Cooking some of the food outside over wood fires - Photo: Fr Ed O'Connell
Warmi Huasi is a small NGO I set up with other Columbans and three professional women in 2003 to accompany families in poverty and especially children at risk. Over the years, one of the main problems faced by the women in San Benito was that, whilst they worked, their children were at risk. Warmi Huasi set up, with the help of the community, four homework clubs so that the children and adolescents have a safe place in which to be, in the afternoons, as well as receive help with their homework. Warmi Huasi also has a reading club and a library in the local State and secondary school so each student can read time in school.
In the midst of the fear of the virus and the worry of having no income to feed their families, some of the women showed their resilience.
Then the coronavirus arrived and all the families in San Benito and elsewhere in Peru were in lockdown from March 16 until June 30. Even today, all children and adolescents under 14 and those over 65 are still in lockdown whilst the adults are allowed out to work even though Peru still has on average 3,500 new cases each day with no sign of the downslope.
Now is the reality of massive unemployment. Many jobs have been lost, and others are slow starting up again. None of the San Benito mothers have been able to return yet.
In the midst of the fear of the virus and the worry of having no income to feed their families, some of the women showed their resilience. The mothers of three of the homework clubs got together, in each place, with their neighbors to start communal kitchens. By pooling their resources and giving quotas, they can feed their families and at the same time cut down on costs. A breakfast program has been functioning for years and now the women of San Benito are also preparing 50 lunchtime rations that cover 18 families, a total of 90 people being fed one meal daily.
The mothers meet every afternoon to plan meals for the next day. This communal kitchen, registered as a breakfast program receives supplies of oil and food stocks form the local municipality of Carabayllo monthly. The mothers take turns to prepare and cook the food, which is then collected by each family.
People practice social distancing while waiting in line - Photo: Fr Ed O'Connell
Los Cipreces is a small village of 65 families in a narrow gully to one side of the main township of San Benito. They have built community rooms, in one of which we normally have a homework club in the afternoons. Their situation is basic but they have great spirit.
I imagine that the number of rations will increase once the communal kitchens become more established and better known.
Parishes and Columban benefactors have assisted with supporting families and are working in solidarity with these mothers but more assistance is needed for these women to continue working tirelessly for these community kitchens to provide food for the hungry during this pandemic.
Columban Fr. Ed O’Connell lives and works in Peru.
