WFP in Peru-Making a Difference

When I think of the most typical WFP operations, I think of programs in which food is provided to ensure that people survive until tomorrow and WFP food is the only food people have available. The programs we saw this week were not the typical WFP programs. They provided so much more: training and projects to help improve people’s lives.

This morning, we climbed high into the mountains again, this time to visit a man-made lagoon that helps people in local communities harvest rainwater. Without the lagoon, these families have water only five months or so out of the year. With the help of WFP and ABA, a local, non-governmental partner, the construction of these lagoons has ensured that people in the towns near Union Potrero have access to water for themselves and their animals throughout the entire year. They have even begun installing irrigation systems on their farms to make better use of the water and increase their harvests!

At the lagoon, we were joined by ABA and WFP staff, along with many of the villagers from Union Potrero. We got to watch and participate in a water blessing ceremony, very similar to the agriculture ceremony Meredith discussed in her latest blog post.

As the leader of the community stepped up to speak, he explained that when they first had the idea of creating the lagoon water reservoir, nobody believed it could succeed. The idea of building a lagoon with walls made of stone and land, rather than cement, seemed like an impossible idea. But they didn’t give up and even began building it themselves, using their bare hands to scrape away the land to create a large hole. This was extremely difficult work.

Luckily, WFP and ABA came along and offered their support for the project. Together with the villagers, they brought in machinery to dig out the lagoon and then worked with the community to perfect it and maintain it while it filled with water from the rainy season. In exchange for their work on this project, WFP provides food assistance to families that supplements their regular diets.

I am just so fascinated by the large scope of the WFP projects we have seen on this trip. Not only do families receive food, but they learn the skills needed to sustain themselves.

Jessica Lennon
Communications Assistant
Friends of WFP