I've had the privilege of working with a group of awesome, initiative, go-getter snowboarders in the last 10 months, now down to the last few hours before take-off to Peru!
I wish I had the time to tell you how awesome this team is, or how awesome the work that is happening in Peru is... ideally both, but actually, it'll be none :( ! For now! I need to catch a few winks of sleep before heading to the airport in 4 hours.
For now, just as a little overview, there's a group of 9 snowboarders heading down, to a community in northern Peru, a shantytown on the outskirts of a bustling riverport town of Iquitos, a couple hours flight up from the capital city of Lima.
Iquitos, unfortunately, has suffered the worst flooding in 30 years this year....
HOPE International Development Agency is responding with relief and rehabilitation to provide families in the slum communities around Iquitos with emergency supplies like water containers for purifying the river water contaminated by sewage, that has flooded into their homes, and mosquito nets, medicines, and health and sanitation training to protect themselves against rapidly spreading water-borne disease. This is all happening against a backdrop of ongoing education support for at-risk children and youth. And some other cool things like honeybee keeping further into the rural areas.. which I am excited about only because I took a beekeeping course a few months ago! :)
Ok I'm diverging already. Well, a group of 9 enthusiastic snowboarders have come together to be part of this community for this next month, experiencing life alongside families... and helping to reconstruct a flood-damaged community center as well as build a floating garden raft (community's idea!) that will help them to take advantage of river space to increase the security of their food supply. It will serve as a kind of teaching garden for the community.
The snowboarders are also creating a bit of a movement to bring together the snowboarding community, and communities in need in the developing world. They've started a group called Beyond Boarding: Snowboarders making positive change... and have been working hard to learn about poverty & development, and how to respond effectively, and raising $7,500 for community projects in our host community. They're also set to make a film featuring professional snowboarding and our experiences in Peru!
And so we're off!! I don't know how much internet I'll have in Peru... likely not much. But stay tuned... I'm sure I'll have 12 stories I want to share by the time all is said and done (and then will come Day 2). :)
For now, check out this trailer for the Beyond Boarding. You're already invited to the premiere this fall. :)
Beyond Boarding Teaser from Lew Muir on Vimeo.
Hasta Peru!! :) (til Peru!)
xoxo
Rainbow
I wish I had the time to tell you how awesome this team is, or how awesome the work that is happening in Peru is... ideally both, but actually, it'll be none :( ! For now! I need to catch a few winks of sleep before heading to the airport in 4 hours.
For now, just as a little overview, there's a group of 9 snowboarders heading down, to a community in northern Peru, a shantytown on the outskirts of a bustling riverport town of Iquitos, a couple hours flight up from the capital city of Lima.
Iquitos, unfortunately, has suffered the worst flooding in 30 years this year....
HOPE International Development Agency is responding with relief and rehabilitation to provide families in the slum communities around Iquitos with emergency supplies like water containers for purifying the river water contaminated by sewage, that has flooded into their homes, and mosquito nets, medicines, and health and sanitation training to protect themselves against rapidly spreading water-borne disease. This is all happening against a backdrop of ongoing education support for at-risk children and youth. And some other cool things like honeybee keeping further into the rural areas.. which I am excited about only because I took a beekeeping course a few months ago! :)
Ok I'm diverging already. Well, a group of 9 enthusiastic snowboarders have come together to be part of this community for this next month, experiencing life alongside families... and helping to reconstruct a flood-damaged community center as well as build a floating garden raft (community's idea!) that will help them to take advantage of river space to increase the security of their food supply. It will serve as a kind of teaching garden for the community.
The snowboarders are also creating a bit of a movement to bring together the snowboarding community, and communities in need in the developing world. They've started a group called Beyond Boarding: Snowboarders making positive change... and have been working hard to learn about poverty & development, and how to respond effectively, and raising $7,500 for community projects in our host community. They're also set to make a film featuring professional snowboarding and our experiences in Peru!
And so we're off!! I don't know how much internet I'll have in Peru... likely not much. But stay tuned... I'm sure I'll have 12 stories I want to share by the time all is said and done (and then will come Day 2). :)
For now, check out this trailer for the Beyond Boarding. You're already invited to the premiere this fall. :)
Beyond Boarding Teaser from Lew Muir on Vimeo.
Hasta Peru!! :) (til Peru!)
xoxo
Rainbow
