CARE Youth Corps 2001 in Lima, Peru. All photos by Scott Gribble © CARE 2001.

As the CARE Youth Corps 2001 took their first breaths of fog that filled the thick Lima night, even after seven hours of traveling, no one could do anything but smile. Piling into the bus, the excitement of facing two weeks of learning and magical adventure electrified us all. The trip we had anticipated for what seemed like a lifetime was finally coming to fruition, and it felt amazing.

We arrived at the hotel late in the evening and after some ham and cheese sandwiches, everyone passed out dreaming of what Peru would look like in the light. When we awoke, even though we were all tired, the morning motivated us. Everyone was ready to discover Lima.

Some CARE Peru staffers awaited us outside the hotel with a bus that would take us to CARE's Lima headquarters. When we arrived at the office, everyone was greeted with hugs and kisses from people with huge hearts.

Our first project of the trip was to put together CARE Packages for the victims of the devastating earthquake that ripped apart southern Peru just days before our arrival. The CARE staff had already organized a collection of clothes from within the Lima office to send to the victims in and around the Arequipa region.

Youth Corps members make CARE Packages for earthquake victims.

The Youth Corps was able to pitch-in by sorting and boxing the clothes so that they could be sent down south. After we made it though all of the clothes, we were given a tour of the busy Lima office that serves as the center for all of CARE´s work in Peru.

For our first lunch in Peru, we started things off right by taking advantage of Lima´s famous seafood. We began the feast with ceviche -- traditional cold seafood in a lemon sauce known as leche de tigre. The "tiger's milk" made us squint and smile. It was nice to eat seafood because we knew that once we got to Cajamarca, far away from the ocean, the food would be very different.

After the fabulous lunch, we took an hour to do some shopping at the local Indian market. It was our first time seeing the vibrant tapestries and clothes that make Peruvian textiles famous. Most of us held out on purchasing much, though, because we wanted to see what we could find outside of the city.

With a few new bags and sweaters, we returned to the CARE office for our official debriefing from the head of CARE Peru, Carlos Cardenas. Mr. Cardenas could not have been more down-to-earth or open as he perfectly explained CARE´s mission here in Peru. He talked about CARE´s "holistic" approach to development. He continually referred to CARE´s goal of "helping people to help themselves."

Country Director Carlos Cardenas tells the Youth Corps about CARE's response to the earthquake in southern Peru.

"We are enablers not doers," he says. "We are about partnerships, about empowerment, about strengthening people's capacity for self-improvement." Mr. Cardenas encouraged us to learn about the CARE programs in Cajamarca not only by talking to the CARE staff, but more importantly, by talking to the beneficiaries of CARE's work, the hard working people within the local communities.

After Anna Weinberg asked an interesting question regarding CARE´s ability to maintain cultural sensitivity in a country so steeped in tradition and history, Mr. Cardenas told us an interesting story about health centers in central Peru. Their goal was to help provide better care for pregnant women and especially to deliver their babies in a safer environment. There were initial problems, however, because women weren't coming to the centers.

What local CARE workers quickly realized was that there is an ancient tradition where after birth, in order to give thanks to Pacha Mamma (Mother Earth) the placenta is buried in the ground. As soon as CARE realized the importance of this tradition, it was immediately adopted into the practices at the health centers and the local women then utilized the centers as a safer, and culturally sensitive place for pregnancy care. Mr. Cardenas also emphasized CARE´s natural ability to be culturally sensitive because 299 out of the 300 CARE Peru workers are Peruvian.

Mr. Cardenas ended his talk by updating us on the very recent efforts of CARE to help the victims of the earthquake. He told us that CARE had already sent hundreds of blankets, water containers, tools and tin roofing to the victims in the south. The seriousness of the earthquake is still being assessed and with every new piece of news, it's obvious that things are much worse than anybody can imagine. The affected area is almost completely disconnected because of disastrous road conditions and is basically only accessible by helicopter. CARE still awaits orders from the Peruvian government as to where and how our resources can be utilized most effectively amidst the incredible devastation.

Tired and hungry after our long and interesting day in Lima, we spent the evening at the local mall enjoying our last meal in relative modernity. We ate chicken with Mr. Cardenas and his family as we began to get excited to leave Lima on our 6 a.m. flight for the Cajamarca countryside.