Granadilla is one of the fruits that grows well in spots where the sierra (mountains) meets the selva (jungle).
Ben, Kyra and Genevieve are serving in Chanchamayo, a province northeast of Lima on the Amazonian side of the Andes. Chanchamayo is famous for its citrus and coffee production, as well as an abundance of wildlife in its steamy, jungle-like woods. Kyra and Genevieve are living in the town of San Ramón and Ben lives a short drive away in the city of La Merced.
Kyra is working at Clínica Elera, a private clinic in San Ramon that offers a wide variety of medical services and health screenings. Genevieve works at Puesto de Salud Naranjal, a small public health clinic in the more rural town of Naranjal. Ben is working at Fundo San José, a nature reserve and lodge dedicated to conservation and sustainable tourism.
Genevieve works at Puesto de Salud Naranjal — a small public health clinic in the tiny town of Naranjal. Genevieve does a health history for an incoming patient and takes his vitals. Genevieve keeps the files in order. Genevieve helps a patient back to the waiting area. Genevieve poses with the rest of the Naranjal team: Dr. Raziel Parraga and Don Lucio, the office manager of the clinic. Genevieve took us to one of her favorite spots in San Ramon — the bridge that leads into town, with the river rushing beneath and a view of the tree-covered mountains. Scott, Leah and Genevieve chat in front of Genevieve’s house. Scott and Aaron take a sniff of the fragrant limones from the tree outside of Genevieve’s house. Genevieve, her brother Rodrigo, and her mother Consuelo pose beneath the limón tree. We stopped for a little ice cream to cool us off in the afternoon. Ben shows us around the Fundo San José Ecolodge which sits on 43 hectares of land on the hills above La Merced.Ben stands next to one of the lime trees. Part of his work has been to clean up the area underneath the citrus trees so that the moisture that falls from the trees goes directly into the root system and doesn’t have to compete with other plants growing underneath. Ben has also been working in the reforestation of bamboo. Ben and Patrick pose at the top of the bamboo grove they have been maintaining. Patrick is a forestry engineer who is employed full time by Fundo San José and is Ben’s direct supervisor. These bamboo saplings will be planted by Ben next week. Coconut trees are being sprouted in the greenhouse for planting. They will be ready in about one month.Patrick points out the Chonta trees lining the path. Chonta palms are very important to the Amazonian community and have a wide variety of uses. Jacinto is the patriarch of the 16 sajinos that live at Fundo San José. The sajino, also known as the javelina or collared peccary, is a pig-like mammal that lives in the Amazon. Ben stands in his backyard with his parents, Rosemary and Adolfo, his sister Valery, his brother Esteban, and two of his cousins. Ben and Aaron enjoy the colorful plaza of La Merced. Clínica Elera, Kyra’s work place, is a private clinic that sees patients for a variety of conditions and also does physicals for employees of local businesses.Kyra performs an eye exam on Willy. This is one of the tasks she performs regularly. Kyra prepares paperwork for the next patient. Kyra’s least favorite job at the clinic — folding gauze squares. Adela, one of Kyra’s co-workers, shows her how to take three different types of waist measurements. Kyra looks in a patient’s ear during his work physical. Kyra waits for the next patient to arrive at the exam room. Kyra sits between her host father José Luis and her host mother, Marleni. Ben, Genevieve, Kyra and Willy enjoy some traditional food from the Selva.
