Driving in the mountains from Cajamarca to Celendin.

After a picturesque three-hour drive through the lush, green mountains of the Cajamarca province, Youth Corps members Carlos, Elisa and Erica arrive in the village of Vigaspampa for their first glimpse of CARE's work in the region. Amilcar Rohr, the son of CARE-Peru Country Director Beat Rohr, joins them. Today, the villagers are learning how to treat straw with molasses and fertilizer, so that it will have enough nutrition to sustain their animals during the long, dry season from May through September.

Immediately, Erica picks up a machete and begins to help the villagers chop the straw. Soon, the other Youth Corps members join her while the villagers watch in amazement.

Children from the CARE project "Niņos," a child nutrition project in Vigaspampa.

Students from the local school come to see what the Corps members are doing. These students, in third through sixth grades, are learning about health and nutrition through a CARE project called "Niņos." One-hundred students attend this school, which has only two teachers. These children are the lucky ones, since many families in this region depend on their children to work and raise younger siblings. For many poor families, school is a luxury they simply cannot afford.

"At 3 or 4-years-old, many children have to begin working in the fields or at home with their parents, and at 5 or 6, they often have to work alone," says Ulises Bazan, a CARE Cajamarca staff member who is accompanying the Corps members on their trip. "You see a bit of sadness in their faces because they have a very difficult life."

The students give the Youth Corps members the gift of several beautiful songs they learned especially for this occasion. The Corps members then reciprocate by singing several traditional American children's songs, such as "Old McDonald" and "B-I-N-G-O."

Youth Corps members meet with local officials in Celendin.

"I like how the entire community got together to work for the benefit of everyone," Carlos remarks.

"I love how the kids were singing," Elisa adds. "It is wonderful (to see) how they are able to make the work fun. It reminds me of a barn-raising."

The next stop of the day is the village of Celendin, where the Corps members meet with the lieutenant mayor, the chief of police, the village administrator and other local officials. These officials receive the Youth Corps members as dignitaries and thank them for the work that CARE is doing in this region.

"There are many parts of Peru that need so much help," explains lieutenant mayor Zenon Chavez to the Youth Corps members. "I hope that after this visit, you can be the voices that communicate this need to the people of your country."

Youth Corps members and a CARE-Cajamarca staff member talk with CARE Youth Corps Promoters in Celendin.

After a friendly chat and a snack with the officials, the Youth Corps members are whisked away to a local school where a group of CARE Youth Health Promoters eagerly await their arrival. The promoters are teaching health, nutrition and disease prevention to about 30 children, ages 12 and 13. Then they ask the children to share this information with their families and friends.

The students then ask the Corps members several questions about why they are in Peru, but the subject changes rapidly, and they begin to ask the Americans what life is like for a teenager in the United States. This is the first time they have met anyone from the U.S., and the Peruvian students gleefully devour every morsel of information they hear.

In fact, the local students are so impressed with their distinguished guests that they ask the Corps members for their autographs and unabashedly give each one hugs and kisses. When the Youth Corps members leave, the students chase their car down the street, begging their new friends not to go.

"I felt like we were movie stars," Carlos says. "When they asked us for our autographs and chased our car...it was a truly overwhelming feeling."

"Meeting with the mayor made us feel important, but meeting with the students made us feel like we were one of them," Erica adds. "It was a truly incredible day."

Continue to Day 2