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

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.

Dinny was joined this year by two generations of her family, including Alex, Angela, Sophie and Elena, all of Fairbanks. Also joining The Becky Fund volunteers were Leonard (his third time), Michael and Betty, all of Las Cruces. Again, Justo expertly piloted the van on remote switch back roads while Mr. Wilson acted as the ambassador to the schools. The group was joined for day trips by two of Mr. Wilson’s grandchildren, Roby and Nico. It truly was a multigenerational experience and commitment. As in past years, Mrs. Wilson rewarded the volunteers with a delicious meal upon our return.

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”

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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.

2010 Trip Complete

We had another successful trip to Peru this spring and delivered supplies to over 4,500 students. We will post a full trip report soon.

The Becky Fund was given a special plaque from the City of Calca at a special mass.

A Donation from Birmingham, Al.

Ms. Lucas' second grade class of Rosemont School in Birmingham, Al. donated their allowance to purchase school supplies such as crayons, colored pencils, etc., plus $85.00 ;for the Becky Fund. Michael Prichard's daughter, and Becky's niece, Marley, is in this class.

Greenhouse and Health Project Updates

The January trip to Peru was very successful. Becky Fund representatives Aaron Ebner and Michael Cutino met with several people and organizations to arrange partnerships for the completion of our greenhouse and health projects during the summer of 2010. Upon arriving in Peru this June, our team will work together with the Ministry of Agriculture office in Calca, the Institute for Alternative Agriculture, Educa, Desea Peru, Clinica Kausay Wasi, and the Director of Community Health in Cusco.

The agricultural project includes the construction of greenhouses in three rural communities and the implementation of an educational curriculum to teach school children about nutrition and greenhouse maintenance. The health project consists of a community health needs-assessment and the introduction of a wellness training program for rural citizens.

Along with the Rotary Club of Monterey, CA, Becky Fund members will be hosting a fund-raising event at the Monterey Institute of International Studies on Friday, March 12 between 6-8pm. You can now purchase tickets for this event online at http://mintrotary.org/. Please contact us for more information about the event or if you want to get involved in our projects including the spring trip which takes place April 16-30.

Becky Fund video

Summer 2010 Greenhouse Projects

We are extremely excited to officially announce our summer greenhouse projects! The Becky Fund will be partnering with a student organization called Team Peru, from the Monterey Institute of International Studies, to construct greenhouses in three villages of the Sacred Valley. The trip is scheduled to take place between June 15 and August 15, 2010. Fund-raising efforts are already underway, including a collaboration with Global Giving (http://www.globalgiving.org/projects/nutritioninperu/).

Next month, Becky Fund Vice-President Aaron Ebner and I (Michael Cutino, Project Manager) will be in Peru (January 4 - January 29) planning and organizing the summer projects. During this time, we will consult with several Peruvian non-governmental organizations, technical experts, government officials, and community leaders to ensure successful completion of the greenhouses this summer. Additional details will be provided upon our return in February. Feel free to contact us with any questions about the projects or to inquire about donations.

Aaron Ebner (tebner@miis.edu)
Michael Cutino (mcutino@miis.edu)

Spanish Translation

We now have many sections of the website in both English and Spanish thanks to University of Alaska student Libby Gebhart who volunteered to do the translation.

Spring 2010 Trip

Mark your calendars!
Our 2010 trip will be April 16 – 30

Contact Us to Volunteer or Donate

Becky Fund Video

Roberto Garmendia from Cusco made this video for The Becky Fund.

2009 Trip Report

Dear Friends of the Becky Fund,

So many times people have reminded me that good things often come from tragedies. And so it is. On this day the 6th anniversary of Becky's death I am sending the report of our 6th annual Peru trip. We continue to reach more and more children, parents, and teachers and we are able to get supplies to many of the remotest villages that have been all but forgotten by their government and other aid agencies.

It was especially gratifying this year to have 5 family members, including two generations, accompany me. Also, one old, and two new friends from Las Cruces. All of these people made the considerable commitment of time, energy and money to help our cause. Our Las Cruces contingency and 2 "younger" cousins, with their youthful exuberance, brought us the gift of laughter!

Thank you to Allison Pena for writing the report this year, and for keeping such good records of numbers of schools and kids visited. And to all of you, who with your continued generosity, make it possible for us to answer YES when asked if we will be back next year!!

Dinny

TRIP REPORT 2009

THE BECKY FUND

The escuela squad consisted of 9 volunteers this year. Two stayed for one week and then we were seven. Dinny, Leonard, Kelly and Rachel from New Mexico, Alison and Kent from Wisconsin, Suzanne and Aaron from California and Genie from Michigan.

As has been stated on previous reports, the peacefulness and beauty of the Sacred Valley contrasts in extreme the poverty and filth in which these children live. Their toothless smiles warmed our hearts as they excitedly awaited their notebooks and bread, but as we handed them out, their little hands were caked with mud and clay, as if their flesh had never been exposed to sunlight. Small faces stared at us with open sores. We cleaned them and applied Neosporin knowing that the next day would repeat the history of how they came to have scabies in the first place. One village we visited had an epidemic of fever.

Nurse Kelly had Tylenol in her bag so we halved the pills and passed them to the parents with instructions on how often to give them. It seemed so little, yet days later when we passed through this same village, it seemed, if not only in our hopes, that there were less feverish children at the roadside. This is the the thing that made us feel as if our short two weeks here was in some small way making a difference.

We arrived with over 1000 toothbrushes, toothpaste, donated clothing, soaps, shampoos, and toys. Dinny purchased 5000 notebooks, significant school supplies for the teachers, and soccer and volley balls for the schools we planned to visit. The balls are always the most anticipated delivery for these children. It means they no longer have to play with the ball they made from rags. Each day we would head into the mountains with our supplies at 7 AM. We returned when the schools let out and were back in Calca at 2:00 for our fabulous lunch by Yolanda.

After lunch, and market purchases for the next day, the doorbell began to ring and Dinny would greet teachers, from afar, walking long distances to pick up supplies for their distant schools. We traveled to as many schools as we could in two weeks time, but there were always many more in need that we could not possibly reach. Dinny was grateful they came to her. There were often visitors in the evening, and in true Peruvian tradition, we shared food, wine, and company with our guests.

Genie and Aaron ventured off the second week to Coche Cancha, a 13 hour bus ride into the Andes, to deliver supplies to remote schools there. Their adventure resulted in sleeping in the police station due to no other place to go, eating “rare” Guinea Pig offered in gratitude for their travels, and Aaron meeting his Godson for a second time in two years. He is two. The library Aaron built is still in use and graciously received.

Kent and Aaron met with the Department of Agriculture and Aaron with a non-profit organization in order to begin work with green houses in a few select schools. We were pleased with the results of these meetings, knowing that the Becky Fund is growing, and hopefully will soon embark on new traditions that will seed new projects that will hopefully bring food and nutrition to remote areas that normally would not be able to grow vegetables due to altitude and weather.

In the course of two weeks the group left 5000 notebooks, 3,889 of which were personally handed out, left supplies with 150 teachers and visited or gave teachers supplies for 80 schools.