We've arrived in Cusco, Peru and have been staying with and learning about CCAIJO. CCAIJO is a Jesuit group committed to helping communities of what we would call in English peasants. We have visited three CCAIJO houses in the districts of Andahuaylillas, Occongate, and Ccatca.

On Wednesday we visited the house of CCAIJO in Ocongate. Juan Carlos, our guide gave us a tour of the facilities. The work they were doing was simply amazing. We toured the classrooms where free sewing machine and computer classes were given to women and children of nearby communities. They also ran a bakery where bread and pastries were made and distributed to local stores to help feed the people (we bought some and it is delicious).

The thing that struck me the most was the nursery for pine trees. Each tree was hand planted and grown until old enough to be moved to the hillsides. We drove around the hillsides meeting people of the community and saw the result of the CCAIJO's tree planting. CCAIJO has planted so far 20 million trees. I wish I could post the pictures I took because it is amazing. The trees were covering hillsides all over.

Now my point, back when we visited Ate in Lima, we met the mayor of Ate who gave a discussion of how the local government is helping their people. One major point was that the government was planting trees along the mountains in Ate to secure the soil and beautify the city. There is one major difference, we saw trees planted on one half of one mountain. Here in Cusco the trees cover the hillsides.

We have met the people who work at each of the houses of CCAIJO. The house in Andahuaylillas had only three people working. The house in Ccatca has four people. From what we have seen so far, the work of  CCAIJO has accomplished much more than the government in Ate. The differences are appalling.

CCAIJO works by engaging the people in the community. People know when the planting season is and visit CCAIJO to get trees. One man we visited singlehandedly planted near 1400 trees himself to re-forest his land.

Additionally they teach nutrition classes for free and physically visit homes of the community to help build improved houses. They taught people how to build improved kitchens complete with stoves and ovens that vent smoke outside and even ecological refrigerators. When they build these they have the homeowner with them. This way if it breaks they can fix it themselves and can also help neighbors build their own.

One thing I have to make clear is that the community people fund their own projects. CCAIJO simply facilitates them. In my opinion this is what government should be like; Less bureaucracy and move work done. We visited a large rain water reservoir outside one village yesterday. The people of the village pay for the water and the profits go back to maintaining the reservoir. A committee of villages, elected by vote every two years, is in charge of the maintenance and money. CCAIJO helped facilitate this project. If government worked more like CCAIJO, maybe we would see improvements occurring more quickly and a better community.