Participants:
Series Code: IIWC
Program Code: IIWC202131S
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00:00 >> Hello and thank you for
00:02 joining us on It Is Written 00:04 Canada. 00:05 Imagine living in primitive, 00:07 tiny stone huts filled with 00:10 smoke, poor ventilation, and 00:11 almost no insulation. 00:14 Many people who live in the 00:16 remote parts of Peru have to 00:18 endure these kinds of 00:19 conditions which are hazardous 00:21 to their health. 00:22 [RENÉ] High in the Andes 00:24 Mountains with snow and ice and 00:26 freezing temperatures, many of 00:28 these Quechua people, 00:31 descendants of the Inca, do not 00:33 live in warm, healthy homes like 00:35 we do here in Canada. 00:38 >> Recently, ADRA Canada got 00:39 involved helping these people 00:42 in the remote parts of the 00:44 Andes Mountains to build warm, 00:46 well-ventilated houses for 00:48 themselves and their families. 00:51 >> Today we will be talking to 00:53 Steve Matthews who is the 00:54 Executive Director and Peggy 00:56 Caesar, the Communications 00:58 Specialist for ADRA Canada, 01:01 and they are going to tell us 01:03 about the warm and healthy 01:05 homes they have been building 01:07 for the people of Peru. 01:11 ♪♪ 01:48 [ALL SHOUT] ADRA! 01:53 >> Welcome again to It Is 01:54 Written Canada. 01:56 Steve Matthews and Peggy 01:58 Caesar are with us from ADRA 02:00 Canada and they're gonna tell 02:02 us how they are building 02:04 healthy and warm homes for the 02:06 people of Peru. 02:08 Welcome to It Is Written 02:09 Canada, Steve and Peggy. 02:11 >> Thank you so much for 02:12 having us today. 02:13 >> Really wonderful to be here. 02:15 [MIKE] What I really like is 02:16 your ponchos, they're really 02:18 authentic Peruvian ponchos. 02:20 >> Well, I'm so glad that you 02:22 do because we brought some 02:23 scarves for you and René. 02:24 [MIKE] Scarves! 02:25 Whoa that's cool. 02:26 [RENÉ] These are lovely. 02:27 >> So what are they made out 02:28 of, Peggy? 02:28 >> These are made out of 02:29 alpaca wool and they are 02:30 hand-woven. 02:32 >> Hand-woven, look at that. 02:33 >> Look at the patterns, it's 02:35 so intricate. 02:37 >> Wow, so I'm-- thank you! 02:40 This is pretty cool. 02:41 Just to show everybody what it 02:43 looks like, I don't think I'm 02:44 gonna... 02:45 >> It looks good on you, 02:45 by the way. 02:46 >> You think so? 02:47 >> Absolutely. 02:48 >> I don't know that I'm gonna 02:49 wear it all the time, but I'll 02:50 wear it for now so I can kinda 02:51 fit in with you guys. 02:52 So you went to Peru, this is 02:54 your first trip to Peru I 02:55 understand. 02:57 OK, so what was it like for you? 02:58 >> Well, it was-- when we 03:01 arrived, we first landed and 03:03 we were at quite a high 03:04 elevation so the-- when we 03:06 first landed in Cuzco, we were 03:10 at an elevation of 3500 metres 03:12 above sea level and the 03:13 project location was at about 03:15 5200 metres above sea level. 03:17 It gets quite cold. 03:18 Even though we were at the 03:19 equator, I was quite shocked 03:20 at how cold it was, but also 03:22 you could really notice the 03:25 thin air, the oxygen levels 03:27 just weren't there so you get 03:29 tired really, really fast. 03:31 >> Fifty-two hundred metres. 03:34 >> Yeah, so about 16-, 17,000 03:36 feet. 03:37 >> Wow! 03:37 >> So at that altitude 03:39 everything is hard to do. 03:40 >> So I understood you had to 03:41 get on horses. 03:43 Was that uncomfortable? 03:44 [STEVE] Oh, no, I loved it. 03:46 I grew up with horses. 03:48 My first job was Steve's 03:51 Horse Rides as a teenager so 03:54 being able to go for a 03:55 horse rides was great. 03:56 I was-- when I got there, I 03:58 thought what an amazing 04:00 blessing to be able to be 04:01 here, surrounded by all this 04:03 beauty, up in these mountains 04:05 and then to be able to jump on 04:06 a horse and go for a horse 04:08 ride was just icing on the 04:10 cake for me. 04:11 [Mike laughs] 04:12 [PEGGY] I, on the other hand, 04:13 not so much. 04:14 The last time I was on a horse 04:16 was around high school, but it 04:17 really did speak to the 04:18 remoteness of the community 04:20 and the projects that we 04:21 were doing. 04:23 >> So, Peggy and Steve, tell 04:25 us about the people of Peru 04:27 and also the places that you 04:28 visited. 04:30 >> While it was quite cool, 04:32 the people were very warm. 04:34 We were welcomed with open 04:36 arms everywhere we went. 04:39 We-- at one house, one 04:41 community, we were followed by 04:43 a band who got out and played 04:46 music and sang and danced for 04:47 us every time we went to a new 04:49 house in the community. 04:50 So it was-- we were really 04:52 well-welcomed and you could 04:53 see just how much of a 04:54 difference we were making in 04:56 the lives of the people 04:57 because of how appreciative 04:59 they were for us to be there. 05:01 >> Absolutely, it was a 05:02 wonderful experience. 05:04 >> So I noticed from looking 05:05 at some of the footage from 05:06 your trip that the people 05:07 dress in very colourful 05:09 costumes. 05:10 Were they just doing that for 05:11 the cameras? 05:12 [PEGGY] They do, they do. 05:13 You know, this was a question 05:14 that we wondered about so we 05:16 asked and the answer is no, 05:17 they dress like this every 05:19 day, particularly the women 05:20 are in beautifully ornate and 05:23 elaborate costumes and it's 05:25 just beautiful. 05:26 [MIKE] So let's take a look at 05:27 some of that footage right now. 05:37 [VOICE OVER] High up in the 05:38 Andean Mountains of Peru, 05:40 indigenous people groups 05:42 attempt to eke out a living 05:44 primarily through the raising 05:46 of llamas and alpacas. 05:50 Direct descendants of the Inca, 05:53 the Quechua are dedicated to 05:54 keeping the traditions, 05:57 culture, and language of their 05:58 people alive. 06:03 The mountains that surround 06:04 the small farms provide 06:06 stunning views. 06:09 At an altitude of 13,500 feet, 06:12 the air is thin, the winters 06:15 are cold and vegetation 06:17 is sparse. 06:19 Living above the tree line, 06:21 building materials are limited 06:23 to mud bricks and stones. 06:26 Houses are covered with thatch 06:29 roofs that don't offer a lot 06:31 of insulation from the cold 06:32 winter winds. 06:34 Most of the homes have just 06:37 one room of about 16 feet by 06:40 10 feet with a dirt floor. 06:43 The cook stove is usually 06:45 located at one end of the room. 06:47 Without proper ventilation, 06:50 each time food is prepared, 06:52 the one-room home fills with 06:54 smoke. 06:55 Prolonged exposure causes a 06:58 variety of respiratory 07:00 illnesses, especially in 07:02 children and the elderly. 07:06 [TRANSLATOR] My husband and I 07:07 raised six children here in 07:09 this house. 07:11 We were very fortunate that 07:12 all six of our children 07:13 survived. 07:14 Many of our friends had 07:16 children who died because of 07:17 the cold winters. 07:19 There were some winters when 07:21 we were not able to afford 07:22 shoes for our children and 07:24 they would get frost bite on 07:25 their toes. 07:27 It seemed like they were 07:28 always sick with some kind of 07:29 cold, flu, or diarrhea. 07:32 We had no medicine. 07:34 Instead we would brew tea and 07:35 pray they would recover. 07:38 [TRANSLATOR] I was born in 07:40 this part of Peru, and grew up 07:42 here with my parents. 07:44 Our house was just the one 07:46 room that included our stove. 07:48 Our house was always full of 07:50 smoke, dust, and ash. 07:53 We really didn't have windows, 07:55 just holes and cracks in the 07:57 walls for ventilation. 07:59 When the wind would blow in 08:01 the winter, the room would get 08:02 very cold. 08:04 At night we would need to use 08:05 eight blankets to keep warm. 08:09 [NARRATOR] And yet through all 08:11 of the difficulty, the Quechua 08:13 people love their highland 08:15 community. 08:16 While many youth do leave to 08:18 try and find work in other 08:20 parts of Peru, they often 08:22 return to their homes to once 08:23 again be with their families 08:25 and continue the life ways 08:27 they know and love. 08:31 One thing that has had a 08:32 profound difference in recent 08:34 years is the partnership the 08:37 community has made with ADRA. 08:42 [VOICE OVER TRANSLATING] 08:43 Living so high up in the 08:44 mountains brings many 08:46 difficulties and challenges. 08:48 We are always looking for ways 08:50 that we can improve our lives, 08:52 but our resources are very 08:53 limited. 08:54 We started looking for 08:56 humanitarian agencies that 08:57 might help us. 08:59 Since we are Christian, we 09:01 prayed that God would send us 09:02 a Christian organization to 09:04 help us. 09:05 Our prayers were answered a 09:07 couple of years ago when we 09:08 met people from ADRA. 09:10 We were so delighted when they 09:12 agreed to come and work with 09:13 us to improve our community. 09:16 But where to start? 09:18 There were so many needs. 09:20 After discussing our options, 09:22 it was decided that the best 09:24 first step would be to build 09:26 homes for people that would be 09:28 warmer and provide a healthier 09:30 environment for our children. 09:35 [TRANSLATOR] Whenever ADRA 09:36 does a project like this, we 09:38 like to involve the people as 09:40 much as possible so that in 09:41 the end they feel a strong 09:43 sense of ownership. 09:45 We had the people make all the 09:47 mud bricks, they gather all 09:49 the traditional local material 09:51 for the roof as well. 09:52 ADRA then works closely with 09:54 them, providing technical 09:56 advice and specialized 09:58 materials to help them build a 10:00 safe, warm, healthy home. 10:04 We provide insulation for the 10:05 ceiling, wood for a floor, the 10:08 door, and materials for a nice 10:10 stove that has a chimney to 10:12 vent the smoke when they cook. 10:15 We also encouraged the people 10:17 to take old bottles and put 10:19 these into the walls as they 10:21 were building their homes so 10:23 that they could bring more UV 10:24 light into their homes 10:26 to kill bacteria. 10:29 [TRANSLATOR] We do everything 10:30 that we possibly can to harness 10:32 the energy of the sun. 10:34 We installed a trombe wall in 10:35 every home. 10:37 A trombe wall captures the 10:38 heat from the sun. 10:40 Rays of the sun are passed 10:41 through glass or heavy plastic 10:43 sheets to heat a wall of stone 10:45 or bricks that has been 10:47 painted black. 10:48 This traps the heat in the 10:49 small space and heats up the 10:51 wall during the day which is 10:53 then slowly dispersed into the 10:55 home through the night. 10:57 When we made the new stoves, 10:59 we also installed a piping 11:01 system that distributes heat 11:03 from the stove, through the 11:05 wall of the home. 11:07 We wanted to capture and use 11:09 every bit of energy and heat 11:11 that we could. 11:14 >> What an incredible project. 11:16 So they used colourful bottles 11:18 for windows, I never would 11:19 have thought of that, and then 11:21 the insulation of that heating 11:22 wall and then the pipes that 11:25 were installed to heat up the 11:27 house from their new stove. 11:29 So they must have been 11:31 overjoyed, I mean, these 11:32 people get this new warm house. 11:34 >> Absolutely, you know, it 11:35 was really touching to see 11:37 them show us around their 11:38 newly renovated home with 11:40 great pride and just joy it 11:41 was just tremendous. 11:43 And as we visited, you know, 11:45 we were able to see these 11:47 smart innovations installed in 11:49 the homes and watch how they 11:51 really helped to increase the 11:52 quality of life for everyone 11:54 in the home. 11:56 >> And on top of that, it's a 11:57 very environmentally friendly 11:59 method that we're using. 12:01 It's all passive solar. 12:02 So the sun comes in, heats up 12:05 the black painted inside area. 12:07 It's just all passive, there's 12:09 no energy used in the process. 12:12 And one of the areas we're 12:13 really focusing at with ADRA 12:15 is to try to be more 12:16 environmentally focused and 12:18 environmentally friendly so 12:19 just a great project from that 12:20 side as well. 12:22 >> And it was healthy because, 12:23 of course, you know, as we 12:24 renovated the cook stoves in 12:26 the homes, you know, the wives 12:28 and the women, the mothers, 12:29 showed us with great pride 12:30 their new stoves, how they 12:32 cook with their new stoves and 12:34 we were happy because we know 12:35 that with the proper 12:36 ventilation of the smoke, the 12:40 children were not going to be 12:41 suffering with bronchial 12:42 issues or ocular eye issues 12:45 and so really all the way 12:47 around, a tremendous 12:48 improvement to their lives. 12:50 >> One of the ladies that we 12:51 visited who is a-- planned to 12:54 be a future recipient, has 12:56 told us that almost all of the 12:57 families in that area have 12:59 lost at least one child 13:00 because of health-related 13:02 issues over the years, so 13:04 pretty sad to see that. 13:07 Which is why they're so 13:08 thankful when they get one of 13:10 these renovations 'cause it 13:11 really does make a 13:12 life-changing difference for 13:13 them. 13:15 >> So, Steve, I believe you 13:16 received royal treatment. 13:19 >> Yeah, definitely. 13:20 It was quite an experience. 13:22 When we showed up, you're 13:24 treated like a dignitary and so 13:26 I actually brought along some 13:28 of the clothing that they got 13:30 me to wear. 13:31 So this is one of the hats 13:33 that they had. 13:35 This is kind of reserved for 13:37 their dignitary when you show 13:39 up and it's a scarf that they 13:41 also gave as well. 13:44 When I met-- when I arrived, 13:47 one of the things they do for 13:48 their dignitaries is the 13:49 dignitary rides into the 13:51 community on a horse and 13:53 accompanied with the mayor. 13:55 So the mayor met us and I had 13:56 no idea this was happening, by 13:57 the way, I just showed up and 13:59 I see these horses there and 14:01 they said, "Oh, no, you're not 14:03 "allowed to drive into the 14:04 "town, you have to ride in on 14:06 "horse with the mayor. 14:08 "It's reserved for the 14:09 dignitaries." 14:10 So I-- it seems really odd, by 14:12 the way, to be called a 14:13 dignitary, it just didn't seem 14:14 natural, but hey, you know, 14:16 you go with what they're doing. 14:19 So we rode in on-- into the 14:20 community, but then once we 14:22 get to the community, that's 14:23 where the real royal treatment 14:25 came in because they had built 14:27 a throne for me when I arrived 14:30 so they-- and I've worked in 14:32 construction most of my life 14:34 so I could look and tell this 14:35 is actually pretty fresh 14:36 concrete that was there so 14:37 they had literally built the 14:39 throne for me. 14:40 The people that we're working 14:41 with, they're descended from 14:43 the Inca. 14:44 Whenever an Inca king would 14:46 come to visit the community, 14:48 they would have a throne for 14:50 the king to sit on so they 14:52 built a throne for me to sit 14:54 on while I was there. 14:55 So very interesting. 14:58 And I'm typically pretty 15:00 extroverted, but to be put 15:02 front and centre in front of 15:04 the whole community, like, 15:05 they all literally surrounded, 15:07 almost like in a semi-circle 15:08 around me so it was a little 15:10 different... 15:11 [PEGGY] We thought it was 15:13 great fun. (laughs) 15:14 [STEVE] Yeah, they thought it 15:15 was just great. 15:16 [PEGGY] We thoroughly 15:17 enjoyed it. 15:17 [STEVE] But-- and the other 15:18 thing is, when we were riding 15:20 into the community, they had 15:22 "ADRA" spelled out in the 15:23 mountain. 15:24 So they had, with white rocks, 15:26 spelled "ADRA" in the mountain 15:28 so we had our own Hollywood 15:30 sign up in the Andes Mountains 15:31 of Peru. 15:33 It was a real honour, but you 15:35 could just see, like, all of 15:37 these-- we were welcomed so 15:38 openly, you could just see the 15:40 difference that our project 15:41 has made in the lives of so 15:43 many people there in the 15:44 community. 15:45 >> So that was a lot of fun, 15:47 but you went there to check 15:48 out a project to make sure 15:50 that they were using the funds 15:52 wisely, so what was your feel 15:55 for the project? 15:56 Was it actually meeting its 15:58 purpose? 15:59 Did you look at it and say, 16:00 "Yes, this is actually serving 16:02 the people?" 16:03 >> I think if you talk to the 16:05 people, I really believe it's 16:07 gone above and beyond. 16:10 Especially when we go-- one 16:11 of the home owners said that 16:13 they used to have to sleep 16:14 with ten blankets on them and 16:16 now three blankets is all they 16:18 need to sleep with. 16:20 So then when we look at how 16:22 healthy the children are, the 16:24 children of these homes, you 16:25 know, they're not suffering 16:26 with the sickness and illness 16:28 that they had previously. 16:30 One thing that we're also 16:31 piloting, we've got one, just 16:33 one project where we've 16:34 installed a bathroom and they 16:36 have running hot water, they 16:38 can take hot showers for the 16:39 first time in their lives, 16:40 they have a flush toilet, 16:43 running water at the sink, so 16:45 it's the comforts that we 16:47 would have. 16:48 They have tiled floors, just 16:50 very, very nice. 16:51 So that's something we wanna 16:53 include in a future phase of 16:54 our work there, by the way. 16:56 [MIKE] So the previous homes 16:57 were a lot smaller as well. 17:00 That's what I understand, that 17:01 you had to go into these small 17:02 homes, and the people were 17:04 pretty short as well. 17:05 [STEVE] Yeah, I felt really 17:06 tall when we were there. 17:07 >> Yeah, I fit right in. 17:08 (both laugh) 17:09 But yeah, the homes are 17:10 completely transformed from 17:12 the previous-- we visited a 17:13 family that showed us their 17:15 previous home that they were 17:16 living in for about two or 17:18 more years and then the new 17:19 home, the healthy home which 17:22 was like night and day, really. 17:23 >> So what was it like for 17:25 you, Steve, getting into that 17:26 home? 17:26 >> Well, I mean, I had to, I 17:28 was almost crawling to get 17:30 into the doorway, it was 17:31 very short. 17:33 The home was about seven feet 17:35 by eleven feet. 17:36 They had a husband, wife, and 17:38 their two kids living in that 17:40 home of seven by eleven and in 17:43 that home they also had-- 17:44 that's their kitchen and 17:46 everything was in there so not 17:47 a lot of room in that house. 17:50 But, yeah, to get in was 17:52 quite difficult. 17:54 I don't think, I don't even 17:55 know if it was four feet tall 17:57 to get into the home. 17:59 [PEGGY] Extremely dark, very.. 18:01 >> Yeah, no light at all. 18:03 >> ...no lighting at all, no 18:04 ventilation so it was quite 18:07 unhealthy. 18:08 >> And the thatched roof, it 18:10 had holes in it, like, just... 18:13 I was on the verge of tears 18:17 going into that home and some 18:18 of the rest of us that were 18:19 there as well, we were just 18:21 really, really moved by the 18:23 fact that people used to live 18:24 in that. 18:26 [RENE] So you know what I 18:27 really appreciate is the fact 18:29 how you got-- everyone worked 18:31 together so you had home 18:33 owners that were working 18:35 together to build their new 18:36 homes and that must've 18:38 affected the cost of 18:40 these homes. 18:42 So how much does it cost for 18:44 you to build one home for 18:46 these people of Peru? 18:49 >> It's tremendous, the 18:51 project, because for $2500 we 18:53 can build a warm and healthy 18:55 home and a bathroom for a 18:57 family in Chillca, Peru. 18:59 [MIKE] So how many homes were 19:00 you able to build? 19:02 >> Right now I believe we've-- 19:04 we're just under a hundred 19:06 homes that we've completed. 19:08 We do have another phase of 19:10 our project that we're looking 19:11 to go forward with. 19:13 The cost of this next phase is 19:15 $132,000, is what we're trying 19:18 to raise for the project. 19:21 But just the other day I got 19:23 an email from the project 19:24 manager from ADRA Peru and 19:28 they have, because of our 19:29 visit, it's really generated a 19:31 lot of interest in the 19:32 community, 450 homes is what 19:36 they're now requesting to have 19:39 this upgrade, so it's, yeah, 19:43 it's gonna be quite an 19:44 investment. 19:46 When you think of 450 homes at 19:47 $2500 a home, you're in the 19:49 million-dollar range to try to 19:51 get that. 19:52 So the $132,000 we're trying 19:54 to raise now, is only going 19:55 to really scratch the surface 19:57 of the real need there. 19:58 And that's just for the homes, 20:00 they have a whole other list 20:01 of other projects as well 20:02 they'd like us to help out with. 20:04 >> So tell us about those 20:06 projects that you, you know, 20:08 that you became aware of when 20:09 you were there, Steve. 20:11 >> Well, I'm an engineer as my 20:14 professional background before 20:16 joining ADRA and they 20:18 actually-- one of the 20:20 communities asked us to build 20:22 them a hydro dam to be able to 20:25 provide power because they 20:27 want to-- alpaca farming is 20:29 their main source of income 20:31 and so they, you know, they 20:34 sheer the wool and what 20:36 they're looking for is to 20:37 build a factory so they can 20:39 take that low quality product 20:41 and make it into a higher 20:42 quality product and get a 20:44 better return on their alpaca. 20:48 So they wanted a hydro dam to 20:49 be able to power the factory 20:51 so that they could increase 20:53 their income. 20:54 Also there's ecotourism is a 20:56 big thing in this area as well. 20:59 They're looking for helping with 21:01 a second home that they could 21:02 then rent out to people who 21:04 are coming-- 'cause it's up 21:05 near the glaciers of the Andes 21:06 Mountains so they get a lot of 21:08 ecotourists and... 21:11 >> We also visited a school as 21:13 well that was 60 years old and 21:15 just falling apart. 21:17 And they're doing the best 21:18 they can with what they have, 21:19 but they're just looking for, 21:21 you know, a hand up, 21:22 a helping hand. 21:24 [MIKE] So what I like about 21:25 what you've been talking about 21:26 is that we here in Canada, we 21:29 don't see running water as a 21:31 luxury, we don't see that we 21:32 can have a shower, we can have 21:34 running water, we can have 21:35 flush toilets, but a lot of 21:36 people in the world do not 21:37 have that luxury, but with the 21:40 work of ADRA Canada, you've 21:41 been able to help the people 21:43 in those areas and so we have 21:44 some footage of that and so we 21:46 wanna look at that right now. 21:49 [TRANSLATOR] I wanna say a big 21:51 thanks to ADRA for coming and 21:52 helping us build our new 21:53 beautiful home. 21:55 In our old house, we suffered 21:57 a lot. 21:58 Life was sad and very 21:59 difficult. 22:01 Our whole family is now 22:02 very happy. 22:03 We don't get sick so much 22:05 anymore. 22:06 Now during the winter, we only 22:07 need three blankets to keep 22:08 warm at night. 22:10 The spot I love the most is my 22:11 beautiful new kitchen. 22:13 I spend a lot more time there 22:14 now because it is so nice. 22:17 I am able to cook our meals 22:18 easier and there is no more 22:19 smoke or ash. 22:22 The wood floor makes it easy 22:24 to keep my house clean. 22:26 When the children climb up on 22:27 the bed, they no longer get 22:28 the bed dirty from the floor. 22:31 I really love my new home. 22:33 I'm so grateful to ADRA. 22:37 [TRANSLATOR] In addition to 22:39 our new warm house, the ADRA 22:41 technician helped us build a 22:42 bathroom. 22:44 We have a small spring above 22:46 our house and we are piping 22:48 the water from the spring to 22:49 our bathroom to give us a 22:51 flush toilet, shower, and sink. 22:56 The most wonderful thing is 22:58 that ADRA installed a passive 23:00 solar heating system in the 23:01 ceiling of our bathroom. 23:04 This means that for the first 23:06 time we have been able to take 23:08 hot showers. 23:11 We are so happy that we can 23:12 enjoy such a luxury. 23:15 We are so grateful that we can 23:17 send our boy to school clean. 23:20 [indecipherable] ADRA! 23:24 [NARRATOR] It has been a 23:25 wonderful experience for me to 23:27 work with the people of the 23:28 Chillca community. 23:30 They are so grateful that 23:32 someone has come to help them. 23:34 They feel recognized 23:35 and noticed. 23:37 They even changed the road 23:39 sign to include "ADRA Peru." 23:41 They formed "ADRA" on the 23:43 mountainside above their 23:44 village and they want ADRA to 23:47 continue to work with them. 23:50 They have asked if ADRA could 23:51 build them a church and 23:53 community centre and bring a 23:55 pastor to come and live with 23:56 them to teach them about 23:58 the Bible. 23:59 They want a place where their 24:01 children can come after school 24:03 and be tutored on their 24:05 schoolwork and learn English. 24:08 We are so thankful for the 24:10 help that we have received 24:11 from Canada and pray that we 24:13 will be able to continue that 24:15 partnership so that we can 24:17 continue the good work that we 24:18 have started in Chillca. 24:23 >> Wow, that's amazing! 24:25 They can have the luxury of 24:27 running water and actually 24:28 send their children to school 24:29 clean. 24:31 >> And the amazing part about 24:32 it is it doesn't use any 24:33 electricity. 24:35 It's all gravity-fed water and 24:37 then there's a solar coil in 24:39 the roof of the washroom which 24:42 heats the water which is where 24:43 they get the heat for their 24:45 shower. 24:46 [RENÉ] Wow. 24:48 So, Steve, do you have any 24:49 closing final closing thoughts 24:51 that you would like to share 24:53 with us? 24:54 >> You know, when I think back 24:56 to the time when we were there 24:57 and just one of our closing 24:59 interviews that we had was 25:01 with the mayor and he was 25:03 literally brought to tears 25:05 because of the difference that 25:07 it made to the kids in 25:09 his community. 25:11 He was telling us about when 25:12 he was growing up, he used to 25:14 have to read by candle light 25:16 to be able to try to do his 25:18 studies and he knocked the 25:19 candle over one time and it 25:21 caught his books on fire so it 25:24 nearly burnt their home down. 25:26 And one thing that we do have 25:28 added in is we have a solar 25:30 panel with a few lights in the 25:31 house as well, so the 25:33 cleanliness, the health, and 25:34 then the ability to be able to 25:36 study at night, those are just 25:38 really life-changing. 25:39 But the man was literally 25:41 crying while we were there 25:42 because of that, yeah. 25:44 >> And what about you, Peggy, 25:45 do you have any closing 25:46 thoughts for us? 25:48 >> Absolutely. 25:49 You know, I read about the 25:50 project, I wrote about it in 25:52 the Adventist Messenger, but 25:54 to actually go and to see the 25:56 home that I wrote about, the 25:58 warm and happy home that I 25:59 wrote about in the flesh was 26:01 just really tremendous and to 26:04 really understand the positive 26:05 impacts that the project is 26:07 making on the lives of people 26:09 was just incredible. 26:11 [MIKE] And before you were 26:12 leaving, there was this lady 26:13 who said a prayer... 26:15 [PEGGY] Yes, yes. 26:16 You know, that was an amazing 26:17 experience because in and 26:19 amongst all of the speeches 26:21 and the band playing and 26:23 everything, there was a moment 26:25 where we were told that this 26:27 woman was going to say a poem 26:29 and as she did, it turned out 26:32 that it wasn't a poem at all, 26:34 it was a prayer. 26:35 And that has just been 26:37 tremendous because it just 26:38 goes to show the gratitude in 26:40 their hearts and the spirit of 26:41 God going before us into these 26:43 projects, changing lives and 26:44 transforming them. 26:46 >> So before we close, let's 26:47 look at that prayer. 27:25 [ALL] Gracias, ADRA! 27:30 << Friends, would you like to 27:32 contribute to ADRA Canada's 27:34 building of warm, healthy 27:36 homes for the people living in 27:37 the remote parts of Peru, high 27:40 up in the Andes Mountains? 27:43 You can share your love by 27:45 partnering with ADRA Canada in 27:47 this wonderful work. 27:50 [MIKE] We want you to 27:52 experience the truth that is 27:53 found in the words of Jesus 27:55 when He said, "It is written, 27:57 "'Man shall not live by bread 27:59 "'alone, but by every word that 28:01 "'proceeds out of the mouth 28:03 of God.'" 28:05 ♪♪ 28:23 (children clapping & singing) 28:30 ♪♪ |
Revised 2022-04-14