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Published: January 20th 2008
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Night Shelter at Rimac
This is the outside of the night shelter Hi Everyone,
So sorry - been incommunicado again!! There just aren´t enough hours in the day!! Anyway, have a free two hours before my next adventure this afternoon, so taking some time out to update the blog. Hope that you enjoy it!!
Might get my dates slightly mixed up, not sure how it works with travelblog, so will make reference to the dates so you can work out what I´ve been up to. My last entry detailed what I was up to on Wendesday 16, so you can see I have a few days to catch up on. Today´s entry will cover Thursday 17 Jan.
SU provide a night shelter for street children (boys and girls) in Rimac, a very run down area of Lima. This morning, half of our group went to see the street shelter. The reason that we went in the morning is that it is pretty dodgy in the evening.
After an exceptionally hairy ride in the minibus across Lima (words can´t begin to explain the experience) we arrived at Rimac. What I saw there will stay with me for a very long time, and I hope that some of the pictures I
Upstairs Room
Upstairs room at the shelter. Most of the kids slpet downstairs as there was too much light. have taken will give you some idea of what I experienced.
As I entered the shelter (which was being manned by the street boy who had previously been shot in the head - refer my earlier blog), my first impression was darkness and smell. On the floor there were lots of dirty mattresses with lots of sleeping bodies on them. You couldn´t walk between the matresses. Beside some of the matresses , boys had been sick. The shelter is kept like this on purpose. If it were any posher or cleaner, the boys just would not come in. The boys were all fully clothed, wearing the clothes that they would normally wear in the street, and were of all ages. There was no comfort at all in the shelter (again intentional) but at least the street kids have somewhere to sleep in safety (there is always a member of the SU team on duty). No food or breakfast is provided, and the kids are not allowed to bring in drugs. It is quite honestly, one of the saddest things I have ever seen. The kids usually arrive after 11pm and will stay overnight, leaving the next morning. They can
Street Shelter Balcony
The kids can wash their clothes and hang them out here to dry always talk to the SU staff on duty about their situation.
The immediate contrast that I drew is that my cats, and most of your pets (never mind your children) have more comfort, love and security than these children. I can´t begin to explain how I felt. There is also an upstairs to the shelter, but the windows are not blocked and there is a lot of light, so most of the kids prefer to sleep downstairs.
Next thing I heard was a baby cry, and sure enough, there were two small children in the shelter with their mums, who all live on the streets. One child was just over two and the other 8 months. The babies were absolutely spotless and obviously very well cared for. How did the mothers (18 years old in both cases) manage it? I have no idea.
I have taken some photos and attached them, but I can´t tell you how awkward I felt to be a well dressed and clean gringa taking photos of these kids. I´d also just enjoyed breakfast at the hotel!! I felt that I was intruding on the very little dignity and space that these kids
Young mum and baby
The mum was 18 and the baby just over 2. They both live on the streets and come to Rimac to sleep. have!! The only reason I have taken photos is to let others see the plight of these kids and hopefully inspire you to do something to support the work of Scripture Union in Peru via the Vine Trust. I was very subdued on the (equally as hairy) bus trip back to the hotel.
When we returned to the hotel, we then visited a shanty town on the outskirts of Lima. Lima has a population of 8m people and continues to grow as people come down from the mountain (areas such as Ayacucho) hoping to find a better life in the city. They end up claiming a piece of land in a shanty town such as the one I visited. The main problem here is lack of water. The houses all have big containers outside and get water from the government water truck which (for this shanty town) visits every 2 days. The cost to fill up an average container is 1 sole, which is a lot when you consider that the average weekly wage for Peruvians is less than 6 soles (2$ US) per week. That is (of course) for those who have jobs. The majority of the street
Another young mum and baby
Same story, different kids kids originate from shanty towns such as the one we visited. I have attached some photos for you.
When we left there we visited the Scripture Union bakery in Lima, a gorgeous shop. Baking is completed at night in preparation for sale the next morning. We were able to busy sime delicious cakes and enjoy a juice there. I (of course) asked for a tour of the back shop and had a chat with the Peruvian baker. He told me that the equipment on site (acquired from Germany via a kind benefactor) was the minimum needed to run a bakery. There were two large mixers, a machine which pressed and cut and a massive oven!! Additional machines could be purchased to improve efficiency, but they are managing well with what they had. I then started to ask questions about marginal costing and profitability, but I think that there is no scientific approach to pricing. Not sure how the bakery makes money, but it does generate income for SU. Hope that you like the attached photos.
After the bakery we headed for lunch at a very posh place called Le Roc in Lima. I think this was intentional on
Street Shelter Manager
This is the boy who manages the street shelter. the former street bot who was shot in the head the part of SU. We had a v posh three course lunch for 40 soles (approx 7.50 sterling). Le Roc is right on the coast, and there is a v posh shopping centre there. I can only equate the shops to the likes of House of Fraser in Glasgow. A real contrast indeed. There I was eating a three course lunch in a nice hotel when these street kids do heaven only knows what for the scraps that they eat!!
After lunch, we headed to the local Indian market, where I did lots of shopping. Some folks should expect Peruvian Christmas pressies next year. Mum, have a wee touch of Peru for you to include in your new house too. The market was fantastic, and most importantly, when you buy there, you are helping the local Lima artesans. A much nicer place to shop than Le Roc!!
After that, we went for a night tour of Lima on the City Tour Bus. Again, lots of contrasts and have included some photos for you. The main contrast was a trip to the park in the central where there was a show of water fountains. If any of you have
Shanty Town
First photo of the shanty town been to Las Vegas, the Bellagio has nothing on this!! There was lots n lots of water sprayed in beautiful fountains and arcs, with lots of lights through the water. The best way I can describe it to give you an idea is like a fireworks show with water and lights. Have taken a couple of photos. Funny to think how much water was used here when there are people in the shanty towns deperate for water, isn´t it???
It certainly gave me a lot to think about. My day was really full of contrasts, and I hope from reading this that you get some idea of just how challenging it was. The thing is, we all live like Kings every day in comparison to the kids and people I saw today. I´m certain that both you and I can do more to help. Something for you to think about too.
Anyway, that pretty much covers the 17th, hope you enjoyed it.
Ciao for now.
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Vicki Gilbert
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Contrasts
Hmmmmm.... good word. Very thought-provoking blog entry. Thinking of you. Stay safe. Vicki