Team Peru

Who Changes Who

January 27, 2012

I’ve been blessed to travel across East Africa twice, to trek through Southeast Asia and the island of Australia, but I continue to be surprised by the power the world has to change me.

Working with the women in Choquecancha has shown me once again what it is like to learn and grow in ways you might not think possible. I’ve watched women work together to increase their capacity to weave perfect textiles. I’ve watched them care for each other when one becomes old. I’ve seen women, young and old; carry pots of food, firewood and children all on their small backs. I learned to finish the knots on a traditional Incan textile, and felt the ache in my legs from the long walk to the nearest town. I struggled in Spanish and Quechua. I made friends with these women.

Out of all the things MIIS does to prepare you for a life working in development, they neglect to mention one small thing… you may come to a place, ready to create change, to implement your knowledge. To give a community the tools to better their lives and empower themselves, but as you work, and live, and eat, and talk, and see, the change becomes real, but the change is also in you. ~Alex Shaphren

Entry Filed under: BLOG,Community Health Team,Immersive Education. Posted in  BLOG ,Community Health Team ,Immersive Education Tags: Choquecancha, development, indigenous farmers, personal change, Peru, traditional textiles, women weavers, women's weaving.