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The mandate of Pure Art Foundation is to alleviate global poverty, especially among children, through various means, but in particular by providing education, fresh water, housing and healthcare. Our initiatives not only focus on Peru, but extend to many communities and areas of need, however this spring project focuses on Peru and the deserving people of the Amazon town of Pucallpa, whom we have visited annually for five years.  It marks the first full year of operation as a registered charity and our second trip with a volunteer group to this remote corner of the planet. Hope you enjoy the blog!

Pure Art’s last day in Pucallpa begins with a final visit to the building site of the Foundation’s #10 house in the CAST (Construct a Structure Today) program. This Pure Art/Linguapharm house was completed over the last week through the collaboration of all 21 volunteers from Canada on the Pure Art Peru 2012 trip. This accomplishment is shared with entire Pure Art team who together combined their individual skills and efforts to accomplish a primary objective of the mission…to build a home for a paralyzed woman and her family, elevating their existence to a place of dignity and hope through compassion and hard work.  Each volunteer contributed to this common goal despite the heat, humidity, rain and mosquitoes, through a myriad of tasks:  carrying bags of cement and pails of water, shovelling earth, throwing a pick-axe, mixing concrete for the floor, pushing wheel barrows, measuring, sawing, carrying wood, climbing ladders, nailing boards, painting, cleaning the site, fetching bottled water, playing with the children, comforting the family, speaking with the local media, and generally ensuring that all was in order with so much activity on hand throughout the week. See photo of the whole team!

We could not have accomplished this seven day goal without the guidance of our local on-site Pure Art representative, Padre Gerald, the industrious and invaluable four Peruvian construction workers as well as the helping hands of the local children and grateful family members themselves who pitched in.

After snapping a few photos to chronicle the CAST segment, now complete, we head off to the school to visit Pure Art sponsored children. The Children’s Contribution Program is a long-standing Pure Art initiative to provide education to as many students as possible in the spirit of “One School For All”! A visit to the local primary school reveals very proud and grateful smiles of the children, many of whom are supported by sponsors in Canada through generous repeat donations ensuring this kids stay in school and can dream of a promising future.

Leaving the school the group stops for a tour of the Human Rights office where pro-bono lawyers and staff  navigate the complex Peruvian judicial waters to help bring fair outcomes to many citizens who are regularly unjustly treated.

Next its off to the neighborhood “Comedor” a local after-school community centre where the children go to safely play and do homework with the guidance of community volunteers who also run a number of community initiatives during the day.
A lunch and special presentation giving thanks, is displayed by the students.

One of the most inspiring programs initiated by Pure Art is the special “sewing” program which empowers a group of local women to learn techniques and sew beautiful and practical clothing for local families.  Pure Art Foundation supplies the sewing machines and the women organize themselves to provide sew and sell quality products in sufficient quantity to help feed their families.
Due to the success of this project, a perfect example of sustainability in action,  Pure Art has pledged to build an actual ‘sewing centre’ which will be constructed in the coming year, providing safe shelter and work space for more women to join the sewing initiative and provide much needed income for this very poor community.

In the afternoon, as the day draws to a close, some members of the Pure Art team mobilize for one final visit at  a small shack on the corner, which an ailing elderly man calls home.

The afternoon rain enters his house from every corner of a leaky roof and this proud man still manages a smile, and without ever complaining once tells his story of how he has found himself in a predicament which requires immediate aid.  Through our wonderful translator, interpreter and humanitarian, Suzie Cote, we understand he has not asked for anything, and quickly realize that this is the perfect example of what a small, growing and imaginative foundation like Pure Art can do something about, and we commit.
Within a few weeks, steps will be in place for the construction of a Pure Art Foundation CAST house # 11 to begin.

A respectable dry home will become a reality, for a man who deserves to live his final years with human dignity. Watching him wave good by from his doorstep, amidst the falling rain, we know deep within that a real difference can be made in the lives of others and we are reminded that we have only just begun.

Thank You EVERYONE…for your own individual contribution to the success of Pure Art Peru 2012! We will always be grateful for the selfless acts of kindness and cooperation that you generously offered.
Pure Art Foundation is fully committed to changing communities globally and without prejudice, one child, one well, one home, wherever we can. Come join us and learn more, one day at a time, in the following blog of Pure Art Peru 2012!
This trip which began with one house has ended with the beginning of another through one simple act of kindness toward one lonely man. 
This is Pure Art: Compassion, Creativity and Consciousness.
The need are endless, the possibilities limitless, all we need to do is act.

A very busy day lies ahead for Pure Art back in Pucallpa today, requiring the split of the team into two groups. This morning, one group returns to the building site, organized and motivated to bring Pure Art / Linguapharm house #10 to as near completion as possible.

A second group moves deeper into the community focusing on future Pure Art projects planned in the coming year, including the building of a new health infirmary in extremely poor area, before stopping at a children’s orphanage.

But first stop on route is a return visit to a very grateful family (mother of triplets, one of whom is blind) to see the upkeep of one of the Pure Art home and determine next steps. We are delighted to see a beautiful mural painted on the interior walls, and the cleanliness of the home which is an example in the community of hope and possibility. Pure Art will provide electricity to the home next month, and construct a small extension to permit proper cooking facilities at the rear of the home, for this struggling family which as so little. The mother’s smile tells a story all in itself!

Next stop is the dilapidated house of mother of four children (one of whom has recently undergone surgery for cleft palate) where it is immediately apparent this family’s living conditions are in much need of improvement. Three of the four children are now enrolled in the Pure Art “One School For All” initiative and their structure is listed as a priority in the Pure Art CAST home program.

On the periphery of town, we visit the future site of a new Pure Art health initiative which will offer first-line care to over 500 of the most destitute families of the surrounding area. This project, initiated by three missionaries working on the ground in Pucallpa, will focus on providing basic health care to the most impoverished people in the community. A much needed and sustainable program which will be overseen and run by the local community will become a Pure Art priority.

Returning to town we stop at a children’s orphanage caring for many of Pucallpa’s “orphaned” young ranging from 2 months to 18 years old many of whom are left by their parents simply because they cannot afford to keep them.

After lunch the team splits up again, one group to the build site to complete the painting and the other to purchase food supplies for the Shipibo tribe we visited yesterday.
Due to extensive flooding in the Shipibo villages, there is little food for the families other than salty dry fish.  Pure Art purchases bags of rice, lentils, and other dry goods at the local markets in Pucallpa again this year, and arranges for pickup and delivery by boat to the villagers up river the following day.

One new development for the people of Nuevo San Juan is the purchase of a new cow!  In an effort to help relieve the short supply of food in this impoverished area two hours up river from Pucallpa, Pure Art arranges for the first cow to be taken by boat to the village. The hope is that other cows and bulls may be purchased through a new initiative that would see many additions like this one, into the welcome care of the people of San Juan.

As a long day draws to a close, the final Pure Art sponsored school children arrive from purchasing their uniforms for school and are happily photographed and entered into the database along with all the other grateful students, for their sponsors back home.
Finally, to end the day, on an emotional note, an inspirational young, single parent father who was paralyzed in a recent logging accident in the jungle last year, visited the mission to ensure his only child, a young boy of six , was entered into the Pure Art “One School for All”- Children’s Contribution program. An otherwise healthy man, but with no job and no means of paying for his son’s enrollment, the feeling of relief that his boy will start school with the other Pure Art children this year, was palpable by all in the room. The meeting underscored the importance of continuing our commitment to extend the school program to as many children as possible. Departing with his wheel-chair in the back of a friend’s motocart that night, eyes filled with gratitude, a busy Pure Art day in Pucallpa, had come to an end.

The Pure Art  Foundation CAST members mobilize in teams to tackle the days work.

Joined by the local children and their parents, the group continues to make strong headway on Pure Art house #10 and even get a start on the painting by mid morning.

The new brightly colored, golden wall shines bright in the afternoon sun and provides a true sense of accomplishment for the crew, as change in the area becomes more evident.

We are just in time for a visit from then Mayor of Pucallpa who shows public support for the efforts of Pure Art. Amidst  the media blitz from several local television and  newspaper publications, Señor,’Aalcade commits to taking a number of steps to not only help the family moving into this house, but help  integrate international initiatives like that of Pure Art into the community.

Mayor Alcade also visits the Hudson House with Bob and Leslie to see just how a Pure Art house will look when finished. He is impressed and pledges to do more to widen the ripple effect this Canadian Foundation has created.

Congratulations Bob and Leslie!

Finally with three sides up on the house, and only one go…it’s time to call it a day and  off to see the children enrolled in the One School For All program, through Pure Art Foundation in Canada.

The children’s Contribution Initiative evening has been prepared by a separate group of Pure Art volunteers during the afternoon and the families arrive at the mission to enroll their children for the 2012 year.

Photos are snapped and data stored in the database to ensure every school child is assured gift of education this year. Special letters from College Bourget’s children are given to each student enrolled in the program.

It’s beaming smiles and lots of hugs as over 160 children arrive on one evening to register with their sponsors back home in Canada. We are grateful to all who have supported the children this year.
You cannot imagine how happy you have made each one! Thank you!

http://www.impetu.pe/?p=16063

Be sure to click on the link above to view the local media news coverage in Peru this week!

For many families in Pucallpa Peru, living in their own home is a distant dream.
All this will begin to change this morning for one family, as the CAST members of Pure Art Foundation move onto the work site.

Today the Pure Art team works alongside family members with shovels, hammers and saws to make their dream a reality, one plank of wood at a time. It’s very hot and humid, but nothing slows the team down, as the next Pure Art home takes shape from the red earth. Mixing concrete,hauling water,driving nails…it’s all in a days work for the crew of volunteers who have traveled far for this opportunity to make a difference in their own way.

A pause for a quick group photo before  lunch break shows the team in good spirits !

Pure Art volunteers engaged the community at multiple levels, playing with children,conversing with family members and answering questions from the local Peruvian media who were intrigued by the Canadian group working in one of the poorest area of town.
By afternoon, Pure Art house #10 is well underway and a certain satisfaction of a job well done settles over the group. Finishing touches to the new cement floor which was laid today, will form the foundation of our work tomorrow. All is moving along to plan.

Its a thumbs up for all of the CAST members efforts today! Time to put the tools away and prepare for phase 2 tomorrow.

At an evening group dinner honoring the many local Pure Art volunteers who work tirelessly behind the scenes on the One School for All program, we are joined by a special guest,the Mayor of Pucallpa, Señor Alcade.

Pure Art members receive an official welcome from the Mayor and an individual certificate of participation for the humanitarian work being completed by the Foundation in the Pucallpa area.  The mayor acknowledges the importance of the Pure Art initiatives and emphasizes that together we can make a real difference in the lives of the people of Pucallpa.

In closing today, a special tribute to Tulio, the first young man to receive a Pure Art University scholarship award. Now in his second year, Pure Art pledges to continue to support his efforts as he dedicates his time to being the best he can be.

Be sure to visit us tomorrow to view the latest developments on Pure Art Casa #10 !

Preparation for the Pure Art work week continues as rain falls in Pucallpa. The  CAST team heads to the local hardware store for supplies, including hammers and rubber boots!

Its all smiles as the crew board the moto-carts to head off across town to identify new families for Pure Art homes and continue to grow the sustainable housing program which reaches more community members each year.

As waters rise with each downpour in the rainy season, flooding of low lying areas becomes more and more evident, emphasizing the need for proper concrete foundations to keep families healthy and dry at home.

Despite the rain, our visits are routinely met with welcoming hugs and open arms as the outpouring of gratitude and overwhelming sense of hope and compassion fills the air at each stop.

On one of the final visits of the afternoon, we are greeted by four young orphaned boys who live together in a crude shelter on the edge of town. These fellows are kindly sponsored by Bob and Leslie, who have introduced the gift of hope into their lives, by simply acting on their good intentions. No shortage of hugs here either!

Before the day is out, we continue our journey through the red mud of Pucallpa in search of those areas most in need. it is quickly obvious that many homes need immediate attention, and are entered into the books for potential sponsors to consider.

Inadequate roofing , outdoor kitchens and and interior earthen floors are a repetitive combination of elements that make for hazardous living conditions, especially in the lowest  areas where water accumulates and unhealthy living is common.

Heading home from a long day, Pure Art Foundation CAST members contemplate the experiences of the day and prepare to work together on the build site which will add one more dry home to this initiative by end of week.  Check back here for  more updates tomorrow!

Pure Art team unites with fellow travelers in Lima airport, bound for Pucallpa!

Everyone arrives safely and ready to begin our adventure tomorrow. Our local Pure Art representative meets us at the airport in the evening along with two CAST members who have been here all week completing final preparations for activities during the seven days ahead.

Please tune in and learn more as the team starts off on Day One tomorrow!