By Marrissa Bernards and Lonny Ward | Development Associate and Intl. Field Director
Extreme flooding in Piura, Peru has now subsided, but the devastating aftermath remains. With over 100,000 homes completely destroyed, 800,000 people displaced, and 5,000 families requiring complete relocation, there is much to be done.
We have jumped at the opportunity to help our brothers and sisters in Piura, as have the local communities in the United States. In addition to the funds you have generously given, our in-country team has gathered donations of money and supplies. Our efforts have gone to provide life-necessities including water treatment kits, non-perishable food items, cooking utensils, dry clothing and bedding, and emergency shelters.
So far, funds have provided:
• 70 water filtration systems
• 20 large cooking pots pots
• Hundreds of mosquito nets
• Thousands of pounds of food
• Thousands of dollars in medical supplies
The significance of the aid being received in Peru is in part illustrated with the story of Maria. In a flood affected area, our team found Maria who earlier in life had studied nursing but had not quite finished when she got married and left the university. The village where she lives had no pharmacy or medical facility of any kind. With the encouragement of the CHOICE team and the local ministry of health, Maria walled off a front room of her house and turned it into a small pharmacy and first aid station. Donations of medical supplies by CHOICE Peru and the ministry of health filled the room with basic medical supplies. The community has agreed to purchase supplies and services from Maria so that she can restock the shelves as the medicines are used. The ministry of health has also committed to provide additional training to Maria so that she can finish her nursing degree while serving the community. The CHOICE team is always looking for local resources that can be developed to improve the communities.
Moving forward, our organization will be assisting with reconstruction efforts, which includes helping form a community for the 5,000 families that require relocation. This is a large long term project and will require your help. Please join us in our fight to end extreme poverty by developing the local people and resources.
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