Ayacucho Update by Teresa Roark

Dustin and I are finishing up an amazing internship with FINCA Peru Exports in Ayacucho, Peru. FINCA Peru exports is an export business completely run by interns and volunteers. We have gotten the opportunity to be involved in all aspects of trying to start and run a fair trade business. One of our biggest accomplishments has been developing a brand new website which should be up by April 18^th at the absolute latest. You can visit it and see all of the exceptional art that is produced in Ayacucho at http://www.fincaperuexports.org. We have learned a great deal about challenges and rewards that can be found in this area of work.

One of the best parts of the internship has getting to know the artisans we represent. Each one has a story that motivates us to continue the good fight. Most Sundays we eat lunch with Timotea, one of our associates. Next week Dustin and I are going to become the godparents of two of the cutest Peruvian children we have ever met.

Ayacucho is a fascinating and beautiful place. Located in the central highlands of Peru we are surrounded by

impressive rolling mountains. The area is one of the poorest in Peru and was devastated by the Shinning Path guerilla movement of the 1980s. All of the artisans we work with have vivid memories of this time. Hearing what they went through and seeing the hardships they continue to face have had a lasting impression on both of us.

Currently Ayacucho is tranquil and safe. The town is known for its many festivals. We were lucky enough to be here for both the Carnival celebrations as well as Holy Week. Carnival was a particularly memorable experience. FINCA Peru, one of the largest micro finance banks in Peru, invited us to join their “comparsa.” We dressed as traditional “Huamanguinos” and spent an afternoon dancing and singing in a mixture of Spanish and Quechua, the local indigenous language. After a long afternoon we returned to the office to celebrate with a party that lasted well into the night.

Dustin and I have discussed how amazing this experience has been for both of us. We are both in love with Ayacucho and cannot remember a happier time in our lives. We could not ask for more