Although we were a little sad to be splitting up, the early morning found the Youth Corps separated into three groups for the most important and invigorating section of our trip to Peru -- our time to live and work in some of the most rural areas of the country. Piling into trucks as the sun seeped out from behind the mountains, we went our separate ways to Cajabamba, Celendin, and the valley of Cajamarca.

The Youth Corps watches "la danza del diablo" -- the dance of the devil. All photos by Scott Gribble © CARE 2001.

Each group will be spending about a week in the campo, using the time to experience firsthand CARE's work in these rural areas. With sleeping bags and smiles, the Youth Corps took off for the mountain villages and as the writer for the trip, I first traveled with the group staying in Cajabamba: Becky Banc, Berenice Hernandez, Isley Markman and Jennifer Washington. Traveling with the rest of the creative team, I will spend the next week between the three regions in order to attempt to equally reflect the experience of the entire Youth Corps.

The mountains opened up in front of us with thrilling views and a dirt road that eventually brought us to Cajabamba after a bumpy four hours. We had no idea what awaited us in this secluded town, but as soon as we arrived, we were ushered into a town meeting in our honor. CARE has done a lot of work with the local government of this region. The mayor and other officials all made speeches welcoming us to their village.

Residents of Cajabamba pass out gifts of honey.

After being presented with small gifts, we walked outside the town hall to see that the local people had prepared a presentation of music and dance typical of their community. Children dressed like devils paraded across the main square, dancing with whips and flowers in what they called "la danza del diablo." A marching band sounded off behind them as people from the town shook our hands and gave us kisses and flowers.

CARE´s work in the region of Cajabamba has followed hand-in-hand with the long-term plan that the local government had established for the town. CARE´s micro-enterprise programs are especially active in the area, and we met a local honey maker who started his business with a loan and some market advice from the CARE Cajamarca staff. We thanked him for sweetening our day when he generously gave us many bottles of honey and he responded in Spanish, "No, I must thank CARE for everything. They supported me from the beginning."

Cajabamba's mayor, Wilson Posantes, addresses the Youth Corps members.

The mayor, Wilson Posantes, a passionate advocate for his town and his people, spent the day with us, teaching us about the area and answering all of our questions. He took us to a local school where the Youth Corps got an incredible opportunity to meet with the student leaders of the area. All about 14- or 15-years-old, these kids amazed us with their wit and intelligence.

They talked with the Youth Corps about their community, but were also very interested in the United States. They asked hard questions ranging from politics to religion to education, and it was thrilling to see such young leaders emerging from one of the poorest areas in the world. The girls from the Youth Corps exchanged e-mail addresses with these impressive kids, and it was obvious that with the recent introduction of the Internet to Cajabamba, there was much potential for further exchanges.

The celebration continued that evening by a bonfire, where we danced the night away with the local people and the students we had met earlier that day. They taught us many traditional dances and it was wonderfully exhausting learning the new rhythms of the traditional folk music.

Youth Corps members learn local dances and music by the bonfire.

Not quite ready for bed after the bonfire fiesta died down, we spent the rest of the night at a local disco where everyone got on the dance floor -- even the mayor. Tomorrow, after today's marvelous welcome to the region, the girls will be heading even further outside the city, going deeper into the mountains where CARE does much of its work.