First Annual Mother's Day Event

Even though it’s been five days...I’m still recuperating.  Last Friday was a REALLY special day for the village banking project and for me. On May 6^th we celebrated our First Annual Mother’s Day Event. Mother’s Day is one of the most important holidays celebrated in Peru… I’d even argue that it trumps Easter and Christmas. Because most of our village bank members are mothers and cherish their role as such, it was important that we honor them and provide them with an opportunity to laugh and have some fun.  For over  a month Ahidee ( our project coordinator) and Bertha (our bank promoter) have been hard at work, helping me create invitations, select a location, design decorations, organize indoor/outdoor competitions, select prizes and music, and hundred other things that are required when organizing such an event. Thanks to Bertha we were able to rent an indoor/outdoor recreation center located in the countryside of Otuzco, located 15 minutes from Cajamarca. After tallying the numbers, we had over 110 attendees that day. The best part was witnessing the various village banks participate in our indoor competitions. There was the Egg Run, the Sack Race, the Chicken Dance (yes!), the Yell Competition, and our infamous Balloon Bursting Competition. We ended the day with a healthy dose of soccer and volleyball. Overall, the event was a success. Our loan recipients laughed, played hard, celebrated with their village bank members, and had the opportunity to meet the other village banks for the second time.

As you can imagine word travels fast in Peru. I still don’t know who the culprit is but somebody spilled the beans that my birthday was on Friday. What that meant was besides the Birthday Cake and 12 village banks inviting me to a plate of food for lunch, I had to dance, sing, and hug and kiss everyone (all 110). It was really sweet and hands down, it was one of the most memorable birthdays ever! I’ve included some picture for your enjoyment!

~Des