Handing Out Donations in Chacabamba

After the welcome reception and getting organized, we did our first round of donations. All those months of collecting soaps and shampoo was about to pay off. The Mayor of the village had a list of all the residents. They waited very quietly and patiently as their name was called off on the list. Once their name was called, they came forward and each received a blanket, a wash cloth, a bar of soap and a bottle of shampoo. This was only the case in Chacabamba. The other two villages only got a blanket- no toiletry items. I was so amazed at how quiet the village men sat, waiting for their name to be called. They didn't talk among themselves. Once they had received their blanket, they quietly went back to their spot and continued waiting and watching the endeavor. I thought they showed a great amount of respect.

When it was their turn, so many came up with such sincere reverence.  Many hugged us as they collected their items. I think a few had tears in their eyes, too, but I can't say for sure since mine were so welled up. The hardest part about this was the size of the gift we had for them. They were travel sized shampoo and soaps. And it was one washcloth and one blanket, per family.  I just wished we had more. Their kind smiles and humble demeanor was something I was so moved by. 

We brought a few soccer balls and school supplies to the schools, but we didn't actually hand those out. The teachers accepted on behalf of the school. I noticed that the teachers in the villages were very organized and would probably be considered upper class. They had jeans and glasses. One even wore lipstick! All three features were very unique to see in the villages. No denim, no make-up and no glasses on anyone. In all of village visits, I only saw one child with glasses on, in the third village. I'm sure they don't get a chance to go to the eye doctor very often, if ever. But, I also wonder if they have stronger vision than Americans. I've read studies about sugar contributing to vision loss. They don't have much sugar in their diet in the village. Maybe they don't need glasses.

The teachers in Huacaycancha.

It was after this ceremony that we actually went to farm and to build. I got a little out of order in the events. Anyway, tomorrow we can hear about the teen ceremony and all of the fun with the village kids!