At the end of July 2009, I took a short trip to three Peruvian highland communities with RUFADA. At the time, I was working in Cusco and studying indigenous development, but I found it incredibly difficult to learn about rural development while in the confines of the city. After contacting RUFADA, they invited me to travel with them for a weekend. During our trip, we hiked through the mountains to the communities of Chaullacocha, Chupani and Rumira Sondormayo, which are hours from the closest city and still retain traditional Andean culture.
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In the communities, I was able to watch as women practiced and refined their weaving skills in an attempt to both preserve culture and produce textiles that can be sold to finance development projects. I also had the opportunity to talk to members of the community and sleep in their homes. While I was only in the communities with RUFADA for a short time, I learned so much about Andean culture, rural development, and the effects of globalization in Peru. In fact, the trip helped to inspire me to study these themes further at my university. For any student looking for a truly powerful and eye-opening volunteer experience, I would highly recommend RUFADA.
-Justin Schulze, student of the Ohio University, 2009 July
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