Last updated: February 7, 2010

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Working with San Franciso de Asis, Peru

Lake Union Crew Outreach Foundation's Time Talent Treasure Exchange program traveled to Peru from December 2009 to February 2010 to build a Community Center, garden and workshop for San Francisco de Asis.

Established in 1994, San Francisco de Asis is a small community of mountain people who moved closer to Lima looking for a better life. With almost no resources, they settled on a barren stretch of sand and began to forge their community.

Over the last 15 years they have grown to 2,700 people, 1,800 of which are children. Most adults work in domestic roles in Lima and are away from home over 12 hours each day, leaving their children alone for equally long hours. The average adult wage is $2/day, which places San Francisco de Asis in Peru's extreme poverty category.

Community Center
In 2006 community leaders of San Francisco de Asis began to plan a Community Center to address their community's most dire needs. In conjunction with a local non-governmental organization, they have created a sustainable model to provide:

• Daily care of children, from recently born to 5 years old, while their parents work
• School support and skill development for children age 6 to 17 years old
• Ault training in productive skill development to join the work force
• A meeting center for community meetings and large assembly
• The coordination center of Health, Education, Skill Training and other sectors that will provide services to the community
• A communal kitchen to teach and promote good nutrition for children and elderly

Garden, Shop, Playground
In discussions with the local community we proposed the addition of a terraced garden sustained by grey water from the Community Center. They were thrilled with this idea as it will provide fresh fruits and vegetables to the communal kitchen.

A great side benefit of our projects is that all equipment purchased remains behind for the use of the local community. This equipment includes all the tools necessary to outfit a woodworking shop, which will be located on the community center grounds in a modified shipping container. This shop will expand the vocational opportunities for the residents.

Lastly, the existing playground equipment is rusted and missing many components - for example the swingset is swingless and the teeter-totters need seats. We'll refurbish the playground and provide missing components.

Aligning With Our Mission
LUC Outreach Foundation's Time Talent Treasure Exchange is devoted to cultural exchange through education and experience. To that end, we engage in building projects that bring communities together. Working side by side, American volunteers and the local community's boys and girls learn building skills, language skills, and each other's culture. We work hard and play hard, and have the time of our lives doing it.

We are proud to partner with this hard-working and resourceful community to build a facility which will provide better care and more opportunities to the residents of San Francisco de Asis, and along the way change the hearts of all those involved.