Orphans in Siusa

At about 4000m above the Vilacanota River (or Sacred Valley) in a village named Siusa we encountered five recently orphaned children. Two years ago the father died in a work related construction accident and two months ago their mother slipped on a rock in a small river and died from head trauma. The mother fell in the evening while carrying her 10 month old baby and it wasn’t until the next morning when they found the abandoned baby. The five orphans are now living with an aunt (center) because their grandmother (left) is deaf and unfit to care for the children. The aunt already has four kids of her own and is struggling to support the new addition to her family. The rural nurse at the clinic, who I work with, is going well beyond his normal duties by arranging an orphanage to care for the children. At the orphanage they will receive more individual attention, be well fed, and have more educational opportunities. It’s not easy to facilitate this help because the people in the community are reluctant to send their children away where they are unsure how they will be treated. Therefore, it is Amilcar’s (the rural nurse) job to convince the orphanage to care for the children and to convince the community that they will be well cared for. It is a terrible situation, but I’m happy the clinic and the community are working together to find a solution.