By Tessa Okell, Assistant Manager - Projects Abroad Peru

We are writing to you as past Projects Abroad volunteers to let you know a little more about the situation regarding the emergency here in the Sacred Valley.

Foreign press have been focusing on the evacuation of tourists from Machu Picchu due to the severe damage caused by floods and landslides in the Cusco region. However, the experience of these tourists being air-lifted out has no comparison with the atrocities locals in the Sacred Valley and southern Cusco valley have had to endure. Over 13, 000 houses were swept away and more than 60,000 people have been directly affected by the flooding. In the normal rainy season the Vilcanota river has a volume of between 600 and 800 m³ but now 1100 m³ a second was measured. Thirteen bridges over the river have been destroyed which makes logistics very difficult. Hundreds of hectares of corn crops have been ruined and this will cause serious economical setbacks for hundreds of families in the coming year. Many of our partner organisations, host families and even colleagues were directly affected by this force of nature. Local communities organised themselves with group kitchens and received basic food supplies and started cleaning the rubble of their houses, but these efforts lack co-ordination and there is no sign of any major reconstruction or rebuilding effort by national or regional authorities. The lack of leadership and organisation in most districts is obvious and disheartening. Projects Abroad has co-ordinated with some emergency committees in helping out in the following ways:

1. Complementing the basic food stock with fresh produce like tomatoes, onions, eggs, oranges etc. in the most remote affected communities.

2. Offering temporary work in the cleaning and sanitation efforts.

3. Psychological and social support for the affected families.

The many different realities in the communities require a wide range of strategies and obviously more help is needed. We already received some financial support and Projects Abroad has kindly sent a $5000 donation.

If you would like to make a donation, you can send contributions to Projects Abroad – just ring up the appropriate number below with your credit or debit card and say that this is for the Peru Fund. We guarantee that all the money will go straight into emergency projects after the floods. If you wish to donate from another country not listed below, please email info@projects-abroad.co.uk with your name, country and phone number and a member of staff will call you back.

Australia: +61 8 8410 8881

Canada: +1 877 921 9666

Denmark: + 45 (0)36960814

France: +33 (0)476 634949

Germany: +49 (0)30 23457223

Italy: +39 (0)810605507

Netherlands: +31 (0)786 131356

USA: +1 888 839 3535