Kiya Survivors is one of Alma’s partner projects. We recently received updates on several of Kiya’s beneficiaries, read below to hear their stories. 
Amilcar is a 14-year-old boy who comes from the community of Misminay (about 10 kilometers from Maras). Amilcar has a problem with his legs and he cannot walk. He had an operation before, but because of a lack of physiotherapy, his condition deteriorated. We had an opportunity to admit him for an operation at the Kausay Wasi Clinic in Coya. They wanted to operate on him on the condition that we ensured intensive therapy for him. And this we did. Amilcar’s right leg was operated on. As he could not get therapy in Misminay, we provided him with a bed at our Hogar Arco Iris home, here in Urubamba. We also looked for a school so that he could continue studying and found the Misión America school. They had helped us in the past with students and this time they also offered us their support. Misión America does not only have rooms on the first floor, but they can also help Amilcar catch up with his schooling to the level of his classmates. After class, Amilcar comes to our Centro Arco Iris to have lunch and to receive his therapy every day. Amilcar is progressing very well with his studies and puts all of his strength into his therapy, even if it hurts, even if he is tired, even if it is unwillingly. We hope that they will be able to operate on his other leg very soon also, so that both legs can develop practically at the same time. After the operations and therapy, he will be able to walk. Perhaps with crutches, but he will be able to walk. He is also continuing and progressing with his schooling, which would allow him to study and work in the future, as any young boy of his age, including being able to look after his parents when they are older. Amilcar’s older brother, Albino, is also at our Hogar Arco Iris. Last December he completed secondary school and was looking for work. We found him work at a tourist restaurant here in Urubamba. We have also put him in our Hogar Arco Iris so that he can help Amilcar while he has the cast on and with his therapy. Albino helps his brother bathe and dress and is also a support for him while they are so far away from their parents. Albino works very well. He started washing dishes, but within a few weeks he was promoted and is now serving customers. He is earning money, part of which he gives to his parents, part of which he uses for himself, and he is saving the rest. If he saves enough, next year he wants to study (which he does not have the money for right now).
Amilcar wrote a letter of thanks to Alma:
Urubamba, April 13, 2014
Dear Alma, I’m writing this letter to thank all of you for the support and donations you have given me. I am very thankful and happy because this has helped me a lot and because I can keep studying.
I am recuperating and will walk again and this makes me very excited. I don’t know how to thank you enough. I appreciate you all so much and I hope that God always blesses you and gives you and your families many more years of life. I say goodbye hoping that I can see you all again and that you visit me when you come to Peru.
I will never forget you. Thank you.
Amilcar Meza Mayhua
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Marina is 12 years old and has Sterge-Webber syndrome, which affects her brain and her body. She has birthmarks all over her body; she does not speak, read, write or walk. Last year we found her hidden in her house. We put her in our Centro Arco Iris, so that she can receive some type of stimulation (education and physiotherapy) and a basic level of nutrition. We also work with her parents (especially her mother; it is difficult with her father because he is an alcoholic and we almost never find him at home) to sensitize them to Marina’s disability. Marina’s family lives in extreme poverty. Both parents do not work and the father is an alcoholic. He spends all the family’s money on alcohol. The mother struggles every day to find money; they do not have much in their house. They do not have much knowledge about hygiene.
One of the things that was lacking was a clean bed for Marina. What she was sleeping on could hardly be called a bed and her father often sleeps there too. That is why we bought a bed for Marina. We are working on the following plan: the parents are going to get married so that when the father dies, the children will have a right to inherit the land. We would also like to find the mother a job and, if necessary, a small house in Urubamba. There are many more possibilities for the mother to work in Urubamba, where her children can attend public school and Marina can continue receiving care at Centro Arco Iris. The three children can have lunch at the centre to improve their level of nutrition.
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Tomás’s family is part of the Proyecto de Vida project and Tomás attends CEBE Arco Iris where he is receiving an education and therapy.
The family in general is in the monitoring phase, but this year we feel that it is necessary to visit them more often, especially with respect to the level of hygiene and Tomás’s absence from classes. We are also taking Tomás to the Kausay Wasi Clinic during the orthopedic campaign, as Tomás has a problem with his leg. He was diagnosed, however, and an operation would not help him (he walks fairly well). What he needs is therapy, which he receives when he is at the Centro Arco Iris.
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David is 16 years of age and has cerebral palsy. His legs and his back are deformed. As a result, he cannot walk or sit up straight. He lives with his mother, siblings and grandmother in a community that is very far from Patacancha (Ollantaytambo). It is a very remote community, where there is no transportation, electricity or water, where families live in extreme poverty.
We have attempted to travel there, but were not able to as the road is pure mud and very steep. During the orthopedic campaign, we took David to the Kausay Wasi Clinic, where he was examined. An operation can help David, but he is very malnourished. He is 16 years old and does weighs no more than 18 kilos. In this condition an operation would be very risky for him. Also, the operation would only be helpful for him if he can get very intensive therapy afterward, which he cannot receive in the community where he lives.
Now David has to boost his strength and gain weight. After, when he is strong enough, they can operate on him. And we will look for a place where he can stay with his mother during the months that he needs therapy, if not permanent, if we find work here for his mother. David’s father abandoned him and his mother when he was born. His father is living with his new spouse and daughter Ollantaytambo.
Iris, our social worker, was at DEMUNA [Office of the Ombudsman for Children and Adolescents] and arranged for the father to have to support his son.
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Jeffrey is an 11-year-old boy who lives with his parents and two little sisters (aged 6 and 2 years) in the community of Huallyabamba, located between Urubamba and Calca. Jeffrey has language problems. He can speak, but when he gets nervous or something is happening, he can no longer say anything. Jeffrey’s mother sought help with the organization Corazones para Perú. But they sent him to our centre. His mother visited us and from that conversation, it appeared that there are a lot of problems in the family. The most urgent problem is the alcoholism and violence of the father. However, it is difficult to help someone when they do not want help or when they do not recognize the problem. Our psychologist is working with him, but so far we are not making much progress. The psychologist is also working with the mother and the three children, and much progress has been made with them. The physiotherapist is also working with Jeffrey, also with good results.
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Albino is a nine-year-old boy who lives in Ccotohuincho. His mother came to us because her son drinks a lot of alcohol. When we spoke with her, it appeared that there are many more problems in the home. The mother has three children (aged 9, 6 and 1). They live with their grandmother, uncles and cousins, and the mother’s current spouse. Albino’s father and his six-year-old sister live in Santa Teresa. The father wants his children to live with him, but the mother wants them with her. The daughter is with her now; Albino is still with his father. His mother lives in extreme poverty.
The house is very small, unhygienic in every aspect, and the family’s income is very limited. We are helping the mother and her spouse organize their home. Using a notebook, they are tracking all their family income and expenses. Before the mother would waste a lot of money (for example, buying sweets and soft drinks for her young child instead of food for lunch) and that is why her spouse did not entrust her with the money. Now she is changing.
We were unable to work with Albino because he is living with his father. We hope at least to improve the situation at his mother’s house for the time being. Another problem that we found is that the mother’s younger sister was raped at the house when she was alone. Our social worker helped her make a report and the psychologist is giving her therapy sessions.