Audrée Lacombe-Pruneau is the daughter of Louise Lacombe, a member of the Montérégie Local for many years. A donation from the Union of Taxation Employees (UTE) was offered in order to assist Audrée in undertaking a humanitarian trip to the town of Pisco, Peru from February 20 to March 6, 2009. The project's goal was to build a community center. She lived with local families. Here is her story:
TRIP TO PERU
by
Audrée Lacombe-Pruneau
February 20 to March 6, 2009
Today I would like to write a few words about a memorable experience. This project has allowed to see a great deal, and to learn about myself and others. Villa Maria school has given me a chance to challenge myself, become more open to the plight of others, and learn to share while improving the quality of life of other people on this Earth.
 This trip was the experience of a lifetime! I loved helping to build the community centre. I realized how big the gap is between rich and poor people in the region. People from the town of Pisco live simply, and make do the best they can with what they have. Family and mutual assistance are two essential values for them. Before going to Peru I knew there was poverty in the world, but I didn’t realize how bad it could be. The trip made me aware that there are people in the world in genuine need of assistance. What touched me the most was their love and generosity. Our host families treated us as though we were their own children. They showed me that love is the key to happiness. Pisco is a small town with a big heart.
The word that best describes my trip is "vivir", or "live". I learned to take my time… to discover, to understand, to appreciate and to love. This cultural sharing experience taught me about my host country, but most of all, it taught me about myself and what is truly important in life.
In conclusion, I hope to undertake similar challenges in future, and to inspire others to do the same.
When we arrived in Pisco, everyone in town was there to greet us. They put on a dance performance to welcome us, and we met our host families for the first time.
From Monday to Friday, our work day consisted of being awoken at 7 a.m. by the neighbour’s rooster, having breakfast, getting dressed and going to the project site. Of course, we did not work all day in the full heat of the sun. There were two teams, one for the morning and one for the afternoon.
In our free time we always played soccer with the town’s young people, who told us about their traditions and culture.
On weekends off (after two solid weeks of work), we stayed in a hotel in the desert where we had a chance to go four-wheeling and "sandboarding".
Here are the results of our work:
Though we did not finish the community centre, we did a great deal to help the local residents and they were very grateful. Since we were a group of 16 female students from Villa Maria school, the women of the town said we had helped them see that women too have a place in society, and that they will strive to take their rightful place in the community.
A big THANK YOU to UTE!
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