AYACUCHO, Peru (May 13, 2002) - Eighty-one-year-old Ann Killen is retired, but this Nantucket native has no intention of slowing down. Living in Europe during World War II and exploring more than 70 countries since has taught her about life, death, struggle and opportunity in an ever-shrinking world.

"Travel for me is like being on the bridge of a fantastic learning voyage," says Killen, one of those people who can manage a smile at 7 o'clock in the morning. "When you get out and witness the world firsthand, you realize that everyone is connected in some way."

Forsaking a luxury liner for a single bed and simple food, Killen’s recent adventure took her through rugged highlands and sweeping valleys to the town of Ayacucho in southern Peru. Serving three weeks as a volunteer with CARE Corps, a new program offered by the international humanitarian organization CARE, Killen worked side-by-side with local women caring for orphan babies. She also visited community projects designed to reduce poverty.

Through the CARE Corps experience, volunteers get hands-on exposure to various assistance and development activities. By working in orphanages and kitchens and hearing people’s stories, they gain a deeper understanding of the underlying problems and challenges faced by rural Peruvians. They then progress to visit and learn from communities working to solve their own problems by building water systems, increasing access to education and training mothers about prevention and treatment of basic illnesses like diarrhea and pneumonia.

"The trips are aimed at vacationers who want to come back with something deeper than a tan," says Shelby French, CARE Corps coordinator. "More and more these days, we are finding that people are looking for a more stimulating hands-on experience with unique cultures and lifestyles. They want to go away on vacation and learn something. They want to say it made a difference in them."

And it’s not just retired folks who set out on this adventure. The seven other volunteers in Killen’s group, from California to North Carolina, ranged from ages 18 to 39. All spent three weeks in various projects in Ayacucho.

Easter week processions in Ayacucho demonstrate Peruvian culture and tradition.

No one will ever mistake Ayacucho, the second poorest part of the country, for a tourist Mecca. The rusting skeletons of long-forgotten cars sit just off the two-lane main highway. Flocks of sheep and llamas routinely stop traffic -- what little there is -- as they scamper across the road. So do farmers driving crude horse-drawn carts laden with fruits and vegetables.

This farming hamlet is slowly emerging from the long shadow cast by the the Sendero Luminoso, (Shining Path) a terrorist faction that during the 1980s and early 1990s, tried to forcibly enlist villagers in its fight against the government. Army forces fought back, trying to root out the rebels and their sympathizers. In all, at least 30,000 people were killed and thousands more remain unaccounted for. The violence has since dissipated, leaving a quiet hush over the local people.

Today, locals are telling their stories for the first time and seeking closure as President Alejandro Toledo’s recently formed truth commission takes their testimony on the violent era. And volunteers like Killen are witnessing this historic process firsthand.

"It seems so peaceful here, and the people are very friendly. Walking around, you wouldn’t know all this had happened just a short time ago," says Killen, perched in a balcony seat overlooking the town’s annual Easter Week festivities. "But it’s obvious when you talk to the people and the tears start flowing, that the trauma they survived will never go away. Then you realize why there are so many orphans and why there is so much poverty in Ayacucho."

For the orphanage staff Killen is assisting, days are consumed by cleaning, clothing, feeding and diapering and then washing the clothes, dishes and diapers. The children here typically receive limited one-on-one attention. Killen is helping fill that void.

At Killen’s foot, an infant girl looks up at her with big, bright eyes as she sways a baby boy to sleep in her arms.
"Do you need a fresh diaper?" she asks the girl, using universal puckered-lip baby talk. "You know, I haven’t changed a diaper in 20 years, so you’ll have to be patient with me."

Valerie Faillace, 25, shares a quiet moment with local women.

For Killen, this is not just a volunteer vacation attraction, but an actual look into the lives of people who suffered through years of terrorism and who are trying to escape the grip of poverty.

"If they are given the right opportunities, these children will grow up to be the teachers and business owners of their country," she says. "They’re going to live in and have an impact on the same world my grandchildren live in. I want that world to be a good world."

But opportunity has been missing in Ayacucho, where 50 percent of women between the ages of 15 and 50 are illiterate (compared to 18 percent nationally) and most rural families don’t have access to quality health and education services, clean drinking water or adequate food.

CARE Corps volunteer Valerie Faillace, a 25-year-old financial analyst from San Francisco, spent her mornings in Ayacucho helping six women in a hot kitchen prepare lunch for 120 school kids. The kids pay 10 soles a month — about $3 — to eat there.

"Most of these children live with their grandparents. Their parents were killed by the Sendero," says Faillace, who for an hour after lunch teaches English phrases to the kids. "I’m amazed at the resilience of everyone I’ve met in Ayacucho. They all have unique stories and they’re working hard to get on with their lives."

The kitchen’s supervisor, Doña Maria, told Faillace how one night she was restrained as the Sendero dragged her husband from their home and set him on fire. He died in the street. She was left to care for her six children.

"He did nothing wrong. He was a hard worker," says Doña Maria, wiping the tears from her eyes with shaky hands. "So many people died for no reason."

"Just surviving after what they’ve been through is a brave thing," Faillace says. "And that’s the story not often told. It’s given me a whole new perspective on life."

All the volunteers in this group said that they would do it all over again. Like other volunteers who have come before them, they say the experience and memories will serve as reminders to appreciate the things often taken for granted like clean water, health services, education and security. And also as a reminder that these things often aren’t available for most people of the world.

"Showing up briefly to work in a poor community and learn about the underlying causes of poverty might not make a dent in places where there is a world of need," concedes French, the CARE Corps coordinator, who is in Ayacucho evaluating the impact of the volunteers. "But," she adds, "if you’re part of a team of eight or 10 or 15 people, and you’re part of an organization that returns time and again to the same location, you’re a vital link in a long chain of people making a difference."

For more information on CARE Corps, please visit www.carecorpsperu.org or call 1-877-CARE-VOL.