JUMP Health Promoters

After two years you start wondering, what it is that you have done? Where did the two years go?

I posted this video because this is where our time went: the kids - working week in, week out together as JUMP (Youth United and Motivated for Progress) Health Promoters.

We first trained them, and then as promoters, together we painted murals, gave workshops to peers on hygiene, nutrition, sexual health, alcoholism, held health campaigns, promoted vegetable consumption, put on theater presentations, road hundreds of combis, ate refrigerios, frustrated each other and laughed. From March 2011 we have met almost every single Saturday at 10 a.m. in either Jangas or Marcará.

To celebrate our service together we all took the kids to the Playa de Tortugas (the same ol' trustworth Ancash Beach!). The kids got to be kids, and we got to be kids too. We visited the beach, for a few of the teenagers, their first time in the Pacific and ate ceviche together (thank you George W. Bush - Matthew you should get this reference).

At the hostal, Kyle, Johanna and I cooked pasta and red sauce and then as a treat chocolate fondue! We then played a spirited game of UNO (we're still friends...) and the next day held a sexual health campaign in the Casma Plaza.

Fortunately, the relationships will not end when Kyle and I leave Ancash in August. Peace Corps has gone new age. Dad's community kids banged on his door, my Jangasino friends still do this (occasionally at 6 a.m...) but nowadays the kids hit me up as soon as I get on facebook, bombarding me w/ chats, uploaded images, friend requests and the rest of the 21st century friendship jargon.

I pretend to be annoyed by it, but I'm really happy and always love to chat for a few minutes. The kids plan to keep the group going by themselves and in coordination with outstanding Lima host family sister PCV Ali Foley and our mentors Liz and Miguel.  Together these young adults will make a big difference in their communities and in their country.

 I can't imagine a better use of two years.

                                   ¡After a year+ of hard work together - celebrating at the Playa!