Fieldnotes: Blogging on UNICEF's child survival work in the field

Jenna Bush is visiting UNICEF programs in Peru and blogging from the field. This is her first entry.

The low clouds hung over the mountains as we drove from the center of Cusco up the rolling hills to the rural village of Huancarcani. The two and a half-hour drive through winding cliffs to the elevated community which sits at 3,800 feet keeps the villagers isolated from the city life below. The village’s economy is the fifth poorest of the 1,831 municipalities in Peru. We have come for a full day in the village: first a meeting with local political figures, then to tour an innovative health center, and finally a visit to a children’s defense center.

We arrived at the traditional square to meet with the Association of Child Friendly Municipalities. With the decentralization of Peru more power and financial resources have come into the hands of municipalities around the country and UNICEF Peru has been there to help with the transition. UNICEF’s goal is to help these small local governments access and manage the funds supplied by the government with a result-based focus on human rights. They help these municipalities with their budgets and encourage them to spend in a way that will strengthen public health and education.

Three of these municipalities—Caicay, Colquepata, and Huancarcani—have come together to create the first ever Association of Child Friendly Municipalities. With UNICEF assistance, their philosophy is that by creating municipalities that focus on the welfare of children all people in their villages will profit.

In the meeting, Jose Patricio Mendoza, the mayor of Huancarani told me, “We hope to use funds for the government to help the kids of our village. Here in Huancarcani only 40% of all of the people are literate. There are no real professionals and none of our children have gone on to university. Many of our kids must walk 3-4 hours to get to school and this is not acceptable.”

UNICEF Peru supports this collaboration of municipalities and hopes that the association is a model for other municipalities to follow. They have strengthened their voices by joining together and are advocating for more funds from the government to help provide nutrition, education, health, and safety for their children.

And UNICEF Peru is helping them use the existing funds efficiently because as Jose Mendoza said, “All children no matter where they live deserve a good education and a chance for a successful future.”

After the meeting came to a close, and we were embraced with the traditional wraps and hats of the villages, we were escorted down the street to visit another UNICEF supported program, the Health Center of Huancarani. This innovative heath center has been supported by UNICEF Peru since the beginning. The health center is a place where pregnant indigenous women, many of whom live in remote villages miles away, can come and give birth in a way embraced by their culture.

Ten years ago, the health center was empty because the indigenous women of the community chose to give birth from their homes. The language barrier and the fact that the hospital promoted horizontal birth, a practice foreign to the women’s culture kept them away and in turn the maternal and child mortality rates were high.

The health center worked with women from the community and changed their policy to support the traditions of the indigenous women and advocated for vertical birth and other practices. On our visit, the health center was full of expecting mothers and mothers and toddlers returning for check ups.

We met with Yeri, a mother who was expecting her third child to come any day and we watched as a traditional doctor preformed the ancient birthing practices. We also spoke with the doctors about how now—since, many women use the clinic—the doctors are able to perform rapid HIV/AIDS test to prevent the spread of HIV from mother to child.

After her check up, Yeri lead us up a hill to the maternal waiting house, another UNICEF supported project. Yeri has been boarding in the house for the last week and will stay there until several weeks after she gives birth. Many of the patients including Yeri live hours from the clinic and by the time they are ready to give birth they are too far to make it in time.

Yeri boards here, adjacent to the clinic and receives check-ups daily so, that when her baby is ready she is close to the center and faces no threat of delivering at home, endangering herself and her child. Yeri smiled at me and squeezed my hand as we left. She seemed ready to give birth and at peace in the small home.

The last stop in Huracani was at a Communal Defense Center. We walked into the small wood room and were greeted by Ana and her daughter Xenia. Xenia immediately grabbed my hand and sat close to me on the wooden bench where she colored in her small note pad.

Her mother, Ana, lead the meeting and explained to us that the defense center is a place that works for child and women’s rights and the decrease of physical and sexual violence.

Ana told us how she and the other volunteers work traveling from home to home explaining to families their rights, conducting classes for children and parents, and documenting and protecting those who have faced abuse. Ana said, “There is a lot of sexual and physical violence in this community. Before the health center was created in 2002, I was overcome with despair for the children of the community. But women and children are learning their rights.” Right then Xenia’s small body leans in closer to me and it’s easy to see the inspiration for her mother’s tireless efforts.

As we are leaving, Ana hugs me and thanks UNICEF for their dedication in saving children’s lives. Before I go, I feel a tug on my shirt and Xenia, who is beaming, hands me a drawing of a little girl smiling.