. They each brought some food to make for us all to share before sending them home with the chickens. By the way the moms all promised not to eat the chickens and they will have us visit their homes in December to see how the chicken project is going.

Hands of Hope has always focused on the Taucca primary school  - Kindergarten to grade three and then the children move on to the next school in a nearby community for 4th & 5th grade and then hopefully off to secondary school. For the last 5 years I have watched the children go through the primary school and each year a few more kids enter as others leave. However this year, many of the children went onto 4th and so much of the little community is new.  Due to the number of really young children, the school is now starting kindergarten for ages 3-5 and then gr.1,2,3 in another class. 

Since there are many new families, I also purchased more of the really warm wool blankets to help with the cold nights. Since I am leaving in a few days, a few moms are coming to Cusco to pick up 50lb bags of lentils and rice and a supply of oranges to take back to Taucca for the lunch program. I will purchase everything and then pay the taxi to take them back with the goods.

Once again, thank you all for your support. 

Warmest regards,

Dana

Hands of Hope Update August 3, 2014

Dana Reynolds and Suzanne Gayda & several Spanapark Lions, visited our Club a few months ago on invitation to share Dana's Hands of Hope mission experiences.  The Rainier Lions gave a donation to Dana for her recent trip.  This is the email from Dana:

From: Dana Reynolds dreynoldspta@hotmail.com

Sent: Sun, Aug 3, 2014 6:48 pm

Subject: Hands of Hope update

Dear friends and patrons of Hands of Hope,

Amidst this ever-changing world, it warms my heart to know there is at least one constant: the innocence, curiosity and joy of the children in the small school community of Taucca. These children consistently inspire me to continue walking the path of service. 

Upon my first visit to the Taucca Primary School the children showered me with exuberant hellos, hugs, smiles, and longing to know more about the objects I arrived with. I brought a class set of foam geometric math manipulatives and a larger plastic set of geometric shapes for the teacher to use as models. Later when I asked the children what they would like, a chorus of children spontaneously erupted with "libros, libros, madrina" (books, books, god-mother). We had been enjoying the one large picture book about dinosaurs and it was apparent how thirsty these children are to learn. It confirmed my goal to fund raise for a Hands of Hope van (book mobile) - a traveling library to share with several communities. Children naturally want to learn more about their world and of course these children are no exception. As a result of that visit and thanks to your generosity, I went shopping and returned with many beautiful Spanish children's non-fiction hard cover picture books about various animal groups. I hoped that these would whet their appetites to continue seeking answers to the many questions that fill their minds. (The books were a big hit!!)

This year my teacher friend, Corinne, from Washington is here for 2 months and has joined me when visiting Taucca. I know the children have touched her heart as they have mine. She planned and practiced to share a few read-aloud Spanish books.

Since fruit is not easily accessible at this altitude, we planned a fruit fiesta to enjoy after the sharing of books. This time we arrived with watermelon, papaya, grapes and apples. These were a special treat since we typically arrive with a large supply of oranges and bananas. 

The children had also prepared little group presentations to share and then we played store - the children had small items that had price tags and they gave the mothers and myself pretend money to shop and they would give us change for our purchases. It was delightful to witness the joy and pride when they were correct.

Last August, Hands of Hope had a balance $13,100. towards our goal of $35000 for a HOH book mobile. In the spring we were at $15,600 and before I left in  July we had $20,056. I also have money to use here this summer to meet the needs of theTaucca school community at this time. I will keep you updated on our progress here.

Thank you all for your continued support and well-wishes for Hands of Hope. We are making a difference in the lives of theses children and their families.

Dana