Mañakuway ninmi Diosqa, ñoqan uyarisqayki

Christmas for everyone

The disadvantaged Andean populated is Diospi Suyana’s main target group.  We often think about the poor Quechua children and their ill parents and grandparents.  Yesterday, on the first of Advent, teacher Isolina and her fifth grade pupils turned their attention to a seldom-talked-about, marginal group of society: the 60-plus.

What motivated the selfless teacher, who came to Curahuasi directly from an upper class private school in Lima, to such an act of charity and love?

On her way home she passes several old Quechua-ladies sitting in front of their homes staring emptily into space, as if they were waiting for someone to pick them up, but that someone had not come for years.  These aged-looking women, as fragile as glass, also yearn for love.  If one looks into their eyes, they normally greet you in a friendly manner and one notices that a simple greeting brings them great joy.  Some of them might have more than ten children, since when they were young children were seen as the best old-age pension.  50 years ago none of the Curahuasinos even considered the concept of rural depopulation.  But today, since many of their children head to the bigger cities in order to find ‘the better life’, the older generation remain alone; their old-age pension – adios!

So much to the background – let’s take some action:

Yesterday our fifth grade pupils headed out and picked up every older man and woman from their houses and brought the “Abuelitos/as“ (grandpapas and grandmamas) to the Diospi-Suyana-School.  They were asked to sit down at a banquet table decorated fit for a king and then enjoyed an exquisite meal.  Each of them had two pupils to wait on them.  Isolina took care of the cooking.  Since most of the VIPs only speak Quechua, the Christmas story was read from a Quechua translation of St. Luke’s Gospel.  Afterwards the children sang a Quechua song: “Mañakuway ninmi Diosqa, ñoqan uyarisqayki“ – “Call upon me”, says the Lord, “I will gladly hear you!” (Jeremiah 33,3).  The children did not only sing these words, but perhaps for some of our VIP guests, they were an answer to prayer. /DC

Issuing personal invitations on the streets.
Only the red carpet is missing.
The banquet table. A healthy and delicious meal is laid on.
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