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The Becky Fund
4483 Nambre Arc
Las Cruces, NM 88011
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Monday, January 24, 2011
Monday, January 03, 2011
Carmel High School Club to Volunteer in Peru
The following story was originally published in the Carmel High School Sandpiper.
Peru calls to students
Written by Melanie Ingram
Wednesday, 08 December 2010 22:54
In June, a group of 16 Carmel High School students will be committing their first two weeks of summer to embark on a volunteer outreach in Cuzco, Peru.
The CHS Peru Project club, working with the non-profit organization The Becky Fund, has elected to travel to the rich-cultured South American country in which over 35% of the citizens are impoverished.
“I was so inspired by the possibility to go out of my comfort zone and into an environment completely different from my own,” says junior Mai Lee, club president and founder. “Some families in Peru live off of less than $2 a day. I want to help that.”
The statistic of Peruvian poverty originally provoked a response from The Becky Fund, which moved many CHS students to get involved when volunteer Aaron Ebner came as a guest speaker to Bill Schrier’s Advanced Placement World History class.
The Becky Fund website states that they operate with “a vision of aiding the children of Peru, who continue to be the most vulnerable victims of the crippling poverty of the region.”
Most of Peru is at high elevation, and during their two-week stay, the CHS students will work toward building the fund’s third Peruvian greenhouse to help villagers grow crops they wouldn’t be able to cultivate in the natural climate, promoting good health and economic prosperity, says the organization’s website.
“Not only are we helping them by building a greenhouse so they have food now,” Peru Project club advisor Jody Roberts says, “but they’ll also be taught how to build the greenhouses and grow vegetables later. It’s all setting up for the next generations.”
The Becky Fund website echoes, “Through the education and energy of their children, the Peruvian people see hope for lifting themselves out of poverty.”
CHS students will also work with graduate students from the Monterey Institute of International Studies, which has an ongoing project in Peru with The Becky Fund and will be spending one week on the site of the greenhouse construction and one week sightseeing across the country.
As an avid outdoorsman, junior Tom Kochevar is looking forward to the natural beauty of the Peru and predicts many students will find their hard work worthwhile in June because of the encouraging beauty surrounding them.
The trip will also be a big step for students like senior Morgan Lee who have never been out of the country, and Lee and many other students are excited to brush up on their Spanish before the trip.
Extensive fundraising efforts are underway to help the students conquer the $48,000 cost of the trip.
Roberts is impressed with the dedication of these students: “Our students have never met these people before, yet they feel this connection that they want to help.”
The club encourages students and their families to consider donating to their cause to make a successful and impactful trip. Donations can be made by visiting the CHS web store at http://carmelhs.revtrak.net and clicking on the donations link.
As Kochevar says, “People like to know that other people care.”
Peru calls to students
Written by Melanie Ingram
Wednesday, 08 December 2010 22:54
In June, a group of 16 Carmel High School students will be committing their first two weeks of summer to embark on a volunteer outreach in Cuzco, Peru.
The CHS Peru Project club, working with the non-profit organization The Becky Fund, has elected to travel to the rich-cultured South American country in which over 35% of the citizens are impoverished.
“I was so inspired by the possibility to go out of my comfort zone and into an environment completely different from my own,” says junior Mai Lee, club president and founder. “Some families in Peru live off of less than $2 a day. I want to help that.”
The statistic of Peruvian poverty originally provoked a response from The Becky Fund, which moved many CHS students to get involved when volunteer Aaron Ebner came as a guest speaker to Bill Schrier’s Advanced Placement World History class.
The Becky Fund website states that they operate with “a vision of aiding the children of Peru, who continue to be the most vulnerable victims of the crippling poverty of the region.”
Most of Peru is at high elevation, and during their two-week stay, the CHS students will work toward building the fund’s third Peruvian greenhouse to help villagers grow crops they wouldn’t be able to cultivate in the natural climate, promoting good health and economic prosperity, says the organization’s website.
“Not only are we helping them by building a greenhouse so they have food now,” Peru Project club advisor Jody Roberts says, “but they’ll also be taught how to build the greenhouses and grow vegetables later. It’s all setting up for the next generations.”
The Becky Fund website echoes, “Through the education and energy of their children, the Peruvian people see hope for lifting themselves out of poverty.”
CHS students will also work with graduate students from the Monterey Institute of International Studies, which has an ongoing project in Peru with The Becky Fund and will be spending one week on the site of the greenhouse construction and one week sightseeing across the country.
As an avid outdoorsman, junior Tom Kochevar is looking forward to the natural beauty of the Peru and predicts many students will find their hard work worthwhile in June because of the encouraging beauty surrounding them.
The trip will also be a big step for students like senior Morgan Lee who have never been out of the country, and Lee and many other students are excited to brush up on their Spanish before the trip.
Extensive fundraising efforts are underway to help the students conquer the $48,000 cost of the trip.
Roberts is impressed with the dedication of these students: “Our students have never met these people before, yet they feel this connection that they want to help.”
The club encourages students and their families to consider donating to their cause to make a successful and impactful trip. Donations can be made by visiting the CHS web store at http://carmelhs.revtrak.net and clicking on the donations link.
As Kochevar says, “People like to know that other people care.”
Monday, December 06, 2010
Change in Spring Dates
The 2011 Becky Fund trip to Peru will be April 6–20 May 6-20. Contact us for more information on volunteering.
Monday, November 22, 2010
2011 Spring Trip Dates
The 2011 Becky Fund trip to Peru will be April 8–22May 6–20. Contact us for more information on volunteering.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
New Becky Smiles Video
Here is a shorter version of the great video Betty Grabusky made for The Becky Fund.
Becky Smiles
Becky Smiles from Betty Grabusky on Vimeo.
The longer version can be viewed here.
2010 Greenhouse Project Update
Here is a report on the 2010 Greenhouse Project by Aaron Ebner.
The Becky Fund 2010
The Becky Fund made important strides in 2010. A detailed report of the summer projects is near completion and will follow this brief outline of the summer projects.
In January of 2010 two representatives from TBF traveled to Peru to further organize the greenhouse project with the communities of Pampacoral and Poques. In June of 2010 Eight graduate students from the Monterey Institute of International Studies (MIIS) traveled to Peru to work on implementing the greenhouse project as well as investigating development opportunities in the Calca municipality. What follows is a general outline of what we accomplished.
The Becky Fund has established an important relationship with The Monterey Instituted of International Studies (MIIS), a graduate school of Middlebury College. Students come to MIIS for their world-renowned curriculum in a few select fields. These fields are: international development, international non-profit management and translation and interpretation. Vice President of The Becky Fund Aaron Ebner is in the international non-profit program, and has recruited several dedicated, experienced students to help The Becky Fund. Eight graduate students volunteered in Peru for two months over the summer. Their experience and knowledge of the non-profit/development world where well utilized and garnered the attention of several NGOs eager to capitalize on their expertise. An important goal for TBF is to strengthen this relationship in order to continue bringing MIIS students to Peru with The Becky Fund.
Aaron Ebner has been organizing a greenhouse project since spring of 2009. In June of 2010 Ebner and his team of graduate students began the implementation of the greenhouse project. High altitudes offer unique challenges to agriculture and at certain heights only potatoes and certain grains can be grown. Cheap, easy to produce greenhouses allow communities and families to grow fruits and vegetables containing necessary vitamins and minerals. The Becky Fund’s greenhouse project has a long-term vision that incorporates the entire community, but initially the project is centered in the school.
Greenhouse project activities:
• Two large greenhouses were constructed on school property.
• An alternative curriculum was established to teach greenhouse agriculture
• A part time technician has been hired to spend 3 days a week working with
the school.
The greenhouse project was designed and implemented step-by-step with the communities, because of this each greenhouse design, and curriculum is different.
The community of Pampacoral dedicated its parents to providing all manual labor and they invested over 500 hours of labor to construct their greenhouse. Ebner receives weekly reports from in country technician Ruben Quispe. In January a group of Becky Fund Volunteers will be carrying out an evaluation of the first six months of the project.
Partnership with DESEA Peru
The Becky Fund dedicated two graduate students and one trained translator/interpreter to Desea Peru. Desea trains local Quechua women in basic health care and diagnostics. This training came with significant challenges due to the low education level of the women. The development of this training has led Desea to develop a training module to be used in Quechua communities. Marina Flavotomas and translator Elsa Figueroa were instrumental in the formation of this manual. The Becky Fund and both Marina and Elsa will be acknowledged in the publication of
this manual.
Women's Empowerment and Textiles
Women’s studies/development graduate student Tina Novero studied the status of women in Totoro, Acha Baja, and Pampacoral. Novero developed a facilitation designed for the Quechau population and carried out dozens of interviews with a wide range of women in the society. Novero carried out several successful community facilitations with groups of indigenous women. Her deliverables consist of a population specific facilitation outline and a report which she will be using to carry out a gender analysis study in the summer of 2011.
Cheryl Hedges studied the culture of textiles in Peru and will be writing her thesis on women’s textile capacity building. Textiles are an important part of Peruvian culture and have the potential to bring both economic development and empowerment to indigenous women. Hedges’ thesis will design a strategy to help remote women improve their skills and make their textiles more marketable.
The Becky Fund 2010
The Becky Fund made important strides in 2010. A detailed report of the summer projects is near completion and will follow this brief outline of the summer projects.
In January of 2010 two representatives from TBF traveled to Peru to further organize the greenhouse project with the communities of Pampacoral and Poques. In June of 2010 Eight graduate students from the Monterey Institute of International Studies (MIIS) traveled to Peru to work on implementing the greenhouse project as well as investigating development opportunities in the Calca municipality. What follows is a general outline of what we accomplished.
The Becky Fund has established an important relationship with The Monterey Instituted of International Studies (MIIS), a graduate school of Middlebury College. Students come to MIIS for their world-renowned curriculum in a few select fields. These fields are: international development, international non-profit management and translation and interpretation. Vice President of The Becky Fund Aaron Ebner is in the international non-profit program, and has recruited several dedicated, experienced students to help The Becky Fund. Eight graduate students volunteered in Peru for two months over the summer. Their experience and knowledge of the non-profit/development world where well utilized and garnered the attention of several NGOs eager to capitalize on their expertise. An important goal for TBF is to strengthen this relationship in order to continue bringing MIIS students to Peru with The Becky Fund.
Aaron Ebner has been organizing a greenhouse project since spring of 2009. In June of 2010 Ebner and his team of graduate students began the implementation of the greenhouse project. High altitudes offer unique challenges to agriculture and at certain heights only potatoes and certain grains can be grown. Cheap, easy to produce greenhouses allow communities and families to grow fruits and vegetables containing necessary vitamins and minerals. The Becky Fund’s greenhouse project has a long-term vision that incorporates the entire community, but initially the project is centered in the school.
Greenhouse project activities:
• Two large greenhouses were constructed on school property.
• An alternative curriculum was established to teach greenhouse agriculture
• A part time technician has been hired to spend 3 days a week working with
the school.
The greenhouse project was designed and implemented step-by-step with the communities, because of this each greenhouse design, and curriculum is different.
The community of Pampacoral dedicated its parents to providing all manual labor and they invested over 500 hours of labor to construct their greenhouse. Ebner receives weekly reports from in country technician Ruben Quispe. In January a group of Becky Fund Volunteers will be carrying out an evaluation of the first six months of the project.
Partnership with DESEA Peru
The Becky Fund dedicated two graduate students and one trained translator/interpreter to Desea Peru. Desea trains local Quechua women in basic health care and diagnostics. This training came with significant challenges due to the low education level of the women. The development of this training has led Desea to develop a training module to be used in Quechua communities. Marina Flavotomas and translator Elsa Figueroa were instrumental in the formation of this manual. The Becky Fund and both Marina and Elsa will be acknowledged in the publication of
this manual.
Women's Empowerment and Textiles
Women’s studies/development graduate student Tina Novero studied the status of women in Totoro, Acha Baja, and Pampacoral. Novero developed a facilitation designed for the Quechau population and carried out dozens of interviews with a wide range of women in the society. Novero carried out several successful community facilitations with groups of indigenous women. Her deliverables consist of a population specific facilitation outline and a report which she will be using to carry out a gender analysis study in the summer of 2011.
Cheryl Hedges studied the culture of textiles in Peru and will be writing her thesis on women’s textile capacity building. Textiles are an important part of Peruvian culture and have the potential to bring both economic development and empowerment to indigenous women. Hedges’ thesis will design a strategy to help remote women improve their skills and make their textiles more marketable.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Becky Smiles Video
"Becky Smiles" is an 8 minute video documenting the April 2010 trip to the Sacred Valley of Peru. We've concentrated on the positive results (the students and ours) of the continued efforts of The Becky Fund.
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Spring 2011
The next trip to bring supplies to the students of the villages of Peru's Sacred valley will be in April 2011. Contact us now to get more information about volunteering.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
2010 Trip Report
This 2010 report was written by Betty Grabusky, a neighbor, and first time volunteer worker for the Becky Fund Peru trip. She was a great addition to our group, who brought a strong work & play ethic to the group. Thank you Betty for all the help & energy you brought to this year’s trip.
It was a personal thrill for me being able to share this experience with my son and his family. The girls were troopers and good will ambassadors with all the locals. As always, I am grateful and humbled by all the volunteers who give of their time, energy and resources. And, of course, to you the donors who make all of this possible I send a special thank you.
Dinny
It was a personal thrill for me being able to share this experience with my son and his family. The girls were troopers and good will ambassadors with all the locals. As always, I am grateful and humbled by all the volunteers who give of their time, energy and resources. And, of course, to you the donors who make all of this possible I send a special thank you.
Dinny
Trip Report 2010
The Becky Fund
Because of recent flooding in Peru, this year’s trip presented new challenges as well as opportunities. The main bridge offering access into the Sacred Valley was destroyed in the floods. As we approached the bridge in the dark, loaded with school supplies, we had no idea whether or not the bridge would be accessible to us. It was a very good sign when we arrived and discovered that the temporary bridge just opened the day prior to our arrival.
As the van approached remote villages, children squealed at the sight of the van, overloaded with people on the inside and soccer balls on the roof. By now, they know about the Becky Fund, the supplies for students and teachers, fresh bread, the good will and the smiles that accompany the volunteers. Many of the schools have a picture of Becky posted at the entry. Frequently, the flooding of the roads prohibited us from driving right up to the schools, but the students found their way to us... across rivers, up steep hills (at 14,000 feet!) or across fields.
The children of the Sacred Valley seemed especially fascinated by Sophie and Elena who eagerly participated in distributing school supplies, toothbrushes, trinkets, clothing and smiles to many their own age. Especially appreciated were the supplies from the Rosemont School in Birmingham that Sophie and Elena helped to distribute. The school children performed favorite songs and folk dances for us and found delight in having their pictures taken, then getting a glimpse of themselves on camera.
There were occasional hitchhikers, always grateful, as roads in the Sacred Valley are long and steep. The devastating floods blessed the Valley with incredible wildflowers this year, a beautiful sight to behold. The long trips include fond memories of Sophie learning more Spanish and Elena entertaining the group with her jokes.
Opportunities this year included reaching out to the local hospital, much in need of blankets and sheets, providing the materials to repair a hole in a school roof (parents provided the labor), providing educational supplies for a new day care that had nothing to start with and distributing the clothing donations. As in the past, if we were unable to reach certain areas, the teachers found us. The doorbell rang constantly, often till 9:00 PM. Teachers traveled great distances to visit “Senora Diana”
Opportunities this year included reaching out to the local hospital, much in need of blankets and sheets, providing the materials to repair a hole in a school roof (parents provided the labor), providing educational supplies for a new day care that had nothing to start with and distributing the clothing donations. As in the past, if we were unable to reach certain areas, the teachers found us. The doorbell rang constantly, often till 9:00 PM. Teachers traveled great distances to visit “Senora Diana”
.
In the end, The Becky Fund reached out to about 200 schools and 5000 students. How kind it was of the local teachers to sponsor a mass in honor of the Becky Fund and Dinny’s continued efforts. As prior volunteers have remarked, we were all impressed with the gratitude and hospitality of the local community in Calca.
Our own wheels were turning constantly. How about using GPS to put together a database and map of schools most in need? Where can we utilize “green” opportunities? What else is desperately needed and could be provided? How can more needy students be reached?
The Becky Fund continues to provide much to many who have so little and are so appreciative. The donations of all, large or small, are all put to good use directly for the benefit of those who need help the most.
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