In the communities of Socota

At the beginning of September our sister Rita Mocker travelled to Sócota, in the province of Cutervo, to visit the Community Program Coordinators in the area, accompanied by Ilse, a visitor, and Hannah, a volunteer for the Network. The green of the mountains and the song of the river welcomed us to this pleasant village.

In the house of Abel we had a meeting with the parents and children in his charge. The mothers had made a great effort to come, they were animated and in a good mood. Rita talked with each mother and child to see how they were doing and whether to start some other therapy or support them in some other way. Coordinator Nadia also came and attended the meeting: we were very impressed with the effort that the coordinators and the families of the children are making. And we very much regret the death of one of the children: we think a lot about his mother and all his family.

The next day we left early to the town of San Luis de Lucuma, and with Abel we visited some children in the village of Chilac. In the afternoon we met in San Luis de Lucma with the coordinator Luz Nelva and the children she attends. Rita talked to each child and their mom or dad and showed them some exercises and foot and face massage.

The last day of our stay we visited the coordinator Angela in the town of Huarrago. Arriving, Angela introduced us to the teacher and her daughter Aldana's classroom, and the girl Fiorela who is also in the Community Program. The two girls, attending classes every day, were attentive to the teacher's instruction, and had become good friends with their classmates, thanks to the efforts of Angela and the teacher. During the meeting at Angela's house, we met all the children in her care, as well as their fathers and mothers.

For lunch the adults cooked, while with the children chopped fruits to make a salad. For dessert, Ilse prepared a quinoa mazamorra with fruit salad that we all liked! To end the meeting, Ilse gave a short presentation on nutrition, explaining what we can eat to feed ourselves. Quinoa, an ancestral grain native to the Andean highlands, has a nutritional value that can not be compared to any other grain. In addition to being good to eat, it is easy to plant, so everyone should leave a little space on their farm to grow their quinua. We give our sincere thanks to those who voluntarily support the Community Program and who accompany us in our work!

Upon returning to Cajamarca on Thursday, we said goodbye to the coordinators, the children and their families, and the beautiful valley of Sócota, with a heart full of good cheer.