Detailed Update from UNA-Canada JPC in Peru

Olaolu Adeleye, left, at the Buena Onda event.

Several months have gone by rapidly. It’s hard to believe that I’ve been in Peru for this long and at the same time I can’t believe that it has only been this long! I guess this is indicative of the state of normalcy and comfort I have reached with my immediate environment.

As for work, the past month has included a number of different activities that culminated with our largest fundraising campaign “Buena Onda”. The event is a telethon put on by Channel America, one of the main channels here in Peru as well as one of our corporate partners. The event was televised nationwide and included performances from a number of well-known Peruvian artists. Interview segments with various TV personalities from Channel America supplemented these performances. This gave actors from reality TV shows, soap operas and game shows an opportunity to publicize certain UNICEF initiatives that they personally supported. All in all, the event was a success! We raised S/. 1.7 million ($600, 000 USD) which was more than the S/. 1.4 million target!

In regards to my role with the Programmes team, I am becoming more acquainted with the processes involved in the implementation of each of our program areas -  naturally this makes my role easier. Because I am constantly collaborating with each of the respective programmes areas (Health, Education, Protection, Social Policy), my role remains very dynamic. However, given that much of my progress in developing materials for the our Private Fundraising Partnerships and Communications teams is contingent on collaboration, I don’t always feel as if I have accomplished something tangible at the end of the week. Naturally being in the global south, coupled with the nature of how the Public/Non-for Profit sector functions here, perspectives on efficiency are slightly more relaxed.

I am in the process of devising four separate strategies that involve launching new materials for the office to use as a means to tackle the current gaps between reporting our endeavours (programmes) and our ability to sell them to potential donors (Private Fundraising Partnerships). To date many of my responsibilities have included helping each of our programme areas to both synthesize their activities and to formulate metrics by which we can help donors to understand the reach of their potential investments. Because UNICEF isn’t an NGO that specializes solely in concrete initiatives such as building schools, or feeding x number of children, it isn’t always as easy to translate our work into numeric values and quantify certain interventions. The programme areas of Education and Health are slightly easier to quantify because one can speak of vaccinations, or pupils touched. However, with the areas of Protection and Social Policy it becomes harder because much of what is done is measured indirectly. For instance our work relates more to the process through  policy formation but doesn’t necessarily directly translate into a quantifiable metric. Creating these metrics will be a work in progress!

The other project I have initiated involves helping to create country and regionally specific UNICEF Peru stories for each thematic/program area. It is shocking how many Peruvians believe that UNICEF Peru’s efforts are external - aiding other countries globally., Being a UNICEF country office, all funds that are received are allocated to programme areas based on the stipulation with which they are donated (restricted versus unrestricted funds). Moreover, the purpose of creating these life stories is to develop a hook by which colleagues, (specifically those working with PFP (Private Fundraising Partnerships)) can relate with potential donors through anecdotes about Peruvian children (Juan or Marisol, rather than Ghanaian children Ashanit or Kofi). The idea is to balance the technical jargon and vernacular of our specialists that is very cerebral, and incorporate a human element through these personal accounts, which in turn will touch the heart. I will be working to help synthesize some of our current presentation materials and make the content more pertinent to the interests of various businesses.

Life outside of the office has been equally engaging. It is currently winter in the southern hemisphere, and in Lima the temperatures range between 5-17 degrees. I am surprised by the lack of rainfall here on the coast. I had an interesting conversation with our DRR (Disaster Risk Reduction) specialist, Jose regarding some of the early response mechanisms in Lima for extreme weather. Our conversation was catalyzed by the amount of rain that happened to be falling on this particular day. The rain in Lima is referred to a Garua. At best it is a drizzle, but most days it is a mist which can get annoying because you can never really ‘prepare’ one way or another. No one carries an umbrella, there is no drainage or sewage visible on the streets and to counter the slipperiness, stores lay out old cardboard boxes as doormats. As you can imagine this technique doesn’t last for long before the cardboard becomes soaked and then useless. When you speak with locals about the ‘rain’ their response is just a smile. “It doesn’t ever rain more than this!” Jose tells me. I ask him what would happen in the event of intense showers, if the rain didn’t cease and the water had nowhere to drain? The question causes him to laugh. To him its simple “…it won’t! but your concern is merited” he says. Though there is little variance in the temperature on days when it rains, Limaneos bundle up quite seriously whenever there is rainfall. 

Through my daily commute, I have created a handful of relationships with a number of Baranccinos. There are three community security guards (Jose, Necquer and Pablo) I meet at different points of my commute each morning; their purpose is to deter people from reckless behavior. There appears to be one on each block throughout Barranco. They don’t have any weapons, and from what I have observed they are there for guidance and help more than anything. Each municipality has their own guards-in Barranco they dress in brown and yellow. As I keep walking, I pass the municipal stadium where an aerobic class takes place each morning. I hear the counts and grunts of the class participants as I pass by the open window of the building. I will occasionally get a wave from some of the regulars.  As I continue further, I am greeted by an elder gentleman who works at the Museum of Contemporary Art, my final landmark in Barranco before I cross the bridge into Miraflores. As I cross the bridge I meet another guard, this one is wearing blue and grey (the colours of Miraflores) and always seems more serious, but he never hesitates to smile and greet me with a ‘todo bien?” (All is well?) as I stretch out my hand to shake his own. I am yet to learn his name… As I cross the bridge and arrive at the series of buildings, which precede my workplace, I am greeted by a group of construction workers who tip their hat to me and bellow out “Buenas dias senor”. Finally I arrive at the UNICEF building where we have three guards whom I share a conversation with each morning before entering.  At least I know I would be accounted for if anything were to happen. The horns of the taxis seem to have reduced, or maybe it’s part of being one with the city. I am officially a local!

La Chaposa-A welcome respite from a hard days work at UNICEF

But of all those aforementioned, none are as close to me as Eddie. Eddie is the owner of the restaurant that has turned into my daily dose of Peruvian Cuisine. I also pass by his restaurant on my walk in the mornings; it is on the opposite side of the road so I don’t always get a chance to speak with him. When I do have time, I cross over to say good morning and we discuss the day’s menu options for lunch. It is a running joke with my colleagues that he is my “supplier”. For my colleagues they don’t understand my loyalty or what separates his establishment from the other, but ironically they were the ones who introduced me to the restaurant. Naturally when you frequent a place you build a special relationship with the staff, in this case it’s his family and Geronimo who serves and busses the tables. The name of his restaurant is La Chaposa. Chaposa is a term given to people with a ‘red face’ – I don’t see it, but He says it’s because he’s from outside of Lima where people are perceived to have this among other physical characteristics. It is one of many restaurants that are close to the office. Each of these establishments are known as Huariques serving comida casera (homemade food) and are typically run by families over a 3 hour window beginning at 12pm. In the case of La Chaposa, Eddie is a host, his wife cooks with some other ladies in the back and his mother who must be close to 75 entertains guests with dialogue from behind the counter. She gives life to the restaurant and always speaks to me in the little English that she knows. Otherwise she will attentively listen to the conversations taking place and occasionally offer her own input or perspective to the conversation of regular patrons.

In terms of cuisine, Peruvians structure their meals in such a way that lunchtime is the primary meal of the day. Most of my colleagues eat heavier lunches that include options that I would normally associate with dinner. In this regard the 1.5 hour allotted for lunch is just right as it provides employees an opportunity to go out with colleagues and eat together. Interestingly enough, many Huariques (local home made food restaurants) will open solely for a window that starts at 12pm and goes till about 4pm. For the restaurants that do open in the evening, the menu options will either completely change to something light (i.e. sandwiches), serve similar food that would be offered at lunch for three times the price, or close all together.

Each Huarique has a ‘menu’ prepared daily with 3 or 4 specials that include a starter (soup or salad) and a main dish for 7-9 S/. ($3.5). There is no formal menu from which you can order, these are the options on the given day. Because I don’t usually eat lunch, I typically will order two of the specials at lunchtime for dinner. With prices as these I have hardly needed to cook since arriving, having the opportunity to try fresh Peruvian cuisine is a justification enough for me. The food has a varied influence from a number of different cultures here in Peru (Japanese, European, African and Indigenous populations) the food is a fusion of many different delicacies. Most dishes are served with rice - which is a staple; and there is no shortage of flavor in the meat/protein, which is prepared in a variety of ways.

Getting away from the urban life of Lima, I finally had a chance to travel and see a different part of the country this past weekend. My brother came down to visit me and we left for Cusco. Known as the former capital of the Inca Empire, it is also well known for its altitude! Cusco is slightly further south and is in the mountainous region of Peru. The city of Cusco is 2400 meters above sea level.  Prior to my departure from Canada my travel doctor had written me a prescription for altitude medication, however, upon arriving to Lima each of the Peruvians advised me to drink the local Coca tea and only consume soups as part of the acclimatization process. There is no correct formula for preparation – each person reacts differently. I decided to use their advice and try out this form of holistic medicine. I didn’t feel any symptoms initially, but two hours after our arrival to Cusco, I had an immediate urge to sit down otherwise I would have probably fainted. Thankfully we had a few hours to relax before our tours commenced. 

Our first day included tours of the city of Cusco and the surrounding ruins. Day 2 started early with an excursion to the Sacred Valley, is home to the colonial citadels of Ollantaytambo and Pisac. Pisac is home to a large market that sells a number of textiles and ceramics from local artisans. Ollantaytambo has a large fortress and temple with 200 steps. With the variance in altitude it makes for a good workout.

Each of the tours and sights of the first two days were beautiful in their own right, but nothing would compare to our last day when we went to Machu Picchu. Our day began with a 3.5-hour train ride from Cuzco for 95km to Machu Picchu at 6:00am. The train is a great way to see that portion of the country, but if you are considering making the trip I advise that you spend the previous night in a nearer location (either Aguas Calientes or Ollantaytambo) to allow an early arrival to Machu Picchu. The mountain is only open from 7am but closes at 5pm. If you are planning on making the trip also note that on Sunday’s entry is free for Cusquenos, which multiplies the number of visitors by at least two fold.

When you arrive from the train station and join the lineup, you take a coach up the mountain; the ride is roughly 30 minutes but is full of entertainment because of the path used to navigate. There is only one passageway, but buses will climb and descend at the same time.  Each time buses would meet with our own, it made for an interesting 2 minutes as each coach driver would skillfully reverse and or maneuver their way around each other. Upon arriving at the top of the mountain we were greeted by our guide Walter. Walter explained the history and background and logic behind building a city in the mountains. You could tell he was passionate, to the extent that his frantic pace often left many of our group members behind. The climb to the peak was a good 10 minutes, with a few breaks in between to allow for the change in altitude, but once we reached the top it was all worth it. I am not sure words would do it justice so I will just refrain from elaborating further at this point. 

I am still reflecting on the experience myself. It was truly amazing! If you fancy more adventure, there is a second peak, (Huayna Picchu) roughly 400ft higher. It is the mountain that you see behind the structures in pictures of the Machu Picchu. We later learned that only 400 people are allowed to visit the peak each day and the climb in two groups of 200. It is quite significantly steeper with a narrow trail, it is hard to know if our guide was embellishing the experience, perhaps I will try it out on my next trip, when and if I decide to hike the Inca trail!