The last week I took a detour from my regular travels and got a little dirty. As part of my Niece Project 3.0 Megan decided that she wanted to do a little volunteering in Peru, so our last week was spent working with the amazing people of Project Peru in various capacities. We headed north of Lima to the district of Puente Piedra to do our volunteering. It was really eye opening to see the change from Miraflores Lima to Puenta Piedra – night and day – rich and poor. The landscape became more congested dirt filled, tree-less, and surprisingly happy. Isn’t that the weird part about poverty or the ‘have-not’s’? The less they have the happier they appear to be.
Project Peru Volunteers
We stayed at the refuge of Project Peru that also houses 50 children from the Las Laderas shanty town. While in the refuge we played with the kids, helped with English, and walked them to/from school. We also saw just how much work it is to run a refuge with 50 kids and just a handful of ‘house mothers’. We helped with the shopping, laundry, discipline, cooking, and anything else that kept this well-oiled machine running.
Building Houses in Las Laderas Peru
For the other part of the week we spent in the community of Las Laderas – a shanty town full of single mothers and lots of kids. Built into the barren, dusty hills of Lima – we saw how families survive there – barely. Prior to the trip Megan did fundraising in order to fund some new houses in the area for families in need. She successfully rose over $1800 which equated to about 2 houses. Megan and I worked with a crew of 2 to 3 guys from Project Peru and built a new house for a family in the community as well as started the foundation of a 2nd house before we had to head back to the US. It was a really rewarding experience and a great way to see real life in Lima and understand the struggles of many.
Heading to Las Laderas today to continue working on our small but colorful house. We’ll be finishing it up by tomorrow!
A little Sunday swing time at Project Peru!
All nails done by hand! Made great progress on the house building today!
The kids live in a really dusty environment at Project Peru but they still believe in polished shoes before school!
Meet the mother who will be living in the house we are building! She’s single w 2 adorable kids!
This is what shopping for feeding 50 kids looks like! A great trip to the market today!
Our 1st wall of the house we are building for Project Peru is finished! Didn’t @meganlea_ do a great job? Only 3 more to go!
Shopping day for Project Peru! Delicious choclo (corn) in the Puente Piedra market. The kernels are giant!
What is Week In-Stagram Review?
Each week brings some new scenery and location for me – that’s just the way I like it. If you want to follow where I am real time – then on Friday I will post some of my Instagram photos from the current week. Some weeks I may be traveling somewhere exotic, and some weeks it may be less interesting – but it will give you a peek into my life of perpetual motion.
FOLLOW MY LIVE TRAVELS ON INSTAGRAM!
- The Niece Project
- Seeing Rome Through New Eyes
- For an Immersive Local Experience Try a Rome Food Tour
- Getting the Most Out of a Vatican Museum Visit
- Rome Travel Tips: Skip Lines, Get Around, Eat Like a Local
- Put These Three Stops on your Amalfi Coast, Italy Itinerary
- How to Eat Pizza Like an Italian
- The Next Niece – Destination Unknown
- Evie’s Decision
- Modern Family
- Are we There Yet?
- Assuming Responsibility
- Finding our Stride in Hanoi
- What to Expect in Halong Bay
- Local Experiences Along the Tourist Trail in Hue
- Taking the High Road Hai Van Pass
- Hunting for Photos in Hoi An
- Saigon Unseen
- The Incredible Edible Egg Embryo Hot Vit Lon
- Saigon Street Food
- How to be a Good First Time Traveler
- The Niece Project Version 3.0
- Week In-Stagram Review Niece Project 3.0
- Week In-Stagram Review Volunteering
- Bumpy Beginnings Niece Project 3.0
- How to travel with other people’s kids
- New Perspectives in the Sacred Valley
- Into Thin Air with a Teenager
- Inca Trail Alternate Route
- Machu Picchu a Decade Later
- It’s a Jungle Out There
- A Teenager’s View of Peru
- Building Homes in Las Laderas Peru
- Project Peru
- Feeding the Masses in Puente Piedra
- Niece Project 4.0 The Decision
- Week In-stagram Review Belize
- Welcome to the Belize Jungle
- How To Be First In the ATM Cave Belize
- Taking Flight in Belize
- 3 Ways to Explore Belize Caves
- Under the Sea in Belize
- Exploring Firsts in Placencia Belize
- Niece Project 5.0 Travel Decisions
- New Zealand In-stagram Review
- Getting There Niece Project 5.0
- What the Niece Project Taught me About Traveling With Teenagers
- Why I Love to Take Teenagers on Small Group Tours
- Taking the Leap into Fear
- Flying Tips on How to deal with Long Flights
- The Last Niece Project Goes To…
- An Aunt, a Niece, and India
- How to Spend a Day Like a Local in Jaipur
- My 6 Favorite Experiences in Rajasthan India
- Experiencing India As a Teenager
- Too Scared to Travel To India? I Have a Solution…
- The End of the Niece Project
By Chanel | Cultural Xplorer July 8, 2014 - 10:13 am
That sounds like a great project to be involved in and I am sure those families are very thankful for all of your dedication and hard work!
I took agree that the happiest people I have met have been those with the least amount of resources.
By Mary @ Green Global Travel July 8, 2014 - 11:52 am
Amazing that you did so much in just one week! Very generous of you to spend your time like this there. Thanks for sharing!
By Bryan July 8, 2014 - 5:32 pm
That’s a lot of work in a small amount of time! Talk about some hustle. Besides building homes, what else does Project Peru do?
By Sherry July 9, 2014 - 3:43 pm
They not only build houses in Las Laderas – but they also build bigger buildings like schools and soup kitchens. And they have built and fund the Project Peru refuge where we stayed. They house 50 children full time living in the refuge – it’s a massive operation and a really good one. They are actually based out of the UK and they are always working on fundraising as they have a lot to support. We were happy to add a little bit to that.
By John @ Imperative Travel July 27, 2014 - 11:53 pm
Awesome that you did so much in just one week! Very nice of you to invest like this there. That appears to be like an excellent venture to be engaged in and I am sure those family members are very grateful for all of your commitment and difficult work!