Whatever Your Skills, You Can Volunteer

It takes many people with a variety of skills to make Quechua Benefit’s programs in Peru successful. We greatly appreciate our volunteers who use their skills and expertise to help us fulfill our mission of Breaking the Cycle of Poverty among the Quechua people.

Debra Parcheta, the founder and CEO of Blue Marble Enterprises in Aurora, Colorado, is someone who gives of herself and her skills in a way that makes a lasting impact. She recently volunteered in Peru with our anemia campaign in Picotani.

Debra designed the database that Quechua Benefit uses to collect and store data for our anemia prevention campaigns. In the last two years we have collected 160,000 data points on more than 15,000 people. This information will help us make lasting changes with our preventative medicine campaigns.

In Debra’s words: “I learned a lot about the complexity of the serious anemia problem while in Peru and the database will be modified to assist the Quechua team with recording treatments and also recording the delivery of education to the populations being served.  Education is a critical component for the high country communities. This database . . . could begin to produce some compelling reports about the disease and its treatment in Peru.”

Debra didn’t spend all her time with data on her trip. She enjoyed meeting kids and parents, and they loved getting to know her and see her technology. Debra stands 6’1” tall, and the kids thought she was a giant standing in the room with a 6’5” ceiling!

Thank you, Debra for your efforts to help the Quechua people thrive.

Just like Debra, you can use your skills and expertise to make a lasting impact with Quechua Benefit.

Click here to see opportunities for volunteering.

 

 

 

 

Angie Kidd, pastor of Trinity Church United Methodist in Kendallville, Indiana, first encountered Quechua Benefit in 2007, but she did not visit the Colca Canyon until 2010 and 2011. Casa Chapi was under construction during her last visit seven years ago. It has been her dream to return to see it full of children. She tells the exciting story of her Mission in the Andes.

“When my church decided to explore a mission trip, I asked Mike Safley what we could do for Quechua Benefit. He said many Casa Chapi children have never seen the grandeur of the condors flying. Could we take the fifth graders on a field trip to Condor Cross? Would we also take sixth graders to see Arequipa before they go there to live and attend school? There are not enough hands to make these trips possible. They needed a group to dedicate their entire trip to the children and the teachers. We agreed without hesitation. To us, it sounded like a dream mission.  

After spending time in Arequipa, we pulled up to the gates of Casa Chapi. When the children began to wave out the windows of their classrooms, my heart was so full it could have burst. We loved knitting, reading, playing on the playground and soccer fields and being human jungle gyms for the kids who could not get enough hugs! If you visit, ask them about their Frisbees! That was a new and fun game for them.

The beauty of Condor Cross is breathtaking, it was even more breathtaking still to see the faces of the children as they saw their first condor rise just overhead. Later, we loved the kids’ beautiful presentation of their native stories. We all ate cake and celebrated being together, not wanting to let go of the moment. Four or five kids held tightly to every adult, and no one wanted to break away. I was the last one to get to the van, and one of the girls was still holding tightly to my hand. I finally had to pull my hand away. I am fairly certain a little part of my heart stayed in her hand.

Next, we gathered the sixth graders for their first trip to the city. No photo could capture their eyes as they took in the city on the walk to the mall. The malls are just like walking into a mall in the USA . . . except when you are holding the hand of a child who has never been out of the Canyon. The mall took on wonderland status. I heard three little girls exclaim, “Lindo!” (Beautiful!) Then they saw it! It was like nothing else they had ever seen before! People were stepping on it and rising into the air! They were uncertain about trying it at first, but then one by one they took their first steps on to the ESCALATOR!

At the bookstore each student and teacher chose a book of their very own. Back at the school, we all signed all their books, and then they read. Oh, if you could hear the sweet sound of fifteen children all reading aloud at the same time. It was like a little hive of sweet honeybees.

It doesn’t end there. Our team is holding an event to share our trip and the mission of Quechua Benefit. The Quechua Benefit mission and wish list of Casa Chapi will be the focus of our Christmas Transformation during Advent. We are dreaming of how to help other churches take trips  to build relationships with the children and teachers. We want every fifth-grade class to see the condors fly and every sixth-grade class to ride over the mountain into the magical world of Arequipa. Our team is developing suggestions for other groups. I do offer one word of caution. You must commit to living with a little part of your heart thousands of miles away.

Many thanks to Mike Safley, Dale Cantwell, Alejandro Tejeda, Carmen Aguilar Diaz and Leny Cary Choque for helping us arrange the Peru aspects of the trip. We are feeling so blessed.”

 

Team Peru

Frequently Asked Questions

How long has the trip been in operation? QB started taking dental professionals and interested citizens to Peru over 16 years ago.

Do you have to be religious to participate?  Faith, spirituality or religious preference is not a criterion for the trip.  We have had people of all faiths join us.  All we ask is that you are respectful to the beliefs of those around you and that you participate in group activities.  We are not an evangelical outreach program; and do not expect trip participants to abide by any single doctrine.  We only ask that everyone who participates in the Team Peru experience be respectful, open, and flexible.

Please see the Quechua Benefit Guiding Principals for missions.

Is there a language requirement to participate? No.

Do we need anything special when traveling to Peru?  We have prepared some information on Peru Travel Advice.

What can you tell me about the people in the area that we will be participating in? Please refer to our “Cultural Awareness Tips” article.

Is there a mission fee? Each mission is a little different but the average mission fee is $1,000.  This fee includes: room & board, in country transportation, organizational fee.  This includes air fare to and from Lima to our destination but does not include your airfare to Lima.  Mission members are responsible for booking their travel to and from Lima. Mission fees are collected by Quechua Benefit US and wired to Quechua Benefit Peru in support of the mission.  In addition to the mission fee most people like to bring about $200.00 for incidentals and shopping. Your Visa and Master Card will be accepted in the larger towns and certainly in Arequipa where you will find the most interesting things to purchase.

Taxes – QB is a registered 501(c) (3) non-profit non-governmental organization. Consult with your tax accountant regarding volunteer tax deductions. You will be provided a tax receipt from Quechua Benefit following the trip.

What is the focus of the trip? The trip is designed to provide participants with a chance to interact with the people of Peru.  Our goal is not to miraculously cure disease or eradicate suffering; rather we hope to change our own lives and help others through volunteer service.

Why do we do clinics?  Health services and particularly medicine are often unaffordable for the Quechua people in Peru.  Our missions service an underserved population and offer hope and goodwill to people often forgotten but who are every bit as important as each of us.

Can my spouse or partner accompany me? Our missions are working trips and everyone who has a specific skill to contribute to the mission is welcome.  Space is limited and each member of the team is expected to put in long days.

How many people usually participate? We general have groups that range in size from 15-30 U.S. members.

How long are the trips? Exact dates for the trip vary but in general, trips are from 10-12 days.

Where will we stay?  Housing for the trip varies from hotel accommodations with hot water to bungalow style dorm rooms with no hot water, although we always have hot water available, it does not always work or last as long as you might be use to.. Please understand that everything does not always go smoothly in a developing country like Peru and the accommodation will not measure up to a Holiday Inn.

How about medical supplies and equipment?  We conduct an extensive campaign to procure donated medical equipment and supplies.  Our hope is to take only “essential” equipment that will be necessary to conduct.

What about medical, dental and professional licenses?  Trip participants with professional credentials must provide a copy of their license, academic training program diploma or degree, and residency certification.  This information will be submitted to the Peruvian Medical College by an QB staff person for approval.  We will ensure that we adhere to the standards or practice in accordance to the Peruvian laws.

Where and what format do I use to send my documents?  Please scan all documents including passport in jpg or pdf format and email to steve@quechuabenefit.org.

What about sight seeing or side trips?  You are welcome to stay ‘in-country’ as long as you like.  We can recommend a travel agent to assist you with your post mission trip.  We will be happy to provide trip participants advice on developing a post mission trip.

What is the food like? You must be careful about what you eat, particularly in the small towns. We try to discourage eating anything not boiled or hot. Fresh fruit is plentiful but you should be the person who peels it.

Quechua Benefit will be providing meals cooked by our chef from Arequipa. People who follow advice and eat the food we prepare generally do not get sick. There are exceptions and we will have medication available to treat diarrhea.

Is their WI-FI in Peru? Yes it is readily available in Lima and Arequipa. In Chivay we have an arrangement with a local hotel where we can use their WI-FI for free. It is very reliable. We will have transportation to the hot spot every evening.

Who can my family contact in case of emergency?

QB Office-Peru: 01-51-54-214177

Carla Villanueva cell: 01-51-989-767-188 – Carla@quechuabenefit.org

Alejandro Tejeda (Spanish only) cell:  01-51-958-325-449 – Alejandro@quechuabenefit.org

A Multi Team Mission to Peru: November 2013

AOBA donation project to Corani in support of Peru alpaca breeders

The team arrived in Peru 3 weeks before the Thanksgiving Holiday and left in time to rejoin their families for the traditional rituals of giving thanks and counting blessings. The 32 members some from as far away as Australia and England, formed 4 teams, worked at 9 different locations, saw 1890 patients offering free medical and dental care. Each team member experienced the gift of giving back.

Macusani team_web

2013 Macusani-Corani Team

TEAM 1: 10 members of this team visited one of the most remote areas of Peru that Quechua Benefit has ever seen. The narrow dirt roads often found the bus seemingly suspended over canyons dropping more than 1,000 feet to the silver ribbon of a river threading its way below. When the canyons gave way, a surreal plain of giant rock monolith’s appeared like an ancient stone forest protruding from a moonscape of dark brown clay and ichu grass.

This mission was to the very heart of alpaca breeding in Peru and ended up in towns named Corani, Quelcaya and Aymana where Quechua was the predominate language.  The doctors often spoke to patients through an English/Spanish translator who spoke to the Quechua translator who spoke to the patient and then listened as the process was reversed. When Alonso Burgos was told where we visited, he remarked that, “you have seen the end of the earth”.

This trip was unique in several other ways; 1) it was sponsored and paid for by Bear Creek Mining Company of Canada who are in the process of building a silver mine in the area. 2) Bear Creek has also partnered with Quechua Benefit to create an alpaca selection program called the Corani project that will utilize EPD’s to select breeding stock. Mike Safley accompanied the team and spent several days selecting 40 breeding males for the project’s Plantel herd. 3) AOBA helped raise funds for this part of the mission to deliver disaster relief to the Corani area breeders who were at the heart of the freakish winter freeze that killed 30,000 alpacas and put many of the breeders’ lives at risk. The fundraising effort was conducted as a part of AOBA’s National Farm Day and was augmented by a grant from the German Alpaca Association (AAeV). All told they raised more than $7,400 and the team delivered more than 1000 warm garments and 1,000’s of antibiotic pills to ward of the after effects of the bone chilling cold.

TEAM MEMBERS: Dr. Dwight Bailey, Dr. Rhonda Deschner, Dr. Jim Anderson, Dr. Rachel Brauner, Ursula Munro RN, Bill Beranek, Mario Garcia, Patricia Gillotin, Cor Kester and  Alejandro Tejeda

TEAM 2: 12 mission members set up shop in the Snowmass Health Center and spent 5 days seeing 864 patients that either walked or were bused to the clinic from surrounding towns by the participating municipalities. This team featured obstetricians, pediatricians and dentists.

Dr. Ed Fannon with Joyce Kester RN

This is the second year that a clinic was held onsite at the Snowmass Health Center and it allowed another opportunity for the local population to visit Casa Chapi and see the children and their life and care at the project in person. As Casa Chapi has become a successful reality the local community has embraced Quechua Benefit in a way that we have not experienced before. The local Municipality of Chivay recently funded the finish work to the upstairs of the clinic turning it into 2 large guest rooms, 2 staff apartments, a sitting area and 2 restrooms. These improvements will allow Casa Chapi to offer accommodations to folks who want to volunteer at the Children’s Village.

TEAM MEMBERS: Dr. Wayne Jarvis, Dr. Ed Fannon, Dr. Rebecca Levy, Dr. Megan Moran, Dr. Penelope Heyward, Joyce Kester RN, Shellie Clark RN, Jenny Lou, Kylee Thompson, Julie Safley, Katherine Safley and Sue Whitrow RN

Dr. Jim Gallagher, Quechua woman patient and Richard “Dick”, Miller

TEAM 3: 8 mission members utilized Casa Chapi as their home base and made one day clinic trips to more remote towns in the valley including;

1) Tisco, 2) Tuti, 3) Corporaque and 4) Sibayo where they saw 430 patients. The clinic in Tisco was timed to occur on their weekly market day when a large number of alpaca breeders who live with their alpacas in the remote grazing areas that sustain their herds.

Team members have been going to Tisco for several years and they love people who walk many miles to see them and who seldom have the opportunity for the same health care that the folks living in the more populated areas of the Colca Valley enjoy. Everyone remarked that the criadors from Tisco were the most thankful of all the patients they saw.

TEAM MEMBERS: Dr. Jim Gallagher, Dr. Erin Meyer, Dr. Alana Rickard, Richard Miller, Diane Podvin, Mary Clark, Stephanie Pope and Patsy Reams

Katie Safley with Aaron and Andrew Curtis of Hitchhiker interviewing Dr. Rhonda Deschner

Team 4: This team shadowed all of the first three teams, shooting 7 days of film that will be crafted into a documentary about Quechua Benefit and Casa Chapi. We will be scripting and editing the video over the next 3 months and it will hopefully be showing soon at a gathering close to you.

TEAM MEMBERS: Aaron Marcellino and Andrew Curtis from Hitchhiker Pictures and Mike Safley.

Finally this mission would have not been possible without Quechua Benefit’s team on the ground in both Peru and the United States. Carla Villanueva works out of the Arequipa office and handled hotels reservations, bus transportation, safe meals, in-country airline reservations and coordinated all of the international travel documents with Steve Johnson, who organized the state-side planning and logistics such as allocating the medicine for the missionaries to pack to Peru, medical credential certifications, and communication. Steve was also the general go-to person with pre-mission questions that ranged from, “do I need altitude sickness pills?” (Yes) “to what clothes should Ibring” (Think layers) and “how much money will I need” (Not much) and “is the water safe to drink?” (No).

Alejandro Tejeda is the Quechua Benefit project manager on the ground and among other things he was the construction superintendent of Casa Chapi, coordinator of the Corani project and the liaison with all of the Peruvian agencies with which Quechua Benefit interacts. On this mission alone Alejandro negotiated agreements with the Peruvian Health Ministry, the Minister of Education, the cities of Sibayo, Corani, Tuti, Chivay, Corporaque,  the college of medicine in Lima, the customs bureau, and the Catholic Archbishop of Arequipa.

Quite simply this multi-team, multi-town, multi-Peruvian Government approvals mission would not have happened without Carla, Steve and Alejandro.

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Quechua Benefit 2013 Mission to Peru

Thirty-one members of the 2013 Quechua Benefit mission traveled to six towns in the Colca Valley on a rotating basis and they inaugurated the Snowmass Health Center with 6 days of continuous operation. They were accompanied by three Peruvian doctors and dentists.

Patients were brought to the Snowmass center on a daily basis by the mayors from four additional towns. In total 10 towns were served with medical and dental care. A total of 1450 patients were cared for: all of the services were provided for free.

The response to the opening of the Snowmass center was overwhelming and the fact that 864 patients were served in the clinic alone will go a long way to establishing the Quechua Benefit mission on a permanent basis in the minds of the Quechua people in the valley.

None of this could have been accomplished without your generous donations.

Dr. Dwight Bailey led this year’s teams. They were each part of an advance team that left several days early to prepare the Snowmass center for opening. The following Americans team members rounded out the United States team: Richard Miller, Dr. Rhonda Deschner, Bill Beranek, Mario Garcia, Dr Jim Anderson, Shellie Clarke RN, Dr Jim Gallagher, —–. The Peruvian team was made up of Quechua Benefit’s manager in Peru Alejandro Tejeda, Executive Secretary Carla Villanueva and the Casa Chapi professional team Wendy and Karen.

Click here to see picture of the Nov 2013 Mission and Mission Clinics.

Report Nº 002-2013AT/QBPE

FROM      :  Alejandro Tejeda Barzola

TO            :  BOD QUECHUA BENEFIT- USA

ACTIVITY : RESULTS OF  “VII MEDICAL MISSION  USA  2013”

DATE        :   25 November 2013

I-        Location of Campaign :

–          Date                  :  11  to 15 Nov.  2013

–          Tisco, Sibayo,Tuti, Coporaque, Chivay –  Caylloma Region Arequipa

–          Corani –Carabaya Región Puno

II-       Activities Realized:

2.1-Coordination and Agreements  with :

–          Gerencia Regional de Salud AQP

–          APCI , Lima

–          P.S Tisco

–          P.S Sibayo

–          P.S Tuti

–          P.S Coporaque

–          Colegio Medico del Peru, Lima

–          Ministerio Salud – Lima

–          Municipalidad de Corani

III-    Results Obtained:

    RESULTS MEDICAL MISSION USA 2013  
(11 to 15  November)
1- MEDICAL ATTENTION IN CORANI – PUNO

 

 

 

11/11/2013

12/11/2013

13/11/2013

14/11/2013

TOTAL

SPECIALITIES

Corani

Quelcaya

Aymaña

Acoyo

 

 

ORTHOPEDIC

33

7

0

0

40

PEDIATRICS

91

69

125

23

308

MEDICINE

93

35

97

33

258

VITAMINS/ kids

32

145

177

  Total

217

143

367

56

783

 

2- MEDICAL ATTENTION  CASA CHAPI

 

 

 

 

SPECIALITIES

11/11/2013

12/11/2013

13/11/2013

14/11/2013

15/11/2013

TOTAL

   

53

52

75

127

96

403

OBSTETRICS

4

4

3

11

PEDIATRICS

39

26

35

57

57

214

MEDICINE

10

22

40

67

39

178

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

ODONTOLGY

33

28

47

52

29

189

Dental Treatment

30

18

33

30

16

127

Dental extraction

0

7

8

14

13

42

Fluor-Clean

3

3

6

8

20

  Total

86

80

122

179

125

592

3- MEDICAL ATTENTION COLCA  VILLAGES

 

 

 

 

11/11/2013

12/11/2013

13/11/2013

14/11/2013

TOTAL

SPECIALITIES

Tisco

Sibayo

Tuti

Coporaque

 

72

101

93

89

355

OBSTETRICS  

 

4

 

 

4

PEDIATRICS

41

57

65

56

219

MEDICINE

31

40

28

33

132

 

ODONTOLGY

11

32

14

18

75

Dental extraction

11

10

14

18

53

Dental Treatment

22

22

 

  Total

83

133

107

107

430

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

REFERRED CASES TO SPECIALISTS

 

 

 

 

 

  From Chivay

From Villages

 

TOTAL

 

 

 

ADULTS

23

42

 

65

 

 

 

KIDS

8

12

 

20

 

 

 

Total

31

54

 

85

 

 

 

   TOTAL ATTENDED

 

1890

 

 

 

Conclusions:

–          The  Medical Campaign was realized by First Time simultaneous way three different places:

In Corani: Quelcaya, Corani Aymaña y Accoyo

Villages from Colca Valley: Tisco, Sibayo, Tuti and Coporaque

Clinic Casa Chapi

–          QB  attended 1890 persons in 5 days and we had  24 members of Medical Team USA

–          It was realized the first meeting with autorities from Ministery of Education about Shool Project in CCH

Alejandro Tejeda B.
Manager Quechua Benefit

Written by Angie Kidd , an Advisor and Representative for Quechua Benefit

McKayla and her brother, Kaden

McKayla and her brother, Kaden

It is a beautiful Sunday afternoon here in Indiana.  The sun is shining, the birds are singing and there is a smile on my heart.  Spring?  Yes, but that’s not all.  I have seen the face of God today, but not where you might expect.  The face of God for me today was clearly one and the same with the face of an eight-year-old young lady named McKayla Adair.

Several months ago, I spoke about Quechua Benefit in a small country church near my childhood home.  Salem Community Church is in the tiny town of Wilmot, Indiana and is in the middle of nowhere by some standards.  There are roughly twenty-five people in their congregation, which is made up of all ages.  When I spoke, God chose to move that little congregation through McKayla, who shines as bright as the springtime sun with her love for God.

Today, I went back because McKayla had been on a mission.  She designated March as “collect toothbrushes and toothpaste month” and encouraged her church family to collect toothbrushes and toothpaste for the children at Casa Chapi.  They rallied around her mission and donated 206 toothbrushes and 170 tubes of toothpaste!  When I went to thank her and her church family today on behalf of Quechua Benefit, I asked McKayla what it was that made her want to collect the dental supplies.  She didn’t hesitate one second and answered, “God laid it on my heart so I just did it.”   I asked her how it was that she thought God got her attention about the needs of the children.  She said that she when she saw their teeth in the photos she knew they needed help.  She was also adamant to tell me that she didn’t want the glory, because the glory belonged to God.

I asked her if she knew the scripture from Isaiah 11:6, “And a little child shall lead them.”  She “sort of” knew about that and I explained to her that I wasn’t trying to give her the glory, but instead wanted to share her story, because it might help others to hear God’s voice calling them to help the children at Casa Chapi, too, and she agreed .

McKayla is the daughter of Jerod and Charity Adair and she lives on a family farm with her parents and her brother, Kaden, and a baby sister, Rain.  McKayla and Kaden are homeschooled and have written letters to the children at Casa Chapi that will accompany the toothbrushes and be translated by Dick Miller.  Thank you to Dick, who has graciously agreed to translate and to transport the dental supplies to the children in April of 2013.  McKayla and Kaden hope to hear back from the children at Casa Chapi so that they might connect child to child.

When I left today, McKayla, Kaden their grandfather helped me carry the boxes to my vehicle.  McKayla gave me a hug and I told her that maybe someday she would be with me in Peru.  Her smile eclipsed the sun as she gave me a hearty thumbs up!  Thumbs up to you McKayla for teaching us all that indeed, a little child shall lead them.

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