In So Many Words
My name is Fr. Joe Ruys, and I live and work in the parish of San Andres de Checca in a small district high up in the Southern Andes of Peru.
The greatest issue here is poverty. Not only poverty in relation to money but also poverty of education, poverty in organizational skills, poverty in health care, poverty in nutrition, poverty in construction and maintenance. In other words, poverty in nearly all aspects of life.
Education here is of extremely poor standard. The system is rote memorization without needing to understand the material. Only exceptional teachers are fluent in the subjects they have been asked to teach. Many local primary and secondary students have dropped out of the education system during the Covid pandemic as many of our students do not have access to internet.
Health support exists in Checca but at a basic level. We have an excellent team of medics but unfortunately the state does not provide sufficient or adequate equipment or medicines. Our local health post is located on the second floor of a community building since the older center has been on the point of collapse for about ten years.
I try to accompany our people in any variety of ways. Maybe a home Mass to remember a loved one who has died, sometimes a little bit of food, help with transport for market day, often taking people somewhere for medical care or providing emergency transport from an accident scene.
As the District of Checca is one of the poorest in Peru, we also have a very high rate of anemia especially amongst infants and young children. In 2020, we had around 26% of infants and young children suffering from anemia. However, in January 2021our district was awarded third prize in the whole province of Cusco, for being able to reduce this percentage by 9% (the national target was a reduction of 3%) to 16.3% in 2021.
Indeed, the main project in which I am involved here in Checca is that of working alongside our town’s medical team. Along with them we are trying to reduce the level of anemia in the district with the provision of around 130 food hampers each month. Some people are regular recipients each month while others receive hampers when in a situation of short-term emergency.
I try to accompany our people in any variety of ways. Maybe a home Mass to remember a loved one who has died, sometimes a little bit of food, help with transport for market day, often taking people somewhere for medical care or providing emergency transport from an accident scene.
Life here is directly affected by the rain and the dry seasons. At present the clouds are increasing and the promise of rain is becoming reality. People are preparing the soil. Cow, llama or sheep manure is being sought and added to the soil. Rain water is in the Lord’s hands as we have no irrigation system here. Very shortly people will be visiting our parish office to buy their pasture seeds which we sell as an agency of CARITAS Peru. And with that begins a whole new cycle.
Fr. Joe Ruys is an Australian priest working as a Columban associate.