Peppermint Mochas and Perspectives

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I went to Starbucks last Sunday. Now, normally I don't go to U.S. owned chains while I'm traveling, but I'm not gonna lie...I really wanted a Peppermint Mocha (this will not surprise many of you). Nothing sounded better on another cold, grey day in Lima than my favorite hot coffee drink. Besides, sometimes it's just nice to know exactly what you're going to get when you order. And so German friend Eva and I went, excited for the people-watching possibilities. We had chosen to go to a Starbucks in Miraflores, an upper-class neighborhood in Lima, one of the few neighborhoods where typical tourists go. That is nice sometimes when being anywhere else in Lima makes us stand out. Tall, blond-haired, blue-eyed girls don't blend in very well here, so we enjoyed blending in for a bit and settled in for an afternoon of relaxing reading and people watching.

Before I could even get half a page into my book, the guy next to me started chatting up a storm. Turns out he was a fellow U.S. citizen and the man with him was from India. The first guy was very inquisitive about what I was doing in Peru; I dodged most of the questions and flipped them on him. He very openly told me that they were here in Peru looking for mines to buy. I almost laughed out loud at the irony and told myself in my head to listen, listen, listen. And so I did and I asked questions like, "Why Peru?" He practically said,"Duh" and explained that Peru is the number sixth country in the world for gold. Right. The older gentlemen has been in mining in India for over 30 years, I was told, and this is their second attempt to acquire good mining territories. Finally, after all the attention being on them for most of the conversation, being the miners that they are, they extracted the rest of my story. "I'm here working with an organization called Joining Hands, and specifically, I've been working with a group of kids in La Oroya, one of the ten most contaminated cities in the world. Have you heard of it?" I asked. They had not. I felt adrenaline rush through my body as I explained about the severe contamination in La Oroya and the way the kids' bodies are being poisoned. I anticipated the men getting defensive, but they remained silent. They didn't say much more than how they thought it was the government's fault. I respectfully disagreed, offering that it's a combination of a government bowing to the pressures of a U.S. owned company, and the company not respecting the laws, lives, and land of Peru. It was clear then that we disagreed and neither one of us really had much more to say, so I went back to my book. I tried to focus on the words on the pages, but couldn't, as I needed to make sure I had things clear in my head.

I am not against mining, but there is a way that it can be done that is respectful of the environment, respectful of the people of the country, and respectful of the laws of that land. It is one thing to move a company to a foreign country because of the natural resources that are available there. It is another, however, to move a company to a country in hopes of abusing or flat out ignoring the laws that exist there. I spent two years living on the U.S./Mexico border where I saw all kinds of foreign companies putting down their roots just barely across the U.S. border. Increased job possibilities for locals is a good thing if the workers are paid fair wages and can work in safe, healthful working conditions. However, this is often not the case. With La Oroya, the hope is not that Doe Run Peru be closed, but rather that Doe Run finally completes its promises to clean up the smelting practices that are poisoning the land and the people of La Oroya. Claiming bankruptcy last year, Doe Run temporarily shut down the plant. This has meant that for over a year now 3,000 workers have been without their jobs. Lately, the workers have been protesting in the street for their right to work. They so direly need their jobs so they excuse the company's apathy. They need to work, even if that very work is slowly killing them. So the workers are making their voices heard, Doe Run has said its part, the government is telling Doe Run to open back up, and so we here at Joining Hands are now trying to lift up the voices that aren't being heard--the voices of the kids. That's what the whole campaign is about.

After awhile had passed, Eva and I were distracted by two people on the other side of us. It seems they were editing a video or something and one of them shared animated stories of his recent travels through Peru. Eventually he was alone and so we decided to put our inquisitive minds to rest by asking the question in our heads, "Do you mind us asking what it is you're working on?" Turns out he was a documentary filmmaker and was editing clips from his travels where he followed potatoes from the fields of Peru all the way to plates in a restaurant. Eva and I told him about the projects we're working with this summer. He seemed particularly encouraged by the CAMBIALO project since kids are working to educate other kids about a wide-spread problem. I explained that the kids film everything they do now and that we hope to have their footage become a documentary someday. He said he really believed in kids empowering other kids. YAY!! He said he'd worked on a similar project with kids while in the Peace Corps. After a great conversation, we exchanged info and perhaps Joining Hands will be ready to give him a call soon!

In the meantime, it's important to keep telling the story of La Oroya. You just never know who's going to sit down next to you.


Ok, now time for some fun announcements.... 😊

Please check out the new CAMBIALO website, , and learn how you can join in on the kids' movement!!! Also, if you're in the NY area, tune in TOMORROW NIGHT at 7:30pm for the ABC-7 special about the Eco-Tech School in Brooklyn and their work with the kids in La Oroya. Click here to see a slide show of the Eco-Tech School. I'm sorry the actual program is only a regional broadcast, but I'm sure that on Sunday the link to the program can be found online so EVERYONE can see it!!!

Finally, we're working on creating CURRICULUM (woohoo, get excited teachers!!!) to teach about La Oroya, lead contamination, CAMBIALO, and how kids in the U.S. can get involved!! It'll be fun, engaging, and super dooper awesome! I promise. So if you are a teacher in a school or a Sunday School classroom, start getting excited. We'll have it available on the website by JULY 31st!!

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Comments

[Lori Knight-Whitehouse]

Must be a God thing
Wow, Liz--two such disparate conversations at one Starbucks in one day. Must be a God thing. Lori

[anonymous]

Great Job, Liz, for being an advocate both on the mission field and in the eye of the public. Your work will be fruitful!

[Bill Brown]

Extracting and Empowering
Liz, simply wonderful work you are doing! Among many other things, you are bringing clarity and vision to complex issues concerning land use and a people's welfare. After your Peru mission, can we send you to the Louisiana coast for a longer internship? Bill

[Margery Rossi]

Way to Go, Liz!
Sounds like a productive afternoon "off" at Starbucks! I just watched the ABC story about EcoTech School with my family - what a great project. So happy that they were recognized for their work. I hope that something similar can get off the ground here in Peekskill. There are enthusiastic teachers waiting for curriculum there - and hopefully, next year, the skype calls will work! Be well. -Margery