A week or so before I left for Peru, 60 minutes covered the Three Cups of Tea scandal. It has come out that many parts of both Three Cups of Tea and Stones into Schools by Greg Mortenson never truly happened. This, at least to me, doesn't affect how much I enjoyed reading those books or how inspiring I found them. However, Greg Mortenson's Central Asia Institute's financial statements also show a lack of transparency according to the American Institute of Philanthropy and more money is spent on promotion than on funding schools in Afghanistan and Pakistan. One man interviewed described the situation as Greg Mortenson using CAI as "his own personal ATM". On top of this, the number of schools that were built and are running under the CAI has been overstated. I find this all quite depressing.
In choosing Horizon Peru and coming to volunteer here I was hoping to find something different. Unfortunately, it seems that no matter how good intentions are, when it comes to NGOs, money always gets in the way. It is no longer possible for us to volunteer abroad without being asked to pay a (often ridiculous) fee. Giving one's time and effort is no longer considered sufficient. Volunteering which is meant to be about selflessness has gotten all tangled up in selfishness. We no longer talk about the act of volunteering abroad. Now, it is the business of voluntourism.
When I signed my contract in November, the contract stated that I was to pay rent at the beginning of each month. A few days after my arrival, Manuel showed me a newly modified contract and demanded that I pay all three months up front. I refused and the volunteer coordinator (who was thankfully included in the meeting, though she had no idea what the meeting was about or that he would be asking me this) took my side and the subject was dropped. I later found out that another volunteer was asked the same and also refused. Just short of two weeks into my placement, Luz (Manuel's wife) came to get me while I was hanging out with other volunteers and asked to talk to me alone. She lead me to the backyard and shut the door. She told me she had to pay the bills, didn't have the money, and could I please pay for June now. And by now, she meant NOW.
She played her cards right, that's for sure. I had been pretty sick for about 5 days and she had taken care of me. I was also the newest volunteer and in that sense I was the most vulnerable. Her demand caught me off guard and I didn't have time to think it through. I (oh so stupidly) agreed and off to the bank we went. While we were at the bank waiting, she started asking me questions about how much money I made and if my parents paid my tuition. I started getting a bad feeling, but I brushed it off. The next day, the other volunteers and I started discussing the financial situation here and we all had a bit of an uneasy feeling. Me especially. I couldn't sleep that night so instead I began writing this post.
The thing is, the children really are benefiting from our work. The teachers in Peru are awful. I have one private student, a fourteen year old girl who doesn't even have any basic English whatsoever, who frequently comes to me with English homework with questions like 'In your opinion which countries in Asia are most important for the world economy and why?'. She doesn't have the knowledge to answer such a question in Spanish, never-mind the skills to do so in English. And it's not just the English teachers. With the exception of a few dedicated teachers, most homeroom teachers at the elementary school couldn't care less. It's not uncommon for us to show up to a class where the teacher has already left. In fact, we were once informed by the children that the teacher had decided to leave because it was her birthday. Manuel had explained that in Peru if you apply for a teacher and you are not qualified, they will not hire you right away. However, after a certain number of years (5, I believe) they have no choice but to take you. Most teachers are therefore unqualified. So yes, I do feel like I'm making a difference at the school and the private classes we offer for free at the Horizon house are also great for the children and adults of this poor area. The length of the waiting list shows the demand and appreciation for this service. So, I guess the organization isn't all bad. But really, if you want to give free English classes, walk down any Peruvian street and tell anyone that you want to give free English classes and people will jump at the opportunity. There's no need to pay people like Manuel and Luz.
I did my research, I asked my couchsurfer friend, some surf instructors, random people I talked to in Huanchaco about the cost of living in Peru. The numbers definitely did not add up. So the other volunteers and I decided to ask to see how our money was being spent. I figured it would be better for me to get my 200$ back before that. I used my stolen camera as an excuse and explained that I had to buy a new one and made up some story about my dad not being able to put money into my account until the following week. Luz told me she couldn't give it to me, she had spent it all. I asked her where all the money had gone and she didn't give me a satisfying answer. I let her know that didn't explain it, she got nervous and things blew up. She played innocent and started crying and telling me I would get the money next Monday (this was on a Friday). Then she told us we would have a meeting Saturday about the money. Luz was then heard talking on the phone with Manuel about how they didn't have anything ready to show us so they changed the meeting time to Monday by saying that Manuel had left his laptop in Lima and was already on the bus to have the weekend to put something together. Luz also asked Estella if we had asked her how much things cost here and if she had told us...guess she was trying to gage how much she could lie to us. Well I'm sure she did lie but even with her lies the numbers did not make us happy.
For this and other reasons (such as not getting to spend enough time outside the house, Luz trying to prevent me from hanging out with people outside the organization, Luz being an egoistical control freak and the weird vibe I get from her husband...), I decided to leave at the end of the month. I told her I would leave on the 31st. She told me no, leave on the 29th. Then she told me she wanted me out of the house after my last class on the 27th. Estella and her daughter invited me to stay with them and their family just 3 blocks down the street. When Luz found out I was planning to stay at Estella's for the night, she got angry and told me that if I wasn't sleeping at the house, I wasn't teaching the next day (today). I said OK, nothing more. While I was standing right there Luz proceeded to make up a bunch of lies about me in hopes that Estella would tell me I couldn't stay with her. Estella let her know that she can have whoever she wants over in her house.
I left the house without saying goodbye as soon as my last private lesson ended and dropped my stuff off at Estella's. Chicho, Estella's son, owns combis (communal taxi vans) so he and his family gave me a ride into the city so I could meet up with my couchsurfer friend, Abraham. The past week and a half has been very hard and unpleasant (exception of our weekend in Pacasmayo) and talking with Chicho's girlfriend and playing with their daughter on the ride to town already made me feel so much better. While Abraham and I were walking around the city, we ran into another couchsurfer friend of his, Enrique, who invited us to dinner in a restaurant. He gave me his phone number and promised to teach me how to make a proper Pisco Sour next week. When it came time for me to go back to Estella's, Enrique called up a friend of his, Tito, who is a taxi driver to give me a ride home. I got Tito's number as well. Taking a taxi here, especially as a tourist, can be risky. It's the safest option, yet no one trusts taxi drivers. It's good to have a reliable cab driver's number if I ever need to go anywhere, especially when I will leave here with all my stuff. Another friend also offered me a place to stay in a small jungle town where her dad works...
Since leaving Horizon and coming to Estella's at 6pm yesterday, everything has been falling into place. I'm getting the authetic Peruvian experience of living with a big family in a house where there is no running water. Though I can't understand a word Estella's parents say, I love being around them. Cousins, nieces and nephews, etc. come and go throughout the day. I could have my own room here, but I chose to room with Karla. Last night I had the best night's sleep since I got here. I'm sure there's as much noise here as down the street, but I finally don't have anything to worry about. I'm staying here until Monday morning, then I will spend 3 nights at Abraham's. Thursday night, Kin and I will be taking off to spend my birthday weekend in Huaraz. I'll come back to Trujillo to stay with my dearest student, Karina, for a night or two and then I'm off to travel throughout Peru and Bolivia for the rest of the summer. It's too bad it didn't work out with the organization, but I got the teaching experience I wanted, tried surfing, made a lot of good friends, and now I have more time to see all there is to see!
-S xo
I did my research, I asked my couchsurfer friend, some surf instructors, random people I talked to in Huanchaco about the cost of living in Peru. The numbers definitely did not add up. So the other volunteers and I decided to ask to see how our money was being spent. I figured it would be better for me to get my 200$ back before that. I used my stolen camera as an excuse and explained that I had to buy a new one and made up some story about my dad not being able to put money into my account until the following week. Luz told me she couldn't give it to me, she had spent it all. I asked her where all the money had gone and she didn't give me a satisfying answer. I let her know that didn't explain it, she got nervous and things blew up. She played innocent and started crying and telling me I would get the money next Monday (this was on a Friday). Then she told us we would have a meeting Saturday about the money. Luz was then heard talking on the phone with Manuel about how they didn't have anything ready to show us so they changed the meeting time to Monday by saying that Manuel had left his laptop in Lima and was already on the bus to have the weekend to put something together. Luz also asked Estella if we had asked her how much things cost here and if she had told us...guess she was trying to gage how much she could lie to us. Well I'm sure she did lie but even with her lies the numbers did not make us happy.
For this and other reasons (such as not getting to spend enough time outside the house, Luz trying to prevent me from hanging out with people outside the organization, Luz being an egoistical control freak and the weird vibe I get from her husband...), I decided to leave at the end of the month. I told her I would leave on the 31st. She told me no, leave on the 29th. Then she told me she wanted me out of the house after my last class on the 27th. Estella and her daughter invited me to stay with them and their family just 3 blocks down the street. When Luz found out I was planning to stay at Estella's for the night, she got angry and told me that if I wasn't sleeping at the house, I wasn't teaching the next day (today). I said OK, nothing more. While I was standing right there Luz proceeded to make up a bunch of lies about me in hopes that Estella would tell me I couldn't stay with her. Estella let her know that she can have whoever she wants over in her house.
I left the house without saying goodbye as soon as my last private lesson ended and dropped my stuff off at Estella's. Chicho, Estella's son, owns combis (communal taxi vans) so he and his family gave me a ride into the city so I could meet up with my couchsurfer friend, Abraham. The past week and a half has been very hard and unpleasant (exception of our weekend in Pacasmayo) and talking with Chicho's girlfriend and playing with their daughter on the ride to town already made me feel so much better. While Abraham and I were walking around the city, we ran into another couchsurfer friend of his, Enrique, who invited us to dinner in a restaurant. He gave me his phone number and promised to teach me how to make a proper Pisco Sour next week. When it came time for me to go back to Estella's, Enrique called up a friend of his, Tito, who is a taxi driver to give me a ride home. I got Tito's number as well. Taking a taxi here, especially as a tourist, can be risky. It's the safest option, yet no one trusts taxi drivers. It's good to have a reliable cab driver's number if I ever need to go anywhere, especially when I will leave here with all my stuff. Another friend also offered me a place to stay in a small jungle town where her dad works...
Since leaving Horizon and coming to Estella's at 6pm yesterday, everything has been falling into place. I'm getting the authetic Peruvian experience of living with a big family in a house where there is no running water. Though I can't understand a word Estella's parents say, I love being around them. Cousins, nieces and nephews, etc. come and go throughout the day. I could have my own room here, but I chose to room with Karla. Last night I had the best night's sleep since I got here. I'm sure there's as much noise here as down the street, but I finally don't have anything to worry about. I'm staying here until Monday morning, then I will spend 3 nights at Abraham's. Thursday night, Kin and I will be taking off to spend my birthday weekend in Huaraz. I'll come back to Trujillo to stay with my dearest student, Karina, for a night or two and then I'm off to travel throughout Peru and Bolivia for the rest of the summer. It's too bad it didn't work out with the organization, but I got the teaching experience I wanted, tried surfing, made a lot of good friends, and now I have more time to see all there is to see!
-S xo
