OCTOBER 2009

Through this latest blogspot we wish once again to inform and thank our supporters of The Shared Table. We acknowledge the tremendous support of so many people during October, the month of the Missions. Again we ask God to bless the homes and families of our friends of The Shared Table. Included at the end of this blog is an update on happenings in the Valley of Jicamarca where very large numbers of families continue to arrive weekly, in search of new possibilities for their futures.

All eyes on the passing chook! A group of children play on the streets of Lima. Wonder whether the chook ended up in the family pot?

THE KITCHENS

We are currently supporting eight Children's Kitchens directly through The Shared Table, and assisting two others. The families are expected to contibute towards the cost of their meals, and to participate actively in the weekly running of the Kitchen in which they participate - whether it be by preparing meals or with cleaning. Our Parish Social Worker Lucy Cuentas and her team continue to organise workshops on issues such as general hygiene, women's health, self esteem and food preparation, especially for the mothers who participate in The Shared Table project.

Manuelito and his brother Jhon enjoy their lunch together.

Rosario, the coordinator of the Children's Kitchen of Motupe, prepares one of the pots for today's lunch.

Juanita, one a number of special needs children who participate in our Children's Kitchens.

Julia is assisted by her mother.

Happy with the food, not so happy about the photo.

LOCAL FUND RAISING

Local fund raising has become an increasingly important part of the Shared Table project. As Fr. Michael McKinnon will be returning to his Diocese next year, we are trying to establish less dependency on outside assistance. With the help of CARITAS PERU, we have recently been able to initiate a number of local fund raising events.

Second hand clothing bought at an extremely cheap rate through Caritas Peru and sold at a comfortable price to locals has become one of the ways of raising funds for the various Children's Kitchens.

Gladys and Terresa weigh potatoes donated by Caritas Peru which will be boxed and passed on to the Children's Kitchens.

Marta and Gregoria arrange boxes of potatoes to be transported to the Children's Kitchens.

First prize for the BINGO organised through the chapel of Cangallo - a sack of rice.

The BINGO in Cangallo underway. A dance group from the chapel gets ready to entertain the crowd gathering for the fundraising event.

BAKING WORKSHOP AND HANDCRAFTS

Two activities closely associated with The Shared Table have been the Baking Workshop and the Women's Handcraft Groups. Both of these activities receive assitance through the Diocese of Ballarat, and provide women with a means of developing personal skills as well as extra family income to help manage their weekly household budgets.

The handcraft group at El Trebol in accion.

Concentrating on the task at hand.

An afternoon's production.

Ready to hit the local market.

LEADERSHIP WORKSHOP JICAMARCA

With so many new communities springing up over night, the Parish Human Rights group recently organised a workshop directed at developing leadership skills and imparting information on the legalities of possession of land and land titles. About 150 community leaders and residence throughout the valley attended the Workshop.

Part of the group of people attending the Workshop.

Preparing the lunch for the Workshop. Simple methods of preparation, but long experienced cooks are always able to serve up a great lunch!

THE HAPPY WORM FARM

Lombriz Feliz (The Happy Worm) is a project that has been in operation over 15 years. More information on this project can be gained on the following blog: www.centroecologico.blogspot.com
In the early 1990s when the community of Primero de Mayo was founded on the edge of a rubbish tip, a group of people set about recycling waste and establishing a worm farm in the process.

Mary Nieto who is a founding member of the Project and who has been the strength behind its survival and ongoing development. Mary is an active member of the Parish, also dedicating her time to the Parish Social Justice Team.

Landscape around the The Happy Worm Farm - a lot of hard work has been done over the years to enable the project to develop.

Construction of a small office and administration centre which will be part of a bigger complex in the future has been funded through the Diocese of Ballarat. Groups of university students are frequent visitors to the centre, and the project runs a variety of ecological activities for the children and youth of the area. This centre will enable such activities to be better coordinated in the future.

INVASIONS IN THE VALLEY OF JICAMARCA

Since the month of July, a number of human invasions have occurred in the Valley of Jicamarca. Large groups of people (up to 500 families at a time) simply invade vacant expanses of land over night and claim their territory. Some are families without their own homes who have arrived in Lima from the provinces, and some are the next generation of families who have already established themselves in the lower lying areas of San Juan de Lurigancho in earlier decades. Through the assistance of The Shared Table, we have been able to provide food for the children of these families at the crucial point of arrival. Many families arrive without having been able to properly organise basic necesities.

Simple huts made of "esteras" (reed matting) dot the landscape, indicating land that has been claimed by particular families. These dwellings will be the first in a series of dwellings that will follow - cardboard, wood and eventually bricks will be used as building progresses.

Facing the task of levelling out their plot. This is typical landscape throughout the invaded areas.

Melani awaits customers who will come to buy everyday necesities from her simple shop - water, bread etc.

Sleeping quarters in the new invasion of Media Luna (Half Moon). Sleeping on the plots is vital during the early weeks of an invasion for fear of losing claim to land.

Sharing from the common pot at Media Luna.

Only a week before this blog was prepared, five people were shot dead during a three hour gun battle between two groups fighting for control over the sale of blocks of land. These groups are not representative of the families arriving to estabish themselves, but rather groups that are trying to take advantage of the situation for their own ends. Despite challenges, an air of optimism prevails!

Vincent and Chantal, who participate in the Children's Kitchen of El Trebol, say thanks again to all our generous supporters.