Full Body Contact Shelf Assembly at La Carpa Casinelli

There was a holiday feeling in the air when we arrived this morning at the village of La Carpa Casinelli with the items we had promised. Maybe it was because the sun was shining and the fall temperature was perfect. Or perhaps it was excitement about the new furnishings being brought one by one into the classroom. Whatever it was, the village women descended on the two storage shelves like kids racing for free candy. As usual there was lots of discussion about shelf spacing. As I watched, one women placed a bolt in the wrong location. A woman next to her pulled the bolt and placed it into another hole, promptly followed by the first woman pulling the bolt and throwing it on the floor. This led to an outburst of group laughter and before long bolts and nuts were flying in all directions. When the free-for all finally ran out of steam all nuts and bolts were accounted for and the shelves proudly stood against a wall.

We’ve noticed a gradual improvement in quality in the tables and chairs. We suspect that is because we’ve given the carpenter a lot of business and he probably wants to continue to be our supplier. He has held his price this year, and with quality improving that’s a win-win situation.

The teacher, Martina (left) and the Mochumi District pronoei coordinator Patricia know that we’re returning to the United States, and to thank us for our work presented us with a beautiful wall plaque. It will occupy a place of prominence on our living room wall, wherever that will be.  

We did make a brief stop at El Carrizo to deliver the whiteboard we’d promised. Maria seemed pleased to receive it.

The costs for the El Carrizo project was:

One whiteboard       $51.96

Markers & erasers       7.64

Transport                     1.52

Total                         $61.12

The cost for La Carpa Casinelli was:

Three tables & 12 chairs    $265.56

One whiteboard                     51.96

Markers & erasers                   7.64

Two storage shelves              51.96

Puzzles & books                      3.97

Transport                               42.77

Total                                   $423.86

Not charged to either of the above projects is the training time for Magali, mentioned in previous posts and who will be ‘the new face of Promesa Peru’ in the Lambayeque Region. We agreed to pay her 10 soles per hour while training, which is now completed, and 20 soles per hour when she is fully on her own. Her training time amounted to 12.5 hours for $38.17. Her future time will be charged to whatever project she is working on at the time.

As always, our thanks to Chris Raupe, Clif Brown, Denny Wallette, and The Alice Cool Foundation for funding these projects.

The completion of the La Carpa Casinelli project brings to an end Maribel’s and my in-the-field involvement with Promesa Peru activity. We’re going to miss those tiny, isolated villages, the warm and friendly villagers, and the excitement and gratitude upon first seeing the donated items. But who knows….? We’ll be returning to Peru for visits and may not be able to resist the urge to get back into the field one more time.