Photo: Émilie Guillot

Earlier this month, dozens of Peruvian teenagers attended workshops conducted by Collège François-Xavier-Garneau students in a shanty town near Lima. These activities were part of a cultural and humanitarian trip organized by "Alternative de Vie et Éveil Social" (AVES), a Quebec city-based organisation.

Ask for a taxi drive to Collique, a shanty town in the suburban area of Lima, Peru, and watch the driver's reaction; chances are he will refuse to get you there, or he'll ask for twice the regular wage. Admittedly, the valley of Collique is known as a neighbourhood one may prefer to avoid. Yet from May 30th to June 16th, it was a place called home for twenty-one students and two teachers from Collège François-Xavier-Garneau. Accompanied by Steve Lemoine, who works for the Quebec city-based organisation "Alternative de Vie et Éveil Social" (AVES) that organized the trip, they engaged in a unique cultural and humanitarian journey.

Students visited Cusco and the Machu Picchu, but it was not until they reached Collique that they could truly grasp a part of many Peruvians' lives. Each member of the group was welcomed into a local family for fifteen days, during which he or she faced a very different reality.

Problems such as malnutrition, domestic violence and teenage pregnancy prevail in many areas of the shanty town. Those who are lucky enough to access tap water can only do so from 6 to 9 p.m. In the highest zones of the valley, a tank truck goes from house to house, but families often lack money to buy enough water.

Despite these difficult conditions, many students noted positive aspects around the neighbourhood. "People are hopeful. They strive to improve their houses and their lives," mentions Alice Daigle-Roy, 17, an International Baccalaureate student at Garneau.

And there is "Ayni Dessarollo" ("Solidarity Development" in English). Founded in 1999, the organisation supports fifteen women groups that promote anything from sexual health to women's rights. "For many of these women, being involved is a form of help in itself. They gain confidence while learning about resources available," says Maria America Tafur Campos who willingly works 13 days out of 14, year-round, for the organisation. Eleven Garneau students worked on issues related to Ayni's activities as they conducted workshops for local teenagers and staged a show with youth groups.

Ten other students worked in "casitas", kindergartens created to provide basic education to Collique children. The task is hard for educators, who get about $3 a day to teach Spanish, History and English (it is taught as a second language and mostly used in the tourism business) to more than 15 pupils. "I do it for the children's smiles," admits Maria, a local educator. "The pay is definitely the hardest part of my job."

In the end, students did not feel they had made a huge concrete difference on the field, but they knew that the greatest benefits are sometimes invisible. Throughout the journey, warm discussions unfolded and unbreakable links developed. Such exchanges brought hope to the community, and proved to be beneficial for visitors, too. Mélanie Rioux, 19, was profoundly moved by the people she met. "I'm really glad they were generous enough to let me in for a little peek," she says. "I felt part of their world."