Proyecto Wiñay

A few weeks ago Trujillo welcomed visitors from Anchorage, Alaska! Two nurses from my church in Anchorage came down to help us out with Proyecto Wiñay – a public health program here in La Esperanza (sponsored by CMMB and Caritas) targeting children under age 5. The projects’ main aim is to prevent and treat malnutrition and includes cooking workshops for moms, educational sessions, health services, anemia & parasite testing and treatment, and an agriculture project – to name a few components. The use of community agents – local leaders – is key to the programs’ huge successes in the year and a half since it began. 

I enjoyed learning more about the project and getting our hands dirty up on “el cerro” – a sand-covered mountainside that’s home to many squatters living in makeshift shacks – no pavement, electricity, bathrooms, and an infrequent water supply. Many of the homes are held together by pieces of plastic, tarps, and woven straw. Though the people are living in a difficult socioeconomic environment, I encountered many really happy people and a great sense of community. 

That being said, crime is a big problem there, so we had to do everything in small groups. We visited with families in the project for a week, conducting a survey and doing one-on-one health education on topics including hand-washing, anemia/diet, and signs of alarm in infants and young children. Later the nurses led educational sessions on maternal lactation – they did a great job! 

I experienced a mixture of emotions throughout the week. By now (and I hate to say it, but) I’m pretty unfazed by poverty and un-sanitary living conditions, and we conducted a survey earlier this year in the same neighborhood, so I felt pretty comfortable. It was fun to walk around and get to know the families through home visits. Because of the sand, most cars can’t make it all the way up there, so it was quieter too – almost peaceful.

But I’ll keep some images in my head forever – policemen riding around on horseback, neglected-looking young children answering doors to say that their parents were not home, a sobering memorial service right next to a loud and rowdy soccer game. One lady came up to us and mentioned rather nonchalantly, “You know the guy who owns the corner store, who has three kids? Well, he was shot this morning with 7 bullets, right in front of his home!” And then she went on to talk about the weather, like it was no big deal. (Later talking to someone else, the story changed to “ten bullets,” but the attitude was still the same – just another day in the life.)

I was grateful for the change in scenery and a glimpse into another one of CMMB’s projects. It’s clear that Proyecto Wiñay is a great source of light and hope for a community of many challenges and needs. The project, led by the incredible efforts of Hermana Maria, is certainly understaffed and really needed the extra hands that week. Thanks Maria Roldan and Carla Bazan for helping out with translating! And we’re all so grateful for volunteers Genna Fox and Julie Reloza, who were hard-working, flexible and did an excellent job in everything that came their way– MUCHAS GRACIAS! THANKS so much for coming down!