Thank you for your interest in the well-being of your distant Quechua neighbours, here in the Sacred Valley of the Incas, Peru. Almost a month ago, as a result of the heaviest rainfall in 30 years, a dam was breached high-up on the mountain known as Apu Chactaccacca; pouring a torrent of debris-laden muddy-water through the communities lying downstream, destroying 80 % of the lowermost village of Taray.
Our own efforts are being concentrated on the lesser-known, higher-elevation, more remote villages of Ccaccacollo and Q'enko (which have received very little government assistance), and if passable tomorrow, to the village of Siwa, at the end of this unpaved mountain road, where more families are rumoured to be badly affected.
In the pueblo of Ccaccacollo, the houses of 14 families were destroyed; the villagers are living in a primitive tent-village, awaiting drier weather in order to rebuild their houses in this new, safer location. We have been sending food-aid there for the past month. Still higher up the mountain, lies the pueblo of Q'enko where more houses were destroyed. The situation in Q'enko is unique; at that elevation, on the upper-margin of agricultural viability, the people depend solely on the potato crop - which on account of the rainfall is rotting in the ground. Last week we started supplying food aid and used-clothing to 14 severely affected families.
These are poor 'campesino' families, simple, subsistence-agricultural people; they live on the edge of malnutrition even in a good year - and this most certainly is not a good year. They have lost their homes, they are watching their traditional crops suffer, their economic future in doubt, and are financially ill-equipped to deal with this disaster. It is heart-wrenching to hear the reply from a subsistence-farmer when asked 'what do you need most?' - FOOD.
Basic food supplies are the main priority, and in the case of Ccaccacollo will remain so at least until the end of May, when the maize harvest is underway. The special needs of potato-dependant Q'enko is less clear - a local government official has suggested that our help may be needed until the end of June, even into July. The actual duration is uncertain and depends much on the weather, and the coming harvests. April is the start of the much-awaited 'dry season' and some assistance will be needed for basic tools; and later on with some construction materials - in order to enable these people to rebuild in a timely manner.
The object of this endeavour is to help these people through a particularly difficult time; to help them 'get on their feet' again and rebuild their homes - to resume their regular, simple, dignified lives.
I quickly realized that I was unable to do this alone, and am most grateful to those many friends, new and old, scattered around the planet, who have offered to support this project. Your donations are most genuinely needed, and most gratefully appreciated - and having entrusted me with your support - I promise to try and ensure that the appropriate and relevant assistance is given, to those most genuinely in need of it, in a timely fashion, and in the most efficient manner possible.
Muchas Gracias Pachamama. Kausaipakh - 'To Life' Paul
宛先: Takuya Okada
cc: Echan Deravy, Uriguris Chikako, Yoichi Noguchi
件名: A Letter to Friends in Japan
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Hola Takuya,
thank you for your invitation to address friends in Japan - I have attached an article below, trying to summarize the situation hereabouts in as few words as possible - it still seems somewhat long-winded, and you may care to edit it.
I would like to thank yourself, other friends in Japan and elsewhere, for your support in the 'emergency relief effort'.
Easter Sunday, and Pisaq is starting to come alive again ... 'our' villages starting to follow suit, (photo blog-update to follow).
Tomorrow I head back up to Q'enko, and hopefully onto Siwa, with more food and clothing, and an appointment to speak with a representative about the longer-term 'Kaniwa Project'.
Much Love,
Paul
PS - I just received appreciative comments from 'Living in Peru.com' (http://www.livinginperu.com/) regarding our efforts here, and encouraging submission of article(s) to their website.
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差出人: Paul Temple
日時: 2010年4月23日 13:18:15JST
件名: Re: Remittances
Hola Takuya & Chikako,
thank you again for your generous support and donations.
Here in Pisaq the weather has changed; we are now entering the colder 'dry season' - and the villagers, like myself, are getting active in making adobe bricks, with which to rebuild their houses, whilst others go about repairing their damaged homes.
It is a great relief, to have weathered the storms, and to now go about the repair and maintenance work. My gardens are doing well, although in this year-round, frost-free environment, it is yet again time to plant.
Meanwhile in the fields below the house here in Pumacurco, the maize-harvest is underway (it will be another month before the harvest in Ccaccacollo).
Machu Picchu is open again; the new Pisaq bridge is functioning, the sun is shining regularly, the rains less frequent and light ... Life is good.
The relief efforts with the higher communities will be going on, I estimate, for another 6-8 weeks - but everyone's spirits are raised by the improvements in the weather.
Tomorrow I am headed up to another out-of-the-way village (Paulio?) - Lalo, the 'mayor' of Taray asked me if it would be possible to help 7 families up there;
so I'm going to have a look and will take in some food-supplies too, and assess the situation. I'll let you know how things go, presumably in a blog posting.
So, things are improving; but for those most affected, it will still take some time to get back to normal.
So, Takuya, Chikako - thank you once again for your generous support.
Once again we went to Cusco and bought working materials and food supplies. It is great being able to help and it has turned into a whole day experience going to the community and see where they are at, each time we go there. This time we (Jusef, Jennifer, Maggie and myself, Milagros) bought hammers, wheelbarrows, measuring meters for construction and some other items the people from the community have asked us last time we came.
Aah ... Takuya, buenos tardes mi amigo,
good to hear from you; and once to thank you for your generosity in contributing towards the relief effort here ... muchas gracias.
It's late afternoon and the sun is setting ever earlier, as we approach our Andean winter (pretty light-weight compared to Canada) ... the maize harvest continues, though it is mostly complete in the fields of PataPata, visible from the house here in Pumacurco.
I spent the afternoon respectfully 'curing' the Hopi Tobacco that I grew in the garden this year - and planting many different varieties of vegetable-seeds; ready for the next round of sacred-food production.
I sorted out the 'Relief Effort' financial accounts yesterday; we've received a little over $12,000 in donations.
In March, when the disaster struck, I estimated that we would need $12 to 15 thousand - so we are virtually there (with what you have recently sent, and what Jen & Manoj are holding).
And here on the ground, things are rolling along nicely; we have spent only about $3,500 so far, although as the re-building gains momentum our weekly costs will rise, reflecting the purchase of building materials ... I feel as that we, collectively, are 'right on target' - that we will fulfill our goals in helping these folks get 'back on their feet'. Of course, if there are any 'extra' funds ... maybe we can buy someone a door to their new house, and the situation in the higher-elevation village of Q'enko is still very precarious.
Anyway my friend, life is very good; particularly with the sense of having such noble friends as yourself, and your friends - all courtesy of our mutual connection with Echan - in participating in such a whole-hearted manner in this project to help our unfortunate Quechua brothers hereabouts.
Dancers at the 3 de Mayo Fiesta; Copacabana, Bolivia - it's some christian trip to do with the cross; but hereabouts is based on pre-religous (ie shamanic) traditions celebrating something to do with the constellation of the Southern Cross, and it's alignment relative to the Pleiades.
PS - did Echan ever manage to leave Cornwall, and make it back to Japan? Please give him my Love and Blessings. Paulo (同上)
差出人: Paul Temple
日時: 2010年5月15日 21:35:26JST
件名: Re: Remittances 14th May
I trust that all goes well for you my friends in Japan - the cherry-tree blossoms announcing the start of spring, must have finished now as you head into your summertime - I wish you a joyous celebration of life, and once again - many thanks from the folks hereabouts for your support and assistance.
Dancers from the 3 de Mayo celebrations in Copacabana in Bolivia (I received a 90 day visa extension during my recent visit there)
(from Paul's photos)
The new Pisac bridge was opened on April 16. It is one lane wide so they have also installed traffic lights in Pisac to control the bridge traffic while they reconstruct the old bridge along side the new one.
("Diane at Paz y Luz" <Diane_at_Paz_y_Luz@mail.vresp.com> )
※PAZ y LUZ Healing Center located in the Sacred Valley of Pisac, offers healing, restoration and transformation. Diane Dunn, founder, healer and master in the Andean spiritual tradition, joins practitioners from different parts of the world to offer sessions in Andean Energy Healing, guided meditations, Reiki, ThetaHealing, Aromatouch Therapy, yoga, massage, chiropractic, breath work, and journeys with the sacred plant medicine of San Pedro and Ayahuasca are among the services offered.
In March I estimated the financial needs for this project, running until the end of June, perhaps a little beyond that date, at between twelve to fifteen thousand dollars. As of today (24 May) we have received $13,825.67 - most sincere thanks to all the contributors - and have spent $4,820.19 to date.
We have achieved our financial goals. There is a little more money awaiting clearance (and an assurance of further funding if needed, or if it is desirable to expand the project) and so I am intending to remove my personal banking details from this blog in the next few days.
A final word - the bottom line: The initial financial-needs estimate of twelve to fifteen thousand dollars has been surpassed; we have received US $15,526 and consequently I have withdrawn the webpage soliciting donations. A couple of people have indicated their desire to contribute anyway, at this later stage ... by all means; I will most certainly put the funds to good use in these most deserving and impoverished communities, and such continuing support is most genuinely and graciously received by the humble indigenous villagers. Any visitors headed this way; used-clothing always appreciated, children and small-adult sizes most useful. We have spent US$7556.29 to date, leaving a little under eight-thousand dollars to complete the construction of the Medical Post in Q’enko, complete the repair or reconstruction of some houses in Ccaccacollo, and ensure that the local villages have sufficient food heading into the next rainy season.
Detailed records of the book-keeping accounts are available for inspection upon request.
I would like to thank, most sincerely, all those who have supported, and continue to support in a variety of ways, this ‘Relief Effort’. It continues to be a major personal-education and cultural-connection experience in my unfolding life here in Peru. I will endeavour to communicate a little more regularly as the program continues to develop; but, first I have to sort through 3 years of house-building receipts and legal-paperwork for the immigration authorities, plant the early broccoli seedlings, and find a ‘day-off’ from the strong medicine sessions with our 72 year old tribal curandero - typically running for seven or eight hours of the night; profound teachings, and my computer hard-drive rapidly filling up with a collection of the most exquisite audio recordings of his ancient ceremonial medicine songs.